2018-05-02T12:43:02-07:00 2017-12-31 203992688 Bay Business Group 105 E Annandale Road Suite 215 Falls Church VA 22046 990 2017-01-01 541868546 Earth Sangha EART 7037644830 10123 Commonwealth Blvd Fairfax VA 22032 Chris Bright President 7037644830 2018-05-02 true David Bradsher P00290229 7035330888 2017 2022-09-23 18:48:47Z Chris Bright 10123 Commonwealth Blvd Fairfax VA 220322707 651118 false false X www.earthsangha.org X 1997 VA Socially engaged Buddhism & ecological restoration. 8 6 6 600 0 323021 512303 136807 137692 541 648 -581 475 459788 651118 6035 0 210588 218097 0 18429 69043 103617 279631 327749 180157 323369 420490 740834 5116 2091 415374 738743 X Socially engaged Buddhism & ecological restoration. false false 127907 137323 DC-Area Wild Plant Nursery:Propagation from the wild of about 320 plant species native to the greater Washington, DC, region for use in local ecological restoration projects. All stock is local ecotype (propagated directly from local wild native-plant populations). Our plants are used in our own projects and in those of other nonprofits, friends of groups, individual restorationists, and government agencies managing local parkland. During 2017, over 27,000 native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants were distributed from the nursery to local forests, meadows, and maintained landscapes. 80329 6035 368 Tropical Agroforestry: Tree Bank Hispaniola Program - Operation of two community tree nurseries and associated forest-conservation and tree-planting programs on the Dominican side of a portion of the Dominican Republic Haiti border, to slow deforestation and help small-holder farmers increase their incomes. During 2017, 54 farms participated. The nurseries produced about 15,000 orchard, timber, and local-ecotype native tree seedlings; 25 native species were represented, all of them probably in decline in the wild. Our Forest Credit program, in which our local independent partner organization extends low-cost credit to small-holder farmers in exchange for forest conservation easements, lent $22,789 to 35 farms, in exchange for easements over about 195 acres of forest. Our 44.3-acre nature reserve, the regions only community-owned nature reserve, is protecting the headwaters of a village water supply. Our Rising Forests Coffee program, which buys small-holder native-shade coffee, is protecting about 20 acres of forest; during 2017, Rising Forests continued to help local farmers recover from a devastating leaf-rust epidemic that killed virtually all of their coffee trees during 2014-15; about 7,000 rust-resistant coffee trees were planted under native forest canopy. Also during 2017, we expanded our Rising Forests Cocoa project, by growing and distributing cocoa trees for planting under native canopy. About 5,000 cocoa trees were distributed in 2017. Our cocoa effort began in 2016. Since coffee and cocoa are high-value shade-tolerant crops, Rising Forests creates a powerful economic incentive to conserve forest. As part of our Rising Forests effort, we continue to restore additional patches of forest for underplanting with coffee and cocoa. 59491 DC-Area Forest Restoration Outside Stream Buffers:On-going work at the 20-acre Marie Butler Leven Preserve in Fairfax County, Virginia. During 2017, about 378 people volunteered 967 hours of their time to help suppress invasive alien vegetation in the parks 17-acre forest, and to restore native vegetation. We suppressed a wide range of invasives, including trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous species. Control efforts extended throughout most of the park but are far from complete. We also put in about 2,000 locally native plants, produced at our Wild Plant Nursery. About 100 of these were shrubs and trees; the remainder were herbaceous species. 9910 277637 true true false false false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false true true true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false true 0 0 false 6 true false false false false false false false false 0 false false false false false false false false false false X 8 6 true false false false false false false true false false false false true true true true true false false false VA X X X Chris Bright 7037644830 10123 Commonwealth Blvd Fairfax VA 22032 X Chris Bright President 50.00 0.00 X X 59600 0 5557 Lisa Bright Exec Dir/Treas 50.00 0.00 X X 42350 0 2157 Richard Haeuber Director 0.50 0.00 X 0 0 0 Ashley Todd Mattoon Director 0.50 0.00 X 0 0 0 Robert Jordan Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Mary Sylvia Chair 0.40 0.00 X 0 0 0 Peter Forbes Director 0.50 0.00 X 0 0 0 Amy Frey Director 2.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 101950 7714 0 false false false 0 21150 491153 512303 Forest Coffee Sales 110000 368 368 Native Plant Sales 110000 137324 137324 137692 648 648 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 475 475 0 651118 137692 1123 0 0 6035 6035 0 109664 85906 15172 8586 0 83526 65150 11694 6682 0 10718 10484 158 76 14189 11067 1987 1135 0 0 1750 1400 263 87 0 0 0 17710 17535 112 63 10 10 1067 1014 32 21 4117 3389 531 197 0 2706 2630 57 19 6450 6450 0 0 0 0 28580 27677 571 332 1317 1133 138 46 Field Containers 7582 7582 Field Soil and Sand 6644 6644 Printing and Publications 4713 3794 704 215 Credit Card Fees 2839 2268 571 18132 17469 264 399 327749 277637 31683 18429 158824 135566 215830 216478 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 472480 83690 13437 388790 0 0 0 0 32399 0 420490 740834 5116 2091 5116 2091 X 415374 738743 415374 738743 420490 740834 323369 X false false false X 200930 191896 202590 228021 204303 1027740 0 0 200930 191896 202590 228021 204303 1027740 232393 795347 407 419 438 541 648 2453 42 -218 467 -581 475 185 0 1030378 0.77190 0.77650 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 402160 23091 379069 70320 60599 9721 388790 true Central Amer/Caribbean 0 6 Program Services Forest Conservation 25630 6 6 25630 25630 CentAmer/Cari Forest Conservation 6035 Electronic Cash Paid 1 false false false false false false Part I, Line 2 - Grantmakers Explanation For Monitoring Use of Funds Outside US We monitor the funds themselves through bank records and receipts. We monitor their use through monthly reports, photos, site-survey data, and site visits, usually twice a year. Part I, Line 3f - Method of Accounting Cash Part I, Line 3f - Investments and Expenditures All funding is expenditure. Matthew Bright Officer Son 35000 Employee false Katherine Isaacson Officer in-law 35000 Employee false Schedule L, Part V Supplemental Information The son and the daughter-in-law of the President and Executive Director/Treasurer were employees of the organization during 2017. Form 990, Part III, Line 4d: Other Program Services Description OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: Tropical Agroforestry: Tree Bank Hispaniola Program - Operation of two community tree nurseries and associated forest-conservation and tree-planting programs on the Dominican side of a portion of the Dominican Republic Haiti border, to slow deforestation and help small-holder farmers increase their incomes. During 2017, 54 farms participated. The nurseries produced about 15,000 orchard, timber, and local-ecotype native tree seedlings; 25 native species were represented, all of them probably in decline in the wild. Our Forest Credit program, in which our local independent partner organization extends low-cost credit to small-holder farmers in exchange for forest conservation easements, lent $22,789 to 35 farms, in exchange for easements over about 195 acres of forest. Our 44.3-acre nature reserve, the regions only community-owned nature reserve, is protecting the headwaters of a village water supply. Our Rising Forests Coffee program, which buys small-holder native-shade coffee, is protecting about 20 acres of forest; during 2017, Rising Forests continued to help local farmers recover from a devastating leaf-rust epidemic that killed virtually all of their coffee trees during 2014-15; about 7,000 rust-resistant coffee trees were planted under native forest canopy. Also during 2017, we expanded our Rising Forests Cocoa project, by growing and distributing cocoa trees for planting under native canopy. About 5,000 cocoa trees were distributed in 2017. Our cocoa effort began in 2016. Since coffee and cocoa are high-value shade-tolerant crops, Rising Forests creates a powerful economic incentive to conserve forest. As part of our Rising Forests effort, we continue to restore additional patches of forest for underplanting with coffee and cocoa. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 5: DC-Area Meditation: The practice of traditional Buddhist meditation in a nondenominational format, in the Washington, DC, area. During 2017, sessions were generally conducted once a week. Some 20 people attended at least one sitting; there were eight regular attendees. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 6: DC-Area Forest Restoration Outside Stream Buffers:On-going work at the 20-acre Marie Butler Leven Preserve in Fairfax County, Virginia. During 2017, about 378 people volunteered 967 hours of their time to help suppress invasive alien vegetation in the parks 17-acre forest, and to restore native vegetation. We suppressed a wide range of invasives, including trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous species. Control efforts extended throughout most of the park but are far from complete. We also put in about 2,000 locally native plants, produced at our Wild Plant Nursery. About 100 of these were shrubs and trees; the remainder were herbaceous species. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 7: Renovation of the Leven House at the Marie Butler Leven Preserve:In collaboration with the Fairfax County Park Authority, we completed our upgrade of the house at the Marie Butler Leven Preserve. Total renovation expenditures in 2017 were $369,761. The cost of renovation has been capitalized as leasehold improvement costs for accounting purposes and is being amortized over the lease term for the house. (The house is owned by the Park Authority, as is the Preserve itself.) The house is now occupied by two of our staff members, who are directing fieldwork at the Preserve. In-kind rent of $19,500 was received by the Organization during 2017 related to occupation of the house. Form 990, Part VI, Line 2: Description of Business or Family Relationship of Officers, Directors, Et The President and Executive Director/Treasurer of Earth Sangha are married; their son and his spouse are also employees of the organization. See Schedule L.Two of the volunteer directors are married to each other. Form 990, Part VI, Line 8: Explanation of No Contemporaneously Documentation of Meetings Line 8b: No such committees were in place during the year. Form 990, Part VI, Line 11b: Form 990 Review Process Form 990 is reviewed by the President, on behalf of the Board, and by our accountant. Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c: Explanation of Monitoring and Enforcement of Conflicts Relevant personnel must sign an annual disclosure. Form 990, Part VI, Line 19: Other Organization Documents Publicly Available Appropriate documents were made available upon request. Form 990, Part III, Line 4 The Organization had income of $137,324 from sales of native plants grown in the Wild Plant Nursery and $368 from sales of coffee grown through the Tropical Agroforestry program. This income is reported on line 9 of Part I. These sales are directly related to the Organization's tax-exempt purpose. See Part III lines 4a and 4b.The Organization had income of $475 from occasional sales of t-shirts bearing Earth Sangha designs, reported on line 11 of Part I. This income is not reported as unrelated business income under the exclusion for income from activities that are not regularly carried on (IRC 512(a)(1)). The t-shirts are sold at or near cost; the entire cost of t-shirt purchases is recorded as an expense at the time of purchase by the Organization. form 990, Statement on the Value of In-Kind Donations During 2017, volunteers contributed approximately 10,000 hours of service to our Wild Plant Nursery and DC-area ecological restoration sites. We value this effort at $26.96 per hour, which is the current (2016) value of volunteer time for Virginia, as recognized by the Virginia Office on Volunteerism and Community Services (2016 is the most recent year for which a value was available). The total value of our 2017 volunteer effort was therefore $269,600.In collaboration with the Fairfax County Park Authority, we completed our upgrade of the house at the Marie Butler Leven Preserve. The house is owned by the Park Authority, as is the Preserve itself. The house is now occupied by two of our staff members, who are directing fieldwork at the Preserve. In-kind rent of $19,500 was received by the Organization during 2017 related to occupation of the house.