Gardens of Southeastern North Carolina
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
To improve lives and nurture creativity through the wonders of nature. Spanning over 300 acres of land, our aspiration is to establish ourselves as a premier destination for plant and nature enthusiasts, eventgoers, families, and people of all ages.
- Income
- $361,887
- Spending
- $373,096
- Spent on programs
- 92%
- Reserves
- -0.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 54%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 12
- Highest pay
- $104,000, president & treasurer
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
Weak: 48 out of 100. Higher than 12% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 31% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 58% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1592% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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
Weak: 37 out of 100. Higher than 6% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
5 of 255 of 10 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
0 of 10Did not give 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
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, 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 (1)
- $342,742 spent. The Gardens has continued to grow and maintain a stunning garden for visitors to explore and be inspired by. It has become a trial garden where we test and learn what plants work the best in our area. This benefit is educational for visitors and informative. Several events that The Gardens hosted in 2024 involved walking through The Gardens where we would show visitors favorite plants and share tips on how to grow specific varieties, and more. The biggest event that The Gardens hosted in 2024 was The Southern Lights, a Christmas holiday light show. We hosted over 7,000 people excluding children under 5. It appeared that each guest genuinely had a great time through the offerings of lights, food, drinks, fire pits, a wagon ride, a scavenger hunt, a snowball arena, and more! The Southern Lights continues to be a family friendly event where memories and traditions are made. A new event for The Gardens in 2024 was hosting The Garden Gala in partnership with The Carolina Strawberry Festival. This was an upscale event where people dressed in their garden attire and spent the day admiring the flowers and dancing to beach music. The Gardens once again hosted Grain to Oven and was able to show people firsthand how wheat is made. Guests left with a new appreciation of food through learning how to harvest their own wheat and transform it into flour to make pizza dough. The foundation of The Gardens continues to be inspiring people through education, events, and its gardens. The Gardens has become an inviting place for the community and a land of exploration for people to be in nature and become in awe of its beauty.
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 November 6, 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 December 2019.
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 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.