← SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS RESEARCH FOUNDATION.

Totals

Total revenue: $458,051
Total expenses: $322,587
Contributions and grants received: $457,606
Grants paid: $3,120
Program service revenue: $0
Investment income: $229
Other revenue: $216
Total assets, end of year: $172,954
Total liabilities, end of year: $0
Net assets or fund balances, end of year: $172,954
Program services expenses (Part IX): $297,002
Management and general expenses: $25,585
Fundraising expenses: $0
Program service expenses (Part III): $297,002

Program services were 92.1% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

1a · Federated campaigns

$0
1b · Membership dues

$0
1c · Fundraising events

$0
1d · Related organizations

$0
1e · Government grants (contributions)

$118,228
1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

$339,378
1g · Noncash contributions included above

$0
2f · All other program service revenue

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
3 · Investment income

total $229 · related or exempt $229 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
4 · Income from investment of tax-exempt bond proceeds

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
5 · Royalties

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
6a · Gross rents

real property $0 · personal property $0
6b · Less rental expenses

real property $0 · personal property $0
6c · Rental income or loss

real property $0 · personal property $0
6d · Net rental income or loss

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

securities $0 · other assets $0
7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

securities $0 · other assets $0
7c · Gain or loss

securities $0 · other assets $0
7d · Net gain or loss

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
8a · Fundraising events: gross income

$0
8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

$0
8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

$0
8c · Net income from fundraising events

total $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
9a · Gaming: gross income

$0
9b · Gaming: direct expenses

$0
9c · Net income from gaming

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
10a · Gross sales of inventory

$0
10b · Cost of goods sold

$0
10c · Net income from sales of inventory

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
11d · All other revenue

total $216 · related or exempt $216 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
11e · Other revenue, total

$216

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

total $3,120 · program services $3,120
2 · Grants to domestic individuals

total $0 · program services $0
3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

total $0 · program services $0
4 · Benefits paid to or for members

total $0 · program services $0
5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

total $2,766 · program services $2,766 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
6 · Compensation of disqualified persons

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
7 · Other salaries and wages

total $54,542 · program services $44,822 · management and general $9,720 · fundraising $0
8 · Pension plan contributions

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
9 · Other employee benefits

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
10 · Payroll taxes

total $4,968 · program services $4,343 · management and general $625 · fundraising $0
11a · Fees: management

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
11b · Fees: legal

total $3,791 · program services $3,716 · management and general $75 · fundraising $0
11c · Fees: accounting

total $1,325 · program services $0 · management and general $1,325 · fundraising $0
11d · Fees: lobbying

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

total $0 · fundraising $0
11f · Fees: investment management

total $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
11g · Fees: other

total $149,201 · program services $144,701 · management and general $4,500 · fundraising $0
12 · Advertising and promotion

total $15,647 · program services $15,647 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
13 · Office expenses

total $1,660 · program services $0 · management and general $1,660 · fundraising $0
14 · Information technology

total $2,134 · program services $0 · management and general $2,134 · fundraising $0
15 · Royalties

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
16 · Occupancy

total $200 · program services $200 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
17 · Travel

total $1,652 · program services $1,652 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
18 · Travel or entertainment for public officials

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

total $3,895 · program services $3,895 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
20 · Interest

total $222 · program services $0 · management and general $222 · fundraising $0
21 · Payments to affiliates

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
23 · Insurance

total $4,429 · program services $0 · management and general $4,429 · fundraising $0
24a · Other expenses: General operations for Protect San Benito County

total $7,500 · program services $7,500 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
24b · Other expenses: Postage & shipping for Protect San Benito County

total $7,534 · program services $7,534 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
24c · Other expenses: Materials, supplies & equipment for ag workshops

total $21,017 · program services $21,017 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
24d · Other expenses: Collaboration with Esperanza Community Farms

total $36,089 · program services $36,089 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
24e · All other expenses

total $895 · program services $0 · management and general $895 · fundraising $0

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

beginning of year $37,490 · end of year $171,553
2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
3 · Pledges and grants receivable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $1,401
4 · Accounts receivable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
5 · Loans and receivables from officers and key people

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
6 · Loans and receivables from disqualified persons

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
7 · Other notes and loans receivable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
8 · Inventories for sale or use

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

beginning of year $0
11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
12 · Investments: other securities

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
13 · Investments: program-related

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
14 · Intangible assets

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
15 · Other assets

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
18 · Grants payable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
19 · Deferred revenue

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
20 · Tax-exempt bond liabilities

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
21 · Escrow or custodial account liability

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
22 · Loans and payables to officers and key people

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
23 · Secured mortgages and notes payable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
24 · Unsecured notes and loans payable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
25 · Other liabilities

beginning of year $0
27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

beginning of year $0 · end of year $25,000
28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

beginning of year $37,490 · end of year $147,954

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

The Sustainable Systems Research Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit green think tank and project incubator based in Santa Cruz, California. SSRF seeks to: Address complex and wicked environmental and sustainability problems that confound communities, defy singular technical or social solutions and cannot be addressed successfully at a global scale. Bring together numerous stakeholders with competing interests, capacities and approaches while addressing the critical importance of equity and justice. Collaborate with partner organizations to incubate and develop local projects and programs that promote community sustainability and development. Pursue projects that are replicable and scalable, based on best practices and insights drawn from successful projects. Our philosophy is that a project or program implemented successfully at one site can be replicated in many other places, with appropriate adjustments to local conditions.

SSRF and its collaborators conducted a series of regenerative agriculture and farm management workshops for Latine farmers across the Central California Coast region (Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties). A portion of the expenses were funded by government grants received in 2022. These workshops were completed in 2024.

Expenses $80,465 · Grants $80,000
SSRF launched Regeneration, a project to provide technical assistance and other services to disadvantaged operators of small farms (less than 50 acres) on the Central Coast of California

Expenses $8,082 · Grants $26,200 · Revenue $8,760
SSRF continued its work related to solar community energy systems and guaranteed basic income streams from the sale of solar electricity.

Expenses $15,000 · Revenue $5,000
SSRF took on Fiscal sponsorship of Protect San Benito County a project to preserve open space and farmland from development.

Expenses $157,366 · Grants $225,000 · Revenue $500
Continued working with Esperanza Farms on USDA funded Farm to School project

Expenses $36,089 · Grants $35,000

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Kevin W Bell

Vice President

Total calculated

$2,766

From this org

$2,766

From related orgs

$0

Other

$0

Hours/week

5
Ronnie D Lipschutz

President

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

10
Adina Paytan

Treasurer

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Dustin Mulvaney

Board Member

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

0
Ann Lopez

Board Member

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

0
Sheila Davis

Board Member

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

0
Marisha Farnsworth

Board Member

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

0
Steven Mentor

Board member

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

0
Beatriz Smith

Board members

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

0
Thomas Rettenwender

Board member

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

0

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type: form_990
Tax year: 2024
Filed: 31 March 2025
IRS schema version: 2024v5.0
Source object: 202540949349300029

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

The source document this was parsed from is served over the API, which is where bulk and document access live.