Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$10,319,469

Total expenses

$9,197,012

Contributions and grants received

$9,360,666

Grants paid

$283,913

Program service revenue

$144,221

Investment income

$940,635

Other revenue

-$126,053

Total assets, end of year

$38,497,137

Total liabilities, end of year

$2,649,135

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$35,848,002

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$7,648,074

Management and general expenses

$931,349

Fundraising expenses

$617,589

Program service expenses (Part III)

$7,648,074

Program services were 83.2% 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.

Mission and programs · 2023

• LAND PRESERVATION - AS CHICAGO'S REGIONAL LAND TRUST, OPENLANDS CONNECTS AND ENERGIZES THE REGION THROUGH STRATEGIC COLLABORATION AND LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS THAT PROTECT LAND, WATER, AND WILDLIFE. IN 2024, OPENLANDS TRANSFERRED SIGNIFICANT LAND HOLDINGS TO REGIONAL PARTNERS IN MCHENRY COUNTY FOR THE PUBLIC TO ACCESS AND ENJOY FOR GENERATIONS.IN 2024, OPENLANDS TRANSFERRED THE FOLLOWING: 137 ACRES TO THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE TO BE A PART OF HACKMATACK; PURCHASED 320 ACRES FOR THE PURPOSE OF FUTURE CONSERVATION.

  Expenses $3,774,969 · Revenue $30,250

• COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT-EDUCATION - OPENLANDS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS CREATED OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOUSANDS OF AREA STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN 117 CLASSROMS TO DEEPEN THEIR CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND ACROSS LANDSCAPES. WE FACILITATED IN-CLASS VISITS, WORKSHOPS AND FIELD TRIPS THROUGH OUR BIRDS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, GARDEN AND NATURE EDUCATION AND SPACE TO GROW PROGRAMS.FORESTRY - OPENLANDS FORESTRY PROGRAMMING SUPPORTS THE PLANTING OF TREES WITH COMMUNITY RESIDENTS ON PUBLIC LAND AND EDUCATES RESIDENTS IN THE CARE AND ADVOCACY AROUND THE URBAN FOREST. IN FY 24, OPENLANDS PLANTED 1,078 TREES.THROUGH THE OPENLANDS TREEKEEPER CERTIFICATION COURSE, COMMUNITY RESIDENTS GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS NEEDED TO CARE FOR, PROTECT, AND ADVOCATE FOR TREES.IN FY24 TRAINED 155 INDIVIDUALS. TREEKEEPERS PARTICIPATED IN 200 VOLUNTEER EVENTS, RESULTING IN 5,000 TREES PRUNED AND 3,598 TREES INVENTORIED.

  Expenses $1,975,315 · Grants $227,439 · Revenue $138,372

• RESTORATION - OPENLANDS WORKS TO RETURN THE CHICAGO REGION TO A HEALTHY STATE FOR NATURE, WILDLIFE, AND PEOPLE. IN 2024, WE WORKED TO RETURN AN OLD AGRICULTURAL FIELD TO NATIVE PLANT SPECIES AT OUR 172 ACRE OTREBLA PROPERTY AND BEGAN TO REMOVE INVASIVE BRUSH AND TREES OVER A 1,500 ACRE AREA OF THE GRANT CREEK WATERSHED AT MIDEWIN NATIONAL TALLGRASS PRAIRIE.

  Expenses $601,024 · Grants $56,474

• COMMUNICATION - THE OPENLANDS COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ADVANCES THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION BY RAISING AWARENESS, ENGAGING COMMUNITIES, AND INSPIRING ACTION FOR CONSERVATION. THROUGH STRATEGIC STORYTELLING, DIGITAL AND IN-PERSON OUTREACH, AND MEDIA ENGAGEMENT,THE TEAM AMPLIFIES OPENLANDS' IMPACT ACROSS THE REGION.

  Expenses $478,075

• POLICY - REGIONALLY, OPENLANDS SUPPORTED SUCCESSFUL BALLOT MEASURES IN DUPAGE, KANE, LAKE AND MCHENRY COUNTIES THAT WILL GENERATE $669 MILLION IN NEW FUNDING TO SUPPORT THEIR FOREST PRESERVES AND CONSERVATION DISTRICT OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS. IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO, OPENLANDS HAS BEEN ADVOCATING FOR POLICIES THAT WOULD IMPROVE AND PROTECT THE CITY'S URBAN TREE CANOPY. AT THE STATE LEVEL, AAMONG THE LEGISLATION SUPPORTED WAS A BILL TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR HOMEOWNERS TO INCLUDE NATIVE PLANTS AS PART OF THEIR HOME LANDSCAPING AND ANOTHER TO PROTECT TOWNSHIP OPEN SPACE DISTRICTS FROM BEING DISSOLVED WITHOUT TAXPAYER CONSENT.

  Expenses $451,406

• GREENWAYS - OPENLANDS CONTINUED WORKING TO CONNECT LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO THE LITTLE CALUMET RIVER AND BEAUBIEN WOODS FOREST PRESERVES. WE TRAINED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO MAINTAIN AND MONITOR THE SUCCESS OF RESTORATION PROJECTS AT BEAUBIEN WOODS AND TO INTERPRET THE HISTORY ASSOCIATED WITH THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE WATER TRAIL. WE ALSO CONTINUED WORK TO RESTORE 20 ACRES OF PRAIRIE BY DOING CONTROL OF INVASIVE SPECIES AND SEEDING OF NATIVE SPECIES AT BEAUBIEN WOODS.

  Expenses $367,285 · Revenue $900

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

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. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

• THE WETLANDS INITIATIVE

  $56,474

  SUBGRANT TO THE WETLANDS INITIATIVE FOR WETLAND RESTORATION AT MIDEWIN NATIONAL TALLGRASS PRAIRIE

• THE FORGE CHARITABLE ADVENTURES NFP

  $10,000

  COMED GREEN REGION 2024 GRANT - HERITAGE QUARRIES POLLINATOR MEADOW EXPANSION PROJECT

• BEE HAVEN

  $10,000

  COMED GREEN REGION 2024 GRANT - BURNHAM POLLINATOR HABITAT

• VILLAGE OF BOLINGBROOK

  $10,000

  COMED GREEN REGION 2024 GRANT - VILLAGE OF BOLINGBROOK - LILY CACHE CREEK: NATIVE PLANTS FOR POLLINATORS

• CITY OF PROSPECT HEIGHTS

  $10,000

  COMED GREEN REGION 2024 GRANT - PUBLIC SERVICE POLLINATOR PARK

• FOX VALLEY PARK DISTRICT

  $10,000

  COMED GREEN REGION 2024 GRANT - STUART SPORST COMPLEX NORTH POLLINATOR HABITAT RECOVERY

• VILLAGE OF PORT BARRINGTON

  $10,000

  COMED GREEN REGION 2024 GRANT - SUPPORTING FOX RIVER WATER BIRDS AND BEES

• FOREST PRESERVES OF WINNEBAGO COUNTY

  $10,000

  COMED GREEN REGION 2024 GRANT - FUNDERBURG FOREST PRESERVE POLLINATOR HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

• ACADEMY FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP CHARTER SCHOOL

  $10,000

  COMED GREEN REGION 2024 GRANT - A NEW POLLINATOR HABITAT IN SOUTHWEST CHICAGO

• RIVERDALE PARK DISTRICT

  $10,000

  COMED GREEN REGION 2024 GRANT - COMMUNITY RAIN GARDEN ENGAGEMENT PROJECT

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

25 July 2025

IRS schema version

2023v6.0

Source object

202502069349300845

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.