Community Improvement (S30) 990 on File

START GARDEN LLC

EIN: 81-1987459 · GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49503-2651 · United States · FY 2024 Data

3 out of 5 53 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 88/100

Reliability (20%) 45/100

Effectiveness (25%) 71/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2024 · Scored 9/13/2026

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Financial Overview — FY 2024

$4.5M

Total Revenue

$3.1M

Total Expenses

$1.7M

Net Assets

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 73.1%

Fundraising Efficiency N/A

Operating Reserve 6.71x

Liability-to-Asset 20.3%

Revenue Diversification 79.6%

Compared with Peers

FY 2024

Compared with 1,625 similar organizations (United States, Community Improvement, $1M–$10M in expenses), FY 2024.

This organization Middle half of peers (P25–P75) Peer median

Ratio	This org	Peer median	Position (P10 → P90)
Program expense ratio Program expenses / total expenses · higher is better	73.1%	85.2%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	18.4%	11.8%	P10P90	Below median
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	8.5%	0.1%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	6.7 mo	9.7 mo	P10P90	Below median
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	20.3%	21.0%	P10P90	Above median
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	79.6%	90.7%	P10P90	Above median
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	245.1%	8.8%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	27.5%	10.1%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	31.3%	1.6%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2024	$4.5M	$3.1M	$1.7M	73.1%	18
2023	$1.3M	$2.4M	$321K	78.4%	10
2022	$1.9M	$2.4M	$1.4M	76.8%	11
2021	$5.7M	$2.3M	N/A	—	16

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Organization Details

EIN: 81-1987459
State: MI
City: GRAND RAPIDS
ZIP: 49503-2651
Classification: S30
Category: Community Improvement
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
Form 990: On File

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CharityAI™ rates charities from 0 to 100 using public filings (IRS Form 990 and the equivalent registries outside the US) together with the information the charity itself provides on DonationX. Ratings are recalculated every quarter, without human bias, and shown as stars.

Four pillars

Financial strength30%

Program expense ratio, fundraising efficiency, operating reserves, liabilities and revenue diversification, compared with similar organizations.

Reliability20%

Standing with the registry, filing history, verification and how complete the profile is.

Effectiveness25%

How much goes to programs and how consistently the organization delivers them.

Impact25%

The outcomes the charity reports on DonationX: people served, cost per service and results.

Stars

★★★★★ 80–100 ★★★★☆ 60–79 ★★★☆☆ 40–59 ★★☆☆☆ 20–39 ★☆☆☆☆ 1–19

A pillar with no data counts as zero. Without impact metrics the score is capped at 59 (three stars): only the charity can supply that data.
The coverage grade (A to D) says how much filing data the score rests on; NONE means there is not enough to rate.
An organization that is not in good standing with its registry (for example a revoked tax exemption) is shown as Not rated.
"Compared with peers" places the charity's key ratios against organizations of the same country, sector and size.

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