The Trust for Public Land

“Roy richards and laura richards are siblings.”

“The draft form 990 is initially reviewed by the organization's cfo and treasurer, controller and general counsel. After any clarifications or questions are resolved the draft form 990 is forwarded to the audit committee of the board of directors and a meeting is scheduled with tpl's accounting firm, cfo & treasurer and controller. Any questions from the audit committee are answered and changes incorporated. The final document is approved by the audit committee and forwarded to the full board for their review prior to filing.”

“The organization has a comprehensive conflict of interest policy (policy) that requires potential conflicts of interest to be brought to the attention of the general counsel. If the general counsel determines that a potential conflict of interest exists, the matter is reviewed by the conflict review committee, a committee composed of designated senior staff, or, if the matter involves a member of the board of directors or their family or affiliated entity, it is reviewed by the full board. Potential conflicts involving the purchase of goods and services with a value that does not exceed $5,000 may be reviewed by the general counsel. The policy applies to employees, members of the board of directors, advisory board members, major donors, and certain former employees and directors, as well as their immediate families and affiliated entities. The policy is provided to all staff as well as the members of the board of directors and advisory board members, is contained in the human resources manual, and reminders of the policy are issued periodically. The policy is discussed in orientation meetings with new staff and board members, and in meetings of legal and project staff, the two groups most likely to encounter potential conflicts of interest. Additionally, potential conflicts of interest are on the checklist of matters to be disclosed in fact sheets submitted to the project review committee or to the transaction committee of the board of directors for the approval of conservation real estate transactions. Once a year all board members are polled about transactions and arrangements with the organization. Awareness of the policy is high, as evidenced by questions presented to the office of the general counsel. If a matter is brought to the board of directors for review, the board member who is the subject of the review is required to be absent from the discussion and vote on the matter, and with respect to all conflicts reviews, the interested party must be found to have had no role in or influence over the decision. If a transaction is found to present an unacceptable conflict of interest, the transaction is prohibited or its terms must be revised such that it can meet the standards required under the policy, namely (a) all material interest have been disclosed; (b) the transaction is deemed to be fair and reasonable to tpl and in tpl's best interests; (c) the transaction does not confer any special benefit on the interested party; and (d) the interested party does not have any role in the decision and has not influenced the decision.”

“The trust for public land contracted with an independent compensation consultant, who provided comparability data and analysis for the ceo. This information was provided to the board of directors, who approved the ceo compensation in executive session.”

“Annual audited financial statements and form 990 are posted on the trust for public land's website (www.tpl.org). Articles of incorporation are available on the california secretary of state website. Form 990, audited financial statements, articles of incorporation and determination letter are also made available upon request for the same period of time set forth in sec. 6104(d). The conflict of interest policy is not made available.”

“Tpl officers or key employees cynthia scherer, ernest cook, m. Holly haugh, william b rogers, and d. Malcolm carson served in various capacities for related organizations as did several board members.”

“Change in value of split interest trusts -922,933. Change in value of land holdings -20,000. Uncollectible grants -642,114. Investment in affiliates -1,789,903.”