Upstream Works Collaborative provides creative,accessible service solutions to help changemakers navigate complex challenges. We support grassroots leaders, community initiatives, and early-stage nonprofits by offering the critical infrastructure they need to focus on their mission and create lasting impact.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
95¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 500 volunteers and 3 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
4 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $192K a year · 24% of revenue · last 5 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
95%
of spending
Looks good: 95% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$40K
to officers and key staff · 4% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 4% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
10 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 10.5 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
4
named funders · $96K
Looks good: 4 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$7K
0.7% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 1% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
5
of 5 voting members
Looks good: 5 of 5 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.7M
+84% vs prior year
Spent
$1.1M
To programs
95%
Net assets
$956K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$1.7M
FY2025▲ +84%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$277K
FY2021$100K
FY2022$283K
FY2023$839K
FY2024$900K
FY2025$1.7M
Expenses
$1.1M
FY2025▼ -7%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$257K
FY2021Not on file
FY2022$58K
FY2023$444K
FY2024$1.2M
FY2025$1.1M
Net assets
$956K
FY2025▲ +153%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$40K
FY2021$15K
FY2022$0
FY2023$0
FY2024$378K
FY2025$956K

From the FY2025 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in May 2018.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

95 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 95% · $1.0M Management & general 5% · $57K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

6 people listed on the 990; $40K paid to officers and key staff.

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 2832 $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.

See Upstream Works executive salaries →

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2Yes
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo

Programs and updates

Investigating and designing lasting, equitable solutions for community well-being.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $950K · in their 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

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

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

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.7M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$1.7M
Investment incomeLn 3$70
Money outPt IX
$1.1M
Ln 25
Programscol B$1.0M
Managementcol C$57K
Owns and owesPt X
$956K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$941K
Total assetsLn 16$963K
LiabilitiesLn 26$7K
PeoplePt VI, VII
6
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a5
IndependentVI 1b5
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$1.7M
Government grantsLn 1e$46K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$16K
Investment incomeLn 3$70
Total revenueLn 12$1.7M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$691K
SavingsLn 2$250K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$941K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$0
Total assetsLn 16$963K
LiabilitiesLn 26$7K
Net assetsLn 32$956K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 53
VolunteersI 6500
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$382K$941K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$0
Total assetsLn 16$382K$963K
LiabilitiesLn 26$4K$7K
Net assetsLn 32$378K$956K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$92K$92K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$40K$0$40K$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$71K$71K$0$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$6K$6K$0$0
Payroll taxesLn 10$9K$5K$3K$0
Management feesLn 11a$20K$20K$0$0
Legal feesLn 11b$390$0$390$0
Accounting feesLn 11c$31K$22K$9K$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$629K$629K$0$0
Advertising and promotionLn 12$19K$19K$0$0
Information technologyLn 14$4K$3K$1K$0
OccupancyLn 16$27K$27K$0$0
TravelLn 17$34K$34K$0$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$19K$19K$0$0
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$16K$15K$815$0
All other expensesLn 24e$64K$62K$2K$0
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.1M$1.0M$57K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $1.7M$1.1M$578K$956K 990 PDF
FY2024 $900K$1.2M−$256K$378K 990 PDF
FY2023 $839K$444K$395K$0 990 PDF
FY2022 $283K$58K$225K$0 990 PDF
FY2021 $100K$15K 990 PDF
FY2020 $277K$257K$20K$40K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,657,868 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $900,218$1,657,798
I-9 Program service revenue$0
I-10 Investment income$70
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $900,218$1,657,868
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $167,500$91,500
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $43,050$125,479
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $946,163$862,929
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $1,156,713$1,079,908
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$256,495$577,960
Part VI · Governance 5 of 5 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body5
VI-1b Independent voting members5
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,657,868 across 6 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$46,350
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$1,611,448
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$16,000
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$1,657,798
VIII-3 Investment incomeUnrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$70
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $70 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$1,657,868
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,079,908 across 16 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $91,500$91,500
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $0 · Management $40,000 · Fundraising $0$40,000
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $71,142 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$71,142
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $5,834 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$5,834
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $5,491 · Management $3,012 · Fundraising $0$8,503
IX-11a Management feesPrograms $20,000 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$20,000
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $0 · Management $390 · Fundraising $0$390
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $21,882 · Management $8,931 · Fundraising $0$30,813
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $629,234 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$629,234
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $18,539 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$18,539
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $2,625 · Management $1,379 · Fundraising $0$4,004
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $26,944 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$26,944
IX-17 TravelPrograms $33,651 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$33,651
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $19,094 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$19,094
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $15,288 · Management $815 · Fundraising $0$16,103
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $62,102 · Management $2,055 · Fundraising $0$64,157
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $1,023,326 · Management $56,582 · Fundraising $0$1,079,908
Part X · Balance sheet $962,813 assets, 12 lines filed
Asset lines not itemized here account for $14,670; see the IRS return.
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $381,879$690,643
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investments$250,000
X-3 Pledges and grants receivable$7,500
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, net$0
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $381,879$962,813
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $3,800$6,700
X-25 Other liabilities$72
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $3,800$6,772
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $378,079$111,944
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictions$844,097
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $378,079$956,041
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $381,879$962,813
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $956,041 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,657,868
XI-2 Total expenses$1,079,908
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$577,960
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$378,079
XI-8 Prior period adjustments$2
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$956,041

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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