Fertile Soils Fund Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
WE HELP PARTNER FARMERS AFFORD BALANCED, POLLUTION-MITIGATED FERTILIZER (ADDITIONAL TO WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THE CURRENT YEAR'S CROP YIELD), TURNING LAST YEAR'S RESIDUES INTO DEEP RESISTANT SOIL ORGANIC CARBON FOR HEALTHIER, MORE SECURE FARM SOILS (THEREFORE FOOD SUPPLY) AND PLANET. WE AIM TO POSITIVELY CHANGE AMERICAN FARMING, TURNING THIS RESEARCH-BACKED STRATEGY INTO WIDELY ACKNOWLEDGED BEST PRACTICE.
- Income
- $37,500
- Spending
- $26,133
- Spent on programs
- 95%
- Reserves
- 6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 7
- Highest pay
- $7,200, executive di
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
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
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: 100 out of 100. Higher than 93% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, under $250k).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 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.
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 (2)
- $24,568 spent. WE APPLIED OUR RESEARCH-BASED MODEL AT EIGHT PROGRAM SITES (PARTNER FARMER FIELDS), TOTALING 382 ACRES. TOTAL PROGRAM EXPENSES INCLUDE 17,368 FOR DIRECT FERTILIZER PROCUREMENT AND 7,200 FOR DESIGN AND COORDINATION BY OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACTING IN THE CAPACITY OF LEAD SCIENTIST AND SCIENTIFIC PROJECT SUPERVISOR (OR SIMILAR CONTRACTED WORK). NUTRIENT RATIOS WERE CALCULATED TO ENSURE THEY BALANCED WITH THE AMOUNT OF RESIDUE FROM THE PREVIOUS HARVEST-THEREFORE NOT POLLUTING-AND WERE CONVERTED INTO MICROBIAL BIOMASS AND THUS DEEP RESISTANT SOIL ORGANIC CARBON (SOC). WE CALCULATED AN ADDITION OF 114 TONS OF SOC TOTAL ADDED TO THE PROGRAM SITES (EQUALING 419 TONS OF CO2 KEPT FROM RETURNING TO THE ATMOSPHERE). WE ALSO CALCULATED, FROM INFORMATION GIVEN BY OUR PARTNER FARMERS AND THEIR AGRONOMISTS THAT THESE NUTRIENTS WERE IN ADDITION TO WHAT THE FARMER PAID TO ENSURE THAT YEAR'S CROP YIELD. FSF PAID FOR ADDITIONAL FERTILIZER THAT OUR PARTNER FARMERS COULDN'T AFFORD AND WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BY THEM (OR BY OTHER SIMILAR FARMERS). OUR FERTILIZER PURCHASES LED DIRECTLY TO SOIL BUILDING AND WERE NOT INCORPORATED BY PLANTS INTO GRAIN. WE PURCHASED FERTILIZER DIRECTLY FROM LOCAL AGRICULTURAL CO-OPS AND FERTILIZER SUPPLY COMPANIES FOR DELIVERY TO OUR PARTNER FARMERS, THUS ENSURING FISCAL TRANSPARENCY AND PROVIDING SUPERIOR GOVERNANCE OVER TRADITIONAL REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAMS. PURCHASE AND APPLICATION OF SUCH LOW-MARGIN COMMODITIES PREFERENTIALLY BENEFITS LOCAL LABOR, AIDING THE RURAL ECONOMIES WE WORKED IN. WE APPLIED OUR RESEARCH-BASED MODEL AT EIGHT PROGRAM SITES (PARTNER FARMER FIELDS), TOTALING 382 ACRES. TOTAL PROGRAM EXPENSES INCLUDE 17,368 FOR DIRECT FERTILIZER PROCUREMENT AND 7,200 FOR DESIGN AND COORDINATION BY OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACTING IN THE CAPACITY OF LEAD SCIENTIST AND SCIENTIFIC PROJECT SUPERVISOR (OR SIMILAR CONTRACTED WORK). NUTRIENT RATIOS WERE CALCULATED TO ENSURE THEY BALANCED WITH THE AMOUNT OF RESIDUE FROM THE PREVIOUS HARVEST-THEREFORE NOT POLLUTING-AND WERE CONVERTED INTO MICROBIAL BIOMASS AND THUS DEEP RESISTANT SOIL ORGANIC CARBON (SOC). WE CALCULATED AN ADDITION OF 114 TONS OF SOC TOTAL ADDED TO THE PROGRAM SITES (EQUALING 419 TONS OF CO2 KEPT FROM RETURNING TO THE ATMOSPHERE). WE ALSO CALCULATED, FROM INFORMATION GIVEN BY OUR PARTNER FARMERS AND THEIR AGRONOMISTS THAT THESE NUTRIENTS WERE IN ADDITION TO WHAT THE FARMER PAID TO ENSURE THAT YEAR'S CROP YIELD. FSF PAID FOR ADDITIONAL FERTILIZER THAT OUR PARTNER FARMERS COULDN'T AFFORD AND WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BY THEM (OR BY OTHER SIMILAR FARMERS). OUR FERTILIZER PURCHASES LED DIRECTLY TO SOIL BUILDING AND WERE NOT INCORPORATED BY PLANTS INTO GRAIN. WE PURCHASED FERTILIZER DIRECTLY FROM LOCAL AGRICULTURAL CO-OPS AND FERTILIZER SUPPLY COMPANIES FOR DELIVERY TO OUR PARTNER FARMERS, THUS ENSURING FISCAL TRANSPARENCY AND PROVIDING SUPERIOR GOVERNANCE OVER TRADITIONAL REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAMS. PURCHASE AND APPLICATION OF SUCH LOW-MARGIN COMMODITIES PREFERENTIALLY BENEFITS LOCAL LABOR, AIDING THE RURAL ECONOMIES WE WORKED IN.
- $325 spent. WHILE OUR RESEARCH-PROVEN MODEL ALLOWED CALCULATIONS OF YEARLY GAINS IN DEEP RESISTANT SOIL ORGANIC CARBON (SOC) BASED ON VERIFIED CROP YIELDS AND FERTILIZER PURCHASES, MEASURING AND GETTING FINAL VERIFICATION OF SUCH GAINS REQUIRED SOIL SAMPLES TAKEN IN THE FIRST YEARS OF OUR WORK (AND WILL AGAIN AFTER THREE TO SIX YEARS). EVEN THOUGH IT HAS A LARGE EFFECT ON HOW WELL SOIL HOLDS WATER AND NUTRIENTS, SOC IS SUCH A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF MOSTLY MINERAL AGRICULTURAL SOIL THAT IT TAKES SEVERAL YEARS TO ADD AMOUNTS THAT CAN BE MEASURED. OUR SOIL-TESTING PROGRAM LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR WHAT WE AIM TO BE THE MOST FAR-REACHING ACCOMPLISHMENT OF FSF. LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS OR AGRICULTURAL FIELD TRIALS, NO MATTER HOW WELL DONE OR PUBLISHED IN SEVERAL JOURNAL ARTICLES, DO NOT DIRECTLY CHANGE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. WIDESPREAD ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF BALANCING NUTRIENT RATIOS WITH RESIDUE-ABOVE PLANT YIELD REQUIREMENTS-AS BEST PRACTICE FOR INCREASING SOC IN NORTH AMERICAN AGRICULTURE REQUIRES MEASURED PROOF ON DOZENS OF COMMERCIAL-SCALE FARMS. ONCE WE HAVE ESTABLISHED AND SHARED THAT EVIDENCE, THE CALCULABLE FINANCIAL BENEFIT OF HEALTHIER, WATER AND NUTRIENT-HOLDING SOIL WILL INFLUENCE OTHER NONPROFITS AND GOVERNMENT AGRICULTURAL ENTITIES (AS WELL AS SOME LARGE COMMERCIAL PRODUCERS WITH MULTI-YEAR BUDGETS) TO SUPPORT SIMILAR PROGRAMS. OUR ACTIVITIES WERE BIG STEPS IN MAKING AMERICAN AGRICULTURE AND OUR FOOD SECURITY STRONGER. WHILE OUR RESEARCH-PROVEN MODEL ALLOWED CALCULATIONS OF YEARLY GAINS IN DEEP RESISTANT SOIL ORGANIC CARBON (SOC) BASED ON VERIFIED CROP YIELDS AND FERTILIZER PURCHASES, MEASURING AND GETTING FINAL VERIFICATION OF SUCH GAINS REQUIRED SOIL SAMPLES TAKEN IN THE FIRST YEARS OF OUR WORK (AND WILL AGAIN AFTER THREE TO SIX YEARS). EVEN THOUGH IT HAS A LARGE EFFECT ON HOW WELL SOIL HOLDS WATER AND NUTRIENTS, SOC IS SUCH A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF MOSTLY MINERAL AGRICULTURAL SOIL THAT IT TAKES SEVERAL YEARS TO ADD AMOUNTS THAT CAN BE MEASURED. OUR SOIL-TESTING PROGRAM LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR WHAT WE AIM TO BE THE MOST FAR-REACHING ACCOMPLISHMENT OF FSF. LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS OR AGRICULTURAL FIELD TRIALS, NO MATTER HOW WELL DONE OR PUBLISHED IN SEVERAL JOURNAL ARTICLES, DO NOT DIRECTLY CHANGE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. WIDESPREAD ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF BALANCING NUTRIENT RATIOS WITH RESIDUE-ABOVE PLANT YIELD REQUIREMENTS-AS BEST PRACTICE FOR INCREASING SOC IN NORTH AMERICAN AGRICULTURE REQUIRES MEASURED PROOF ON DOZENS OF COMMERCIAL-SCALE FARMS. ONCE WE HAVE ESTABLISHED AND SHARED THAT EVIDENCE, THE CALCULABLE FINANCIAL BENEFIT OF HEALTHIER, WATER AND NUTRIENT-HOLDING SOIL WILL INFLUENCE OTHER NONPROFITS AND GOVERNMENT AGRICULTURAL ENTITIES (AS WELL AS SOME LARGE COMMERCIAL PRODUCERS WITH MULTI-YEAR BUDGETS) TO SUPPORT SIMILAR PROGRAMS. OUR ACTIVITIES WERE BIG STEPS IN MAKING AMERICAN AGRICULTURE AND OUR FOOD SECURITY STRONGER.
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 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 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 January 2024.
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.
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