Test Plot Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Test Plot is a nonprofit organization formed to support community-led land stewardship through the creation and long-term care of experimental native habitat gardens in degraded urban parks. The organization partners with local communities and land managers to restore ecological health build pollinator and wildlife habitat and cultivate lasting connections between people and place. Through monthly workdays paid fellowships and multi-year site commitments Test Plot cultivate a land ethic rooted in community care and ecological stewardship.
- Income
- $182,954
- Spending
- $141,160
- Reserves
- 3.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 88%
- Highest pay
- $57,692, board president and director
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 64 out of 100. Higher than 27% of charities in its peer group (environment, under $250k).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.3 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 46% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 23% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 (1)
- $107,500 spent. Test Plot designs plants and maintains native plant gardens in underserved Los Angeles neighborhoods transforming neglected or degraded park land into thriving pollinator habitat and community green space. Across 17 plot locations the organization hosted monthly volunteer stewardship days engaged community members in hands-on ecological restoration and coordinated with city agencies and land managers to ensure coordinated land-care efforts. Program activities included invasive species removal native plant installation seed collection and propagation biodiversity monitoring and watershed education. Sites supported native bee butterfly and bird species contributing to regional habitat connectivity. The organization also trained paid youth fellows to build local capacity for ongoing land stewardship. Key outcomes: stewarded 108,000sf of land converting from flashy fuels to native habitat supervised 13,500 volunteer hours trained 90 youth participants in paid workforce positions published 13 log posts.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 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 2025.
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 December 2023.
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.