Escuela De Agricultura De La Region Tropical Humeda
Public records raise at least one point you should look into before giving.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O
- Income
- $33.9 million
- Spending
- $37.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 83%
- Reserves
- 19.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 85%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $411,210, rector
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
Good: 84 out of 100. Higher than 79% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 19.7 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 10% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 11% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 0% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1583% 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
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 18% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 11 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
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
15 of 15Its accounts were audited 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 (3)
- $14.1 million spent. FOR OVER 34 YEARS, THE UNIVERSITY HAS SOUGHT OUT EXTRAORDINARY YOUTH FROM UNDERPRIVILEGED COMMUNITIES IN OVER 60 COUNTRIES AND GIVEN THEM THE CHANCE TO LEARN AND GROW AS PROFESSIONALS AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, AS HUMAN BEINGS WITH VALUES AND ETHICS. 82% OF EARTH'S STUDENT BODY RETURN TO THEIR COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN AND MAKE A POSITIVE SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOMONIC IMPACT. FROM RURAL COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH AMERICA TO VILLAGES IN AFRICA, EARTH'S STUDENTS AND GRADUATES ARE IMPROVING LABOR CONDITIONS, STARTING THEIR OWN BUSINESSES, GENERATING EMPLOYMENT, DEFENDING BIODIVERSITY AND PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES. EARTH UNIVERSITY'S CURRICULUM IS BASED ON FOUR FORMATIVE AREAS DESIGNED TO PREPARE STUDENTS WITH THE COMPETENCIES REQUIRED TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF TODAY'S WORLD, INCLUDING: - TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE: ENSURING EARTH ALUMNI HAVE THE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES TO SUSTAINABLY MANAGE AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS AND PRECIOUS NATURAL RESOURCES. - PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, ATTITUDES AND VALUES: FOSTERING SELF-AWARENESS, EMPATHY, RESPECT, TOLERANCE, TEAMWORK, EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND LIFE-LONG LOVE OF LEARNING ALONG WITH THE PROMOTION OF INTERCULTURAL PEACE AND CIVIL DIALOG. - ETHICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: SPARKING IN STUDENTS AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT TO PROACTIVELY GENERATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS AND RESOLVE SOLUTIONS TO PERSISTENT CHALLENGES. STUDENTS FORM AND OPERATE A BUSINESS VENTURE DURING THEIR FIRST THREE YEARS STUDYING AT EARTH, THEREBY GAINING A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WHILE BENEFITING SOCIETY. - SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND COMMITMENT: DEVELOPING STUDENTS' PERSONAL SENSE OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY AND STRENGTHENING THEIR CAPACITY TO GENERATE POSITIVE CHANGE. THE TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS AT EARTH UNIVERSITY IS DYNAMIC AND PARTICIPATORY, AND EARTH PROFESSORS SERVE AS FACILITATORS OF LEARNING. OUR EDUCATIONAL APPROACH IS BASED ON TWO PRINCIPALS: 1. STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING: STUDENTS, ALONE OR IN GROUPS, EXPLORE REAL CHALLENGES AND BECOME ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN GENERATING KNOWLEDGE, AS OPPOSED TO PASSIVE RECEPTORS OF INFORMATION. 2. EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: STUDENTS LEARN THROUGH DELIBERATE EXPERIENCES DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE LEARNING AND ARE GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOP ABILITIES WHICH THEY CAN PUT INTO PRACTICE WHILE THEY ARE LEARNING. IN 2024, THE SCHOOL HAD A BANNER YEAR, WITH THE FOLLOWING HIGHLIGHTS: 1. 408 STUDENTS HAILING FROM 38 COUNTRIES 2. 48% FEMALE STUDENT POPULATION 3. 90% OF STUDENTS MATRICULATING ON FULL OR PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIP 4. 90% OF STUDENTS GRADUATE IN FOUR OR FIVE YEARS 5. 80% OF STUDENTS FROM LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, 19% FROM AFRICA & 1% FROM OTHERS 6. 90% OF STUDENTS RECEIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT 7. 40 FACULTY MEMBERS FROM 18 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES THE AMOUNT REFLECTED AS GRANTS IN PROGRAM SERVICE 4A REPRESENT FELLOWSHIPS AND STUDENT STIPENDS. SCHOLARSHIP EXPENSES ARE NOT RECORDED IN THE FUNCTIONAL EXPENSES OF THE FORM 990.
- $12.5 million spent. AGRI-BUSINESS BANANA PLANTATION - THE UNIVERSITY OPERATES A BANANA PLANTATION THAT ASSISTS ITS STUDENTS TO LEARN THE VALUES AND ETHICS OF BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. THE OPERATION OF THE PLANTATION SUPPORTS THE INSTITUTION ECONOMICALLY AND ACADEMICALLY. THE UNIVERSITY, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE KELLOGG FOUNDATION, DEVELOPED RENEWABLE PRODUCTS (SUCH AS PAPER) FROM THE WASTE - A MODEL THAT HAS PROVEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION IN LATIN AMERICA. THE UNIVERSITY'S AGRI-BUSINESS ENDEAVORS EXTEND BEYOND THE PLANTATION, AS THE STUDENTS GET INVOLVED IN THE SALE OF CROP SEEDS, LIVESTOCK, AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES. THESE ACTIVITES TEACH THE STUDENTS TO BE CONSCIENTIOUS AND DUTIFUL STEWARDS OF THE EARTH AND ITS FINITE RESOURCES. FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS, EARTH UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN A LEADER IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PRACTICES. THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY, THE UNIVERSITY HAS INCORPORATED PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC AND REGENERATIVE FARMING IN ITS FORESTS, COMMUNITY, AND COMMERCIAL AND ACADEMIC FARMS. IN 2020, EARTH LAUNCHED A PROJECT THAT INTEGRATES AND ADVANCES REGENERATIVE ORGANIC PRACTICES ON SMALL CACAO FARMS IN COSTA RICA. THE PROJECT WAS IMPLEMENTED BY EARTH AND FUNDED BY PATAGONIA PROVISIONS, A U.S. COMPANY THAT SUPPORTS ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS WITH BOLD, DIRECT-ACTION AGENDAS AIMED AT BUILDING AN EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE, AND DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT. THIS HIGH-IMPACT INITIATIVE HELPED TO STRENGTHEN AND RECOVER THE SOIL ON CACAO FARMS, ADDRESS THE IMPACT CAUSED BY THE USE OF CHEMICAL PRODUCTS ON THE SOIL, AND SUPPORT CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION. EARTH LAUNCHED THIS INNOVATIVE PROJECT BY CAREFULLY INTEGRATING REGENERATIVE PRINCIPLES ON ITS ORGANIC FARM. FOR EXAMPLE, SHEEP AND DUCKS WERE INTRODUCED AS A CHEMICAL-FREE ALTERNATIVE TO STANDARD PEST-CONTROL PRACTICES. THROUGH A STEADY DIET OF PASTURE GRASS, WEEDS, AND INSECTS, THESE ANIMALS GENERATE MANURE THAT SERVES AS A RICH FERTILIZER COMPOST. THIS APPROACH REDUCES THE NUMBER OF TRUCKS NEEDED TO TRANSPORT FERTILIZERS FROM ELSEWHERE, REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SHORTENING THE PRODUCTION CHAIN. THROUGHOUT 2023, THE PROJECT LEADERS INVITED 80 CACAO-PRODUCING FAMILIES FROM THE PROVINCE OF LIMN TO PARTICIPATE IN HANDS-ON TRAINING WITH A FOCUS ON REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE CONCEPTS. THE TRAINING PROGRAM COVERED TOPICS SUCH AS SOIL HEALTH, LAND MANAGEMENT, ANIMAL WELFARE, AND FARMER AND WORKER LABOR PRACTICES WHILE PROMOTING THE USE OF GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES FOR ORGANIC CROP PRODUCTION AND SOIL REGENERATION. EARTH HAS BOTH THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING A WORLD WITH INCLUSIVE, REGENERATIVE FOOD SYSTEMS THAT OFFER HEALTHY FOOD FOR ALL. WE VALUE COLLABORATIONS WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE PATAGONIA PROVISIONS THAT ENCOURAGE INNOVATION AND SMART AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. WE LOOK FORWARD TO MORE PARTNERSHIPS LIKE THIS ONE TO HELP US INCREASE THE IMPACT OF OUR MISSION IN THE YEARS TO COME.
- $3.3 million spent. SPECIAL PROJECTS - IN ADDITION TO ITS EDUCATIONAL AND AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES, THE UNIVERSITY ALSO UNDERTAKES SPECIAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS AT THE BEHEST OF GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. EXAMPLES OF SUCH PROJECTS INCLUDE: IN 2019 THERE WAS A CHANGE IN THE WORK STRATEGY OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WE ALREADY SEEK EXCELLENCE IN THE TRAINING OF OUR STUDENTS AND OFFER THEM A COMMUNITY SETTING WHERE THEY CAN STRENGTHEN AND PROMOTE THEIR DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL AWARENESS AND VISUALIZE PROCESSES OF DEVELOPMENT ARTICULATED WITH INSTITUTIONS FOR REGIONAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT. THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM DESIGNED A STRATEGY THAT BEGAN IN 2019 AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 2022, THIS STRATEGY IS TO WORK WITH HOSTS FROM GUACIMO IN GENERAL, NOT SPECIFICALLY A LIMITED COMMUNITY (EXAMPLE: SANTA ROSA COMMUNITY); WE WORK IN THE CANTON OF GUACIMO AND IN THIS CANTON WE PRIORITIZE OUR WORK WITH ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE ALSO SEEKING DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGION. WE WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH BENEFICIARIES OF THE FOLLOWING INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS: MUNICIPALITY OF GUACIMO, CANTONAL AGRICULTURAL CENTER GUACIMO, PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF POCORA, INNOVATION SCHOOL GUACIMO, CHAMBER OF TOURISM, GRAMEEM COSTA RICA MAG / MINAE / INDER IT WAS POSSIBLE TO SHARE AND ARRIVE WITH INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING WITH APPROXIMATELY 700 BENEFICIARIES, THESE WITH MORE CONCRETE PROJECTS AND MORE DIRECTED ACTIONS BY THE INTER-INSTITUTIONAL COORDINATION. FORM 990, PART V, LINE 1A, 1B, AND 1C: THE ORGANIZATION IS NOT A U.S. DOMICILED CORPORATION AND HAS NO U.S. EMPLOYEES, THEREFORE, IT DOES NOT FILE FORM 1096 OR FORM W2-G. AS SUCH, IT IS ALSO NOT REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH IRS BACKUP WITHHOLDING RULES. IN THE INTERESTS OF FULL TRANSPARENCY, THE ORGANIZATION IS DISCLOSING THAT IT HAD 683 EMPLOYEES AS OF THE END OF CALENDAR YEAR 2024.
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? Caution.
The IRS master file records contributions to this 501(c)(3) charitable organization as not deductible.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, 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 March 1995.
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.