Skip to the page content
Your donations
Passes our checks

Uproot Colorado

EIN 82-1407915 · Carbondale, CO

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood85 out of 100GovernanceGood71 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

UpRoot Colorado works to increase nutrition security in Colorado by harvesting and redistributing surplus agricultural crops while supporting the resilience of farmers and creating opportunities for volunteers to learn about and connect with the local food system.

Income
$598,192
Spending
$575,950
Spent on programs
65%
Reserves
5.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 50%
Employees
14
Volunteers
523
Highest pay
$74,559, executive dir.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 55% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 5.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 4% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 33% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    65% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Good: 71 out of 100. Higher than 51% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    6 of 6 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, 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)
  1. $299,448 spent. Gleaning Programs are UpRoot Colorados primary programmatic focus. Gleaning entails harvesting and redistributing surplus agricultural foods, increasing the nutrition security of Colorado residents, educating the community about agriculture and food systems, and supporting the resilience of farmers. In 2025, UpRoot expanded the capacity of our Gleaning Programs with increased staff and volunteer engagement around Colorado. UpRoots Gleaning Programs resulted in the harvest and redistribution of more than 206,000 pounds of surplus, nutrient-dense food being recovered and redistributed to people facing food/nutrition insecurity. We collaborated with 68 farms and served 111 hunger-relief sites, and 523 volunteers contributed 1,972.5 hours of time towards a less wasteful and more equitable food system.
  2. $42,108 spent. UpRoot Colorado provided fiscal sponsorship to the Tool Library in 2025. The Tool Library was formed to provide a sounding board to the countless conversations that have taken place in agricultural circles and establish a concrete platform for tool sharing, specifically for agricultural-related specialized tools within the Boulder County Community. Many individuals and organizations have played a part in helping this idea to come to life along the northern Front Range and in Boulder County including Boulder County Farmers Market, Mad Agriculture, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and UpRoot Colorado.
  3. $35,185 spent. Partnership with City and County of Denver to facilitate the installation of urban gardens and delivery of horticulture programs at the La Paz micro-community site in support of Mayor Johnstons All in Mile High City- Wide Goals. In addition, this work will advance CASRs Food & Climate Justice initiatives which are supported by the Climate Protection Fund.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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.

  2. 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 November 6, 2026.

  3. 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.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since February 2020.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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 November 4, 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.