Nearby Nature
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Dedicated to fostering appreciation of nature nearby and providing tools for ecological living our staff and volunteers lead nature walks youth programs daycamps events and restoration work primarily in Eugenes Alton Baker Park. We also teach Network Charter School classes maintain a Learnscape Outdoor Classroom and serve as Alton Baker Parks Official Host.
- Income
- $545,164
- Spending
- $543,923
- Spent on programs
- 85%
- Reserves
- 2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 91%
- Employees
- 24
- Volunteers
- 175
- Highest pay
- $56,885, executive director
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
Fair: 57 out of 100.
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.0 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 61% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 0% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 6% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1585% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 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
Strong: 91 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 256 of 6 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, 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 (9)
- $233,292 spent. Network Charter School: Nearby Nature offers classes throughout the academic year for NCS an alternative public charter school serving students in grades 7-12. These classes serve the schools up to 120+ students and include everything from nature literature to field biology to outdoor physical education. Some of our teachers are also very involved in the schools fabulous field trip credit recovery program that gets kids outside in nature everywhere from local to State to National parks natural areas to hike camp and learn about natural science.
- $108,911 spent. Summer Daycamps: We had 587 enrollments in 53 camps during the summer of 2024! Our camps provided kids from 3-11 years old with hands-on outdoor experiences focused on a variety of nature and conservation-themed topics -- from bugs to bikes rivers to rocks. All camps took place outdoors in local parks including Alton Baker Park and our Learnscape as well as Mount Pisgah Arboretum and Hendricks Park. This year as in the past we hosted multiple bilingual Spanish-English camps. Over 35 children received scholarships through our Every Child Outside Fund and community partner support total $6,800+. Note that these fund releases which are not reflected in income here supported this program. For the second year we provided small stipends for our teen Outdoor Leaders and college interns and were able to provide 8 teen stipends of $250-$500 and nine intern stipends of $1000. This made assisting with our programs accessible to more young people. More money will need to be raised to support these efforts going forward.
- $47,041 spent. Nature Schooling: In 2024 we continued to offer our Natural Neighbors After School program for K-5th graders three times a week and our Wonder Keepers preschool for 3-5 year olds with options of one-three times a week in Alton Baker Park. These all outdoor nature-science play and adventure based programs served kids throughout the school year. Volunteers and interns contributed 682 hours to these programs in 2024! The value of this time at the 2024 volunteer rate of $34.79 hour is $23,727!
- $23,549 spent. Park Host Residence Learnscape: Nearby Nature serves as Eugenes Alton Baker Park Host. We do park caretaking & education in turn for free use of a city-owned building & its grounds where we maintain a Learnscape Garden and Outdoor Classroom. The Learnscape is used during summer camps family programs Nature School programs Network Charter School classes and school year field trips. Between this program and our Park Restoration programs interns and volunteers shared over 1,000 hours of their time with us in 2024!
- $26,682 spent. Program Support and Outreach: In 2024 this included production of an eNewsletter website maintenance & content creation volunteer recruitment & support general program outreach & support educational article writing for Oregon Family Magazine professional development and community coalition development & participation.
- $7,331 spent. No School Days: Nearby Nature held 12 No School Days in 2024 for 170 kids! All events took place outdoors in local parks including Alton Baker and Hendricks. These programs provided educational and entertaining nature activities for kids when local schools were out of session. Volunteers contributed 104 hours of their time to these programs. The value of this service at the 2024 rate of $34.79 per hour is $3,618!
- $6,962 spent. Alton Baker Park Nature Walks: Nearby Nature conducted field trips for 1,144 kids in 2024. Seventeen volunteers contributed 326 hours of their time to lead walks for these programs. At the 2024 rate of $34.79 an hour that time has a value of $11,342!
- $1,387 spent. Park Restoration and Caretaking: Nearby Nature recruits community individuals as well as groups to do work parties and caretaking projects in Alton Baker Park. We also have a TAG Team Taskforce Against Graffiti that maintains a lovely stencil mural that we created in 2018 on the Frohnmayer Footbridge. In 2024 we hosted several community park clean-ups as well as worked with student interns on a regular basis throughout the year. See Park Host-Learnscape for hours shared.
- $9,305 spent. Special and Community Events Green Start Play Days Nature Quests School Visits Community Science and Other Youth Program: In 2024 we hosted 10 Green Start Play Days preschool family events that happen throughout the year and are a key way for families with young children to connect with our work. Many Green Start children end up enrolling in our preschool! In 2024 we also hosted two family Nature Quests on weekends and shared nature-themed activities at multiple community festivals. Our annual Haunted Hike drew 381 people in 2024 and 50+ volunteers donated 173 hours to events fun costumed critter walk crafts and games. At the volunteer rate of $34.79 per hour the value of this time was $5,584!
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 November 1993.
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.