Upstream Works EIN 82-5298960

Upstream Works

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Investigating and designing lasting, equitable solutions for community well-being. For fiscal year 2025 it reported $1.7M in revenue, $1.1M in expenses, and $956K in net assets.Pt I

Founded
2018
Type
Public charity (501(c)(3)) · Community Development
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Website
upstreamworks.org
Filings
6 on file (2020–2025)
Revenue
$1.7MFY2025
Expenses
$1.1M
Net assets
$956K
People
6
Filings
6
Updates
0
More identity details & actions ⌄
EIN  82-5298960 Public charity (501(c)(3)) Chapel Hill, NC Founded 2018
Form 990 (PDF)
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Figures match the IRS filing checked 9/14/26 · see original: IRS
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Size
$1–10M
What they do
Investigating and designing lasting, equitable solutions for community well-being.
Leadership
Linden Thayer · Executive Director · $40K
Money in and out
$1.7M revenue, $1.1M expenses
Bottom line
95% program efficiency
Where the money goes · FY2025
Total revenue
$1.7M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$1.1M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$956K
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $578K
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.95 Management & general $0.05
Program efficiency
95%
of spending reaches programs+0.3% vs prior filing year
Operating runway
10.6mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate▲ +165% vs prior filing year
Surplus margin
+35%
revenue over expenses, this year▲ +222% vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2025 · Form 990
Revenue
$1.7M
FY2025▲ +84%
Expenses
$1.1M
FY2025▼ -7%
Total assets
$963K
FY2025▲ +152%
Total liabilities
$7K
FY2025▲ +78%
Total revenue
$1.7M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$1.1M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$956K
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$578K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$963K
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B95%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 35
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 45
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

3 program services account for $950K of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2025.
01

Comm Food Strat

Community Food Strategies facilitates the creation of food councils across the state, to give individuals the opportunity to influence thefood system specific to their community. CFM builds networks, shares resoruces, provides training and support, and engages in storytelling to amplify impact.

$656Kprogram expense
02

Rainbow Collective for Change

RCC is a collective of LGBTQIA+ families, community members, and organizations working together to build affirming spaces for LGBTQIA+ families and children ages 0-12. In 2025, RCC reached 4090 individuals through community programs in the Twin Cities and North Carolina, education programs throughout the United States, and an Out & About…

$167Kprogram expense
03

Core

The Collective on Racial Equity in Food Systems (CORE) is a North Carolina-based, Southern-focused initiative that centers racial equity within agriculture, food systems, and land-based work.

$127Kprogram expense

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Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CUpstream Works
EINHdr · item D82-5298960
Principal addressHdr · item CChapel Hill, NC
WebsiteHdr · item Jupstreamworks.org
Year of formationHdr · item L2018
State of legal domicileHdr · item MNC
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFCommunity Development (S20)
Ruling yearIRS BMFMay 2018

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a5
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b5
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aNo
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2Yes

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director
$40,000Pt VII · Sec A
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Linden Thayer’s $40K as Executive Director is at the 3rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 2834 $1–10M community development nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024
Linden Thayer$40,000$40,000

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants100%$1.7M
Investment income$70
— government grantsLn 1e$46K
Total revenueLn 12$1.7M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.95 Management & general $0.05
Program services95%$1.0M
Management & general5%$57K
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.1M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$941K
Total assetsLn 16$963K
Total liabilitiesLn 26$7K
Total net assetsLn 32$956K
Months of cash on handcomputed10.5

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2025 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $941K · Operating expenses (Pt IX) $1.1M · Less non-cash grants $16K · Cash operating expenses/yr $1.1M
10.6 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $1.0M · Total expenses $1.1M
95%
Management & General
Management & general $57K · Total expenses $1.1M
5%
Fundraising
Fundraising $0 · Total expenses $1.1M
0%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $0 · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $966K
Solicited contributions below reporting floor
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $1.7M · Total revenue $1.7M
100%
Government reliance
Government grants $46K · Total revenue $1.7M
3%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $0 · Total revenue $1.7M
0%
Investment reliance
Investment income $70 · Total revenue $1.7M
<0.01%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $0 · Total expenses $1.1M
0%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $1.7M · Prior year $900K
+84%
Revenue CAGR
FY2020 $277K · FY2025 $1.7M
+43%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $956K · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $1.7M · Expenses $1.1M
+35%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $963K
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $956K · Total assets $963K
99%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) — · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $963K
Excludes program-related investments (Pt X, ln 13)
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Linden Thayer · Reported title Executive Director · Highest reported compensation $40K · Total expenses $1.1M
4%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $125K · Total expenses $1.1M
12%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 95%
Overhead ratio 5%
Revenue growth 84%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2024
Duke UniversityFY2024$10K
Total grants receivedfrom 4 funders$96K
See all 4 funders →
Grants paid · 18 grants · $410K · 2024–2025
Kind Kitchen GroupNC · FY2025$13,000
Island CulturezNC · FY2025$8,850
Farmer Foodshare INCNC · FY2025$7,750
Rainbow Coalition for ChangeFY2024$167,500
HeartsNC · FY2024$16,750
Sankofa Birth Foundation INCNC · FY2024$16,750
Fatherhood of DurhamNC · FY2024$16,750
Equity Before BirthNC · FY2024$16,750
El Centro Hispano INCNC · FY2024$16,750

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2025 (Latest)$1.7M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2024$900K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$839K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$283K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$100K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$277K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2025IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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