Methow Valley Trails Collaborative
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Enhancing sustainable trail experiences in the Methow Valley.
- Income
- $364,949
- Spending
- $286,936
- Spent on programs
- 83%
- Reserves
- 5.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 48%
- Employees
- 3
- Volunteers
- 65
- Highest pay
- $66,333, executive director
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 58% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 21% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 49% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1583% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 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
Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 258 of 8 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
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
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, 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)
- $178,466 spent. Facilitate collaborative trail improvements: MVTC responded to a staffing crisis at the United States Forest Service by hiring a professional trail crew to maintain public access trails on lands managed by the Methow Valley Ranger District. Our professional crew maintained over 200 miles of trail and assisted with a trail bridge replacement. Additionally, MVTC continued our commitment to volunteer coordination to connect the community to public lands stewardship. We hosted trail work parties and campground cleanups throughout the summer field season. Our work parties resulted in over 2,500 person-hours of volunteer public lands stewardship in 2025.
- $30,934 spent. Build and strengthen relationships with trail managers and advocates: The Trails Collaborative hosted six meetings open to the public in which relevant trail issues were discussed and timely solutions were suggested. The organization continued our working group to assist the United States Forest Service and Okanogan County in identifying and vetting concerns about Wheeled All Terrain Vehicle use on existing roads managed by the forest and county.
- $28,554 spent. Act as a community resource for trail information: MVTC maintained a free-to-the-public trail conditions page, which included recent maintenance reports, trail closure information, and educational points on responsible recreation. The organization also managed a volunteer trailhead ambassador program to welcome visitors and educate them about responsible recreation on public lands managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. In the fall, we hired an outreach coordinator to make educational contacts with recreators on popular national forest system trails.
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
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 2025.
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 October 2023.
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.