Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$723,262

Total expenses

$745,355

Contributions and grants received

$512,184

Grants paid

$0

Program service revenue

$121,318

Investment income

$9,765

Other revenue

$79,995

Total assets, end of year

$364,906

Total liabilities, end of year

$16,916

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$347,990

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$597,472

Management and general expenses

$127,820

Fundraising expenses

$20,063

Program service expenses (Part III)

$597,472

Program services were 80.2% 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

• REGENERATIVE RANCHER NETWORK: WSE PROMOTED REGENERATIVE RANCHING PRACTICES THROUGH WEBINARS, WORKSHOPS, AND FIELD TOURS HIGHLIGHTING SPECIFIC PRACTICES AND WORKING ONE-ON-ONE WITH RANCHERS TO IMPLEMENT CHANGES ON THEIR LAND.WE ORGANIZED AND CO-SPONSORED SIX WORKSHOPS AND FIELD DAYS. WE ALSO CREATED THREE WEBINARS ON HEALTHY SOILS AND IMPROVED GRAZING PRACTICES. IN 2023, 1238 LANDOWNERS PARTICIPATED IN OUR WORKSHOPS AND FIELD DAYS. TO HELP RANCHERS MAINTAIN PROGRESS, WE ORGANIZED MONTHLY "BULL SESSIONS" AS A PEER-TO-PEER ZOOM-BASED MEETING SPACE FOR THEM TO SHARE HOW REGENERATIVE PRACTICES WORK IN MONTANA. OVER 200 RANCHERS ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS PEER NETWORK. TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPREHENSIVE NATURE OF REGENERATIVE MANAGEMENT AND HOW TO MEASURE THEIR PROGRESS, WSE IS CREATING TWO TOOLS FOR LANDOWNERS TO USE TO ASSESS THE CURRENT STATE OF THEIR OPERATION AND TRACK PROGRESS OVER TIME: A REGENERATIVE RANCH GUIDE AND A LAND HEALTH DASHBOARD. THE REGENERATIVE RANCH GUIDE IS AN ONLINE ASSESSMENT TOOL THAT OUTLINES THE EIGHT FOCUS AREAS OF REGENERATIVE MANAGEMENT (SOIL, WATER, LAND, LIVESTOCK, GRAZING, ECONOMICS, BIODIVERSITY, AND PEOPLE). THE GUIDE HELPS THE USER BETTER UNDERSTAND REGENERATIVE PRINCIPLES AND PROVIDES A BASELINE VALUATION FOR THEIR OPERATION IN EACH AREA. RANCHERS RECEIVE A REPORT AT THE END WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT. THE LAND HEALTH DASHBOARD IS BEING DESIGNED TO DISPLAY INFORMATION ON VARIOUS ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS RANCHERS CAN USE TO INFORM THEIR MANAGEMENT DECISIONS, SUCH AS WEATHER CONDITIONS, CHANGES TO THE PERCENT OF BARE GROUND, SNOWPACK LEVELS, SOIL MOISTURE AND OTHER RELEVANT DATA. MONTANA GRASSLAND CARBON PROGRAM: TO ECONOMICALLY INCENTIVIZE RANCHERS TO SWITCH TO REGENERATIVE METHODS, WSE ORGANIZES RANCHER PARTICIPATION IN THE GROWING VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKET THROUGH OUR MONTANA GRASSLANDS CARBON INITIATIVE. THE PROGRAM PROTECTS MONTANA'S REMARKABLE NATURAL RESOURCE HERITAGE, CAPTURES DANGEROUS CARBON DIOXIDE OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE, BOLSTERS THE PROFITABILITY OF FAMILY RANCHES BY REDUCING OPERATING COSTS AND INCREASING LAND PRODUCTIVITY, AND PROVIDES ADDITIONAL INCOME THROUGH CARBON OFFSET PAYMENTS. IN 2023, WSE RECRUITED THREE RANCHES (TOTALING 85,000 ACRES) TO CONTRACTUALLY COMMIT TO USING REGENERATIVE GRAZING PRACTICES FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS. TO ENSURE THE MODEL AND OUR PROGRAM WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT CARBON CAPTURE, THE PROGRAM WAS SCRUTINIZED BY THE VERRA STANDARDS REGISTRY AND RECEIVED VALIDATION STATUS IN 2023. WE ARE THE FIRST GRASSLAND CARON CAPTURE PROGRAM TO RECIEVE THIS INDEPENDENT VALIDATION. THE RESULTING CARBON ASSETS ARE NOW REGISTERED ON THE VERRA CARBON EXCHANGE, AND TRADABLE CARBON CREDITS ARE BEING SOLD ON THE VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKET. THIS PROGRAM IS THE LARGEST GRASSLAND CARBON CAPTURE PROJECT IN THE U.S. AND THE SECOND LARGEST WORLDWIDE. LIVINGSTON FARMERS MARKET: IN ADDITION TO THE MANY ACTIVITIES WITHIN THESE PRIMARY WORK AREAS, WSE OPERATES THE LIVINGSTON FARMERS MARKET. OUR FARMERS MARKET PROVIDES AN OUTLET FOR FARMERS AND RANCHERS TO PROVIDE LOCAL SOURCES OF FOOD FOR THEIR NEIGHBORS AND LOW INCOME SENIOR CITIZENS AND FAMILIES. IN 2023, WE OFFERED 215 VENDORS WITH THIS MARKETING OPPORTUNITY FOR SIXTEEN WEEKS DURING THE SUMMER. OUR "SPECIAL DAYS" PROGRAMMING FEATURED MANY OF THE SERVICES PARK COUNTY AGENCIES AND NONPROFITS OFFER OUR CITIZENS TO INCREASE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THESE SERVICES, BUILD AWARENESS AND SUPPORT FOR OUR MANY LOCAL NONPROFITS, AND ATTRACT A BROADER CROSS-SECTION OF OUR COMMUNITY TO THE MARKET. WSE PROVIDED 48 VOUCHERS TO LOW INCOME SENIOR CITIZENS THROUGH THE SENIOR FARMERS MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM. THIS STATE AND FEDERAL PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE LOW INCOME SENIORS WITH ACCESS TO LOCALLY GROWN FRUITS, VEGETABLES, HONEY AND HERBS. IN 2023, WSE PROVIDED 132 SENIORS WITH VOUCHERS TO BUY FOOD FROM OUR VENDORS. WSE ALSO ORGANIZED VOLUNTEER PROXY SHOPPERS TO SHOP FOR SENIORS UNABLE TO ATTEND THE MARKET. THE LFRC HEALTHY-FAMILIES FARMERS MARKET TENT, IN COLLABORATION WITH WSE, WAS CREATED IN 2021 TO INCREASE ACCESS TO LOCAL PRODUCE FOR LOW INCOME FAMILIES AND PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR THOSE IN NEED. SINCE 2021, THE LFRC FRESH PRODUCE TOKEN PROGRAM HAS ALLOCATED OVER 25,000 OF PURCHASING POWER TO LOW-INCOME FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN AGED FIVE AND YOUNGER AND PREGNANT WORMEN TO BUY FRESH PRODUCE FROM LOCAL FARMERS AT THE MARKET. 14,000 OF THAT WAS IN 2023 ALONE. NOT ONLY DOES THIS ENCOURAGE BETTER NUTRITION IN THE HOME, IT ENGAGES FAMILIES IN A COMMUNITY EVENT THAT THEY OFTEN FEEL EXCLUDED FROM WHILE SUPPORTING THE VITAL WORK OF OUR MONTANA FARMERS. THE HEALTHY FAMILIES TENT IS ALSO WHERE THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) RECIPIENTS CAN REDEEM THEIR BENEFITS TO BUY FRESH EGGS, PRODUCE AND MEAT. THE STATE MATCHES EVERY SNAP DOLLAR REDEEMED WITH A DOUBLE SNAP "DOLLAR" UP TO 20 PER WEEK, WHICH CAN BE USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR FRESH PRODUCE. LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST SEASON THE SNAP & DOUBLE SNAP PROGRAMS WERE AVAILABLE AT THE MARKET, AND IT SAW A COMBINED USE OF 718. WHILE THAT NUMBER SEEMS LOW, THE LIVINGSTON FARMERS MARKET IS CURRENTLY ONE OF ONLY TWO FAMERS MARKETS IN PARK, GALLATIN, AND SWEET GRASS COUNTIES WITH THESE PROGRAMS, AND WE EXPECT THE NUMBER TO INCREASE AS PEOPLE DISCOVER THAT THESE PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM. THE LIVINGSTON FARMERS MARKET WON BEST FARMERS MARKET IN MONTANA THROUGH A NATIONAL COMPETITION SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL FARMERS COALITION AND AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST.

  Expenses $597,472 · Revenue $121,318

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.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

14 November 2024

IRS schema version

2023v5.0

Source object

202423199349312227

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.