Bountiful Cities Project
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Bountiful Cities is the urban agriculture resource in Asheville. We share and support agriculture resources and skills centered in equity, inclusion and economic viability. Bountiful Cities works collaboratively investing in re-development of local food systems and envisioning abundant and food sovereign communities.
- Income
- $529,623
- Spending
- $393,662
- Spent on programs
- 82%
- Reserves
- 3.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 65%
- Employees
- 14
- Volunteers
- 150
- Highest pay
- $34,320, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 26% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 92 out of 100. Higher than 83% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 257 of 7 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
12 of 15Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $322,322 spent. FEAST (K-8) public school program reaches 1,600 students each year in Buncombe and Madison Counties, teaching essential gardening and cooking skills. At our partner schools-where an average of 66% of students qualify for free or reduced- price lunch-we manage school gardens that function as both educational spaces and vital food hubs. These gardens serve historically marginalized communities that often lack accessible sources of fresh produce within walking distance. The FEAST program held over 600 hands-on cooking and gardening classes for students, facilitated more than 200 hours of volunteer work, and maintained five thriving school gardens. We organized 48 Garden and Gather workdays, hosted seven successful plant sale fundraisers, and distributed over 2,000 plants to community gardens and schools. In total, we helped distribute more than 10,000 pounds of fresh, locally grown food to individuals and families across our service area.
- Community Garden Network (CGN) brings together over 30 food-producing gardens throughout the region to increase fresh food access, wellness, and community connection. Community Garden Network remained a vital hub of education and resource-sharing. We offered 10 free public workshops, drawing over 400 participants and covering topics ranging from Cooking With the Seasons to Invasive Pest Management. We continued to maintain and share community seed libraries and a tool library to support gardeners across the region. . By sharing tools, land, labor, and seeds-and offering monthly free educational workshops on topics identified by our garden partners-we help entire neighborhoods. Today, these community gardens produce thousands of pounds of food and are spaces for connection, fresh food access, business incubation, and civic engagement.
- Pearson Garden Food Hub: We provide technical assistance to the gardens, as well as food-producing plants from our model Food Hub at Pearson Garden. At Pearson Garden, we have engaged hundreds of volunteers and offered training to thousands of community members to build and showcase systems such as rainwater catchment, composting, greenhouse and nursery plant production, sustainable cob buildings, terrace gardening, hugelkultur beds, and CoolBot walk-in cooler technology. In addition to growing a diverse array of fruits, vegetables, and herbs onsite, we distribute this fresh produce to our public-school partners, community partners, and neighborhoods in need, helping to directly support food access across the community.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 2003.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.