McDowell Lfac is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to connect, coordinate, and strengthen the local food system in McDowell county, north carolina. The organization's goal is to improve the health, income and livelihoods of all community members through building a complete food network of producers, businesses, agencies and not-for-profit organizations. Lfac does this through developing and implementing programs, special projects and supportive food system infrastructure in McDowell.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
84¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$76K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2024 · 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
6 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $703K a year · 40% of revenue · last 6 filings
Looks good: a surplus in 6 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
84%
of spending
Looks good: 84% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$76K
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
7 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 6.7 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
2
named funders · $505K
Fine: 2 funders name it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$13K
0.5% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 0% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
11
of 11 voting members
Looks good: 11 of 11 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$2.7M
+108% vs prior year
Spent
$2.0M
To programs
84%
Net assets
$2.5M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$2.7M
FY2024▲ +108%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$656K
FY2021$741K
FY2022$1.0M
FY2023$1.3M
FY2024$2.7M
FY2025$4.1M
Expenses
$2.0M
FY2024▲ +143%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$233K
FY2021$414K
FY2022$554K
FY2023$821K
FY2024$2.0M
FY2025$2.3M
Net assets
$2.5M
FY2024▲ +39%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$514K
FY2021$841K
FY2022$1.3M
FY2023$1.8M
FY2024$2.5M
FY2025$4.3M

From the FY2024 Form 990 (year ending July 2024) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2024 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

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

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

Where the money goes

84 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 84% · $1.7M Management & general 16% · $318K

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

13 people listed on the 990; $76K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2023); the FY2024 filing did not itemize Part VII
Executive Dir. (former-End 3/24)
$72,601Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer (former-End 7/24)
$3,477Pt VII · Sec A
Vice-Chair
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary (current-Start 7/24)
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer (was Secretary-End 7/24)
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Chair (current-Start 7/24)
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Leslie Burleson’s $89K as Exec. Dir. is at the 41st percentile of top reported officer pay among 818 $1–10M food & agriculture 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 · 4 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Leslie Burleson$88,812—————
Heather Edwards—$72,601$79,200———
Emily Roberts———$65,687$55,182$42,160
Nikii Pittman—$3,477$2,821$1,949$1,949$487

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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Questions the 990 asks

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

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Strengthens the local food system, improving community health and livelihoods through a connected network.

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3 programs · $1.7M · in their own filed words · FY2023
01

Healthy Opportunities Pilot (hop) Program

The hop program is a true pilot in that only 3 regions in NC participate and the 18 western NC counties and qualla boundary are one of them. The mcdowell lfac / foothills food hub, in partnership with impact health and medicaid, provides fresh and shelf stable food to those who qualify for various medicaid programs.

$1.0Mprogram expense
02

Foothills Food Hub

The foothills food hub (FFH) is the largest program of the mcdowell lfac. Construction was complete in november of 2022. The foothills food hub is located at 263 barnes RD in marion and consists of three components: (1) a teaching kitchen that will eventually host culinary classes in partnership with our local community college, healthy…

$492Kprogram expense
03

Lfac Community Engagement

The lfac is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to strengthen the local food system in mcdowell county. Its goal is to improve the health and livelihoods of all community members through building a food network of producers, businesses, agencies, and not-for -profit organizations.

$138Kprogram 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 · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 2 funders$505K
Grants paid · 2 grants · $14K · 2019–2024
NC Farmers of the FoothillsFY2024$7,512

By the numbers

The FY2024 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$2.7M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$2.3M
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$445K
Other incomeLn 4–11$2K
Money outPt IX
$2.0M
Ln 25
Programscol B$1.7M
Managementcol C$318K
Owns and owesPt X
$2.5M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.1M
Total assetsLn 16$2.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$13K
PeoplePt VI, VII
13
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a11
IndependentVI 1b11
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$445K
Government grantsLn 1e$60K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$2.3M
Other incomeLn 4–11$2K
Total revenueLn 12$2.7M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$1.1M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$1.1M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$1.4M
Total assetsLn 16$2.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$13K
Net assetsLn 32$2.5M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 532
VolunteersI 6142
Fiscal year endsHeaderJuly
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY24End FY24
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$754K$1.1M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$1.1M$1.4M
Total assetsLn 16$1.8M$2.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$11K$13K
Net assetsLn 32$1.8M$2.5M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$2K$2K
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$4K$4K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$142K$142K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$144K$144K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$395K$395K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$508$508
Payroll taxesLn 10$52K$36K$16K
Management feesLn 11a$25K$7K$18K
Accounting feesLn 11c$25K$25K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$22K$18K$4K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$3K$2K$286
Office expensesLn 13$24K$8K$16K
Information technologyLn 14$6K$6K
OccupancyLn 16$21K$8K$13K
TravelLn 17$464$464
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$9K$1K$8K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$48K$48K
InsuranceLn 23$12K$12K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$1.0M$1.0M$12K
All other expensesLn 24e$23K$20K$3K
Total functional expensesLn 25$2.0M$1.7M$318K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $4.1M$2.3M$1.8M$4.3M 990 PDF
FY2024 Viewing $2.7M$2.0M$707K$2.5M 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.3M$821K$477K$1.8M 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.0M$554K$489K$1.3M 990 PDF
FY2021 $741K$414K$327K$841K 990 PDF
FY2020 $656K$233K$424K$514K 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 FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $2,699,377 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $961,362$445,367
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $336,120$2,251,925
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $0$0
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $200$2,085
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $1,297,682$2,699,377
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$6,253
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $353,800$733,046
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $466,833$1,253,527
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $820,633$1,992,826
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $477,049$706,551
Part VI · Governance 11 of 11 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body11
VI-1b Independent voting members11
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $2,699,377 across 7 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $1,525 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1e Government grants$59,533
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$385,834
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$445,367
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $2,250,400$2,250,400
VIII-6 Net rental income or lossExcluded from tax $2,040$2,040
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Excluded from tax $45$45
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $2,251,925 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $2,085$2,699,377
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,992,826 across 20 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $1,792$1,792
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $4,461$4,461
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffManagement $141,651$141,651
IX-6 Pay of disqualified personsPrograms $143,742$143,742
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $395,235$395,235
IX-9 Other employee benefitsManagement $508$508
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $36,252 · Management $15,658$51,910
IX-11a Management feesPrograms $7,063 · Management $17,525$24,588
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $24,859$24,859
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $17,913 · Management $3,729$21,642
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $2,310 · Management $286$2,596
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $8,313 · Management $15,567$23,880
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $6,219$6,219
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $8,049 · Management $13,057$21,106
IX-17 TravelManagement $464$464
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $1,312 · Management $8,051$9,363
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationManagement $48,103$48,103
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $12,412$12,412
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $1,022,993 · Management $12,484$1,035,477
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $19,581 · Management $3,237$22,818
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $1,675,235 · Management $317,591 · Fundraising $0$1,992,826
Part X · Balance sheet $2,517,049 assets, 9 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $754,238$1,117,525
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $1,053,859$1,399,524
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $1,808,097$2,517,049
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $7,753$489
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $2,970$12,630
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $10,723$13,119
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $1,797,374$2,503,930
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $1,797,374$2,503,930
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $1,808,097$2,517,049
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $2,503,930 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$2,699,377
XI-2 Total expenses$1,992,826
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$706,551
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$1,797,374
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$5
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$2,503,930

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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