Terra Birds
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Educating and empowering youth through gardening. TerraBirds leads youth garden programs that promote justice, sustainability, and resiliency to help young people become the stewards of a healthy future.
- Income
- $546,341
- Spending
- $428,318
- Spent on programs
- 81%
- Reserves
- 9.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 74%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 130
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
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 79% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 9.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 22% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 26% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1581% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 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
Good: 75 out of 100. Higher than 56% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
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)
- $260,321 spent. SCHOOL GARDENS-In 2024 Terra BIRDS gardened with 2221 students in 16 schools across the Flagstaff Unified School District, local Charter Schools and the Coconino County Regional Accommodation School District. We provided 363 hours of education to students. Some of the top activities included garden maintenance, garden bed construction, planting veggies and herbs, pollinator habitat creation and plant propagation.
- $86,558 spent. Our BIRDSWork program is an opportunity for young adults to have part-time, temporary, paid job experience. Working with Terra BIRDS provides young workers with a hands-on experience to develop basic job and teamwork skills, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and self-discovery. In 2024, Terra BIRDS provided sustainability-oriented jobs, mentorship, and networking support to 35 young adults. We implemented an interview process for students from Ponderosa High School, the Coconino County Juvenile Detention Center Transition School, and other Northern Arizona schools, providing youth interns with valuable job training and real-world experience in professional hiring practices. During their internship, youth grew food for themselves and their community, assisted local farmers, and learned about environmental stewardship. Twenty youth reported that BIRDSWork was their first job, 77% were unemployed prior to this internship, and 85% relied on this internship for meaningful income to positively impact finances for them or their family.
- $233 spent. COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP: Stewardship projects that provide opportunities for community members to grow, harvest and learn together. Please see annual report at terraBirds.org
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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 2013.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 21, 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.