TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION

Financials

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990 for the year ended July 31, 2025, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

4714 EARHART BLVD STE D, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70125-1718

In care of

% HEATHER SZAPARY

Principal officer (990 for 2024)

Stephen Smith, 6221 S Claiborne Ave Suite 628, New Orleans, LA 70125

Signed the 990

Heather Szapary, Executive Dir.

Phone

(504) 525-9020

Website

www.treetalk.org

Return prepared by

Johnson Mire & Fernandez CPA

Mission

T.R.E.E.'s mission is to educate children and adults about the life science processes that govern our planet, to inspire them to appreciate the natural world, and to motivate them to protect it. The mission is accomplished by conducting comprehensive academic and experiential education programs.

Program accomplishments

• Earthkeepers is a 3-day program where students travel each day to a forested area outside of the city of New Orleans and earn K.E.Y.S. symbolizing the steps of their journey. Participants earned their K (Knowledge) and E (Experience) keys by engaging in activities such as following Slippery Sally, a water speck (molecule) on adventures through the water cycle. They connected with nature through immersive activities like finding, naming, and describing the perfect wind dancer, a leaf dropped for all to see how it distinctively floats through the air. When students return to school they earn their Y and S (Yourself and Sharing) keys by 1) reducing the amount of energy and materials they use or waste; (2) sharing their knowledge and experiences with younger students, family members and friends; and (3) continuing to experience the wonders of the world through solitude, observation, discovery, and writing. There were 323 public school students (10 non-public), 42 teachers, and 45 parent volunteers who participated in Earthkeepers over the fiscal year.
  Expenses $144,382 · revenue $44,810
• Sunship Earth is a 5-day and 4-night 5th grade program, where students are immersed in the natural environment, and are able to directly observe and apply the science concepts being taught. The program has a playful and engaging framework guiding children from one experience to the next. Students receive a "passport" that allows their travels on and off trail at the Study Station, an outdoor classroom in a bottomland hardwood forest about 50 miles north of New Orleans. Participants engage in 35 hands-on activities including when they climb inside of a leaf and create a molecule that is needed to trigger photosynthesis (energy flow). And they become coyotes and must come up with independent strategies like camouflage or speediness to catch the one mouse available for dinner (interrelationships). Upon returning to city life, participants pledge to reduce their impact on energy or materials and have several opportunities to work on changing their habits regarding their enjoyment and protection of the natural world. There were 157 public school students, 5 teachers, and 29 parent volunteers who participated in Sunship Earth over the school year.
  Expenses $141,018 · revenue $67,050
• Lost Treasures is a school-based science education program for elementary students that was piloted by T.R.E.E in 2020. About 165 third grade children, 80% of which are minority and/or economically disadvantaged, benefited from alternative methods of science education becoming environmentally literate, improving academically, and understanding their ability to affect positive changes in their personal lives. The main objective of this project is to establish an empowering, school curriculum-integrated environmental education program for younger students propelling their awareness of problems like climate change and the injustices they create. Children become characters in their own story where they receive proclamations to challenge themselves and work together and discover tasks in a life-sized treasure chest in their classroom. They learn about the Animal, Mineral and Plant Kingdoms and how they interact and depend on ecosystems. There were 165 public school children and 15 teachers participating in the fiscal year.
  Expenses $101,666 · revenue $23,274
• Sunship III occurs over 3 days and 2 nights for 7th graders, deepening their life science understanding and focus on implications of decisions that affect their personal lives and their communities. To start, each 7th grader receives enough solarians rather than dollars, to pay for their use of necessary resources like water, food, and electricity. They keep a checkbook which they must balance each day as they decide how to best spend their resources. They have tough decisions to make regarding desires rather than needs; like using a hair dryer or ordering the works on their pizza, especially when they realize how much these items actually cost to use, make and transport to the user. The follow-through component connects youth to sustainability leaders in the areas where they live. They pledge to interview at least one person to find out how they practice living and working more lightly on the Earth. Sunship III, like each of T.R.E.E.s programs, addresses 3 main needs. One is that New Orleans area children need educational opportunities that achieve superior levels of learning in science. Second, children need to understand how their environment functions, and that it is interconnected to all life. Third, students need to feel empowered, which is necessary for them to be confident that they can make a difference in the world. There were 193 students, 16 teachers and 17 parent chaperones who participated in Sunship III over the school year.
  Expenses $97,182 · revenue $53,640
• Community Programs and Earthwalks are included in the total expenses and revenue of Other Programs. -Metairie Country Day Summer Camp (CDCA) hires a T.R.E.E. educator(s) to create and implement multi-week programs for 8- 14-year-old campers.

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in July, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

IRS record

EIN

72-1310276

Tax-exempt status

501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization

Foundation status

Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))

Donations deductible (Pub 78)

Public charity, 50% deduction limit

Exempt since

1996

Accounting year ends

July

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Category (NTEE)

Environment (C60)

Assets (IRS master file)

$121,038

Income (IRS master file)

$466,224

Filing history

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 72-1310276).

Questions about TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION

What is the EIN of TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION?

The employer identification number (EIN) of TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION is 72-1310276.

Is TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1996.

Are donations to TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION tax-deductible?

Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).

Which annual return does TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION file?

Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.

When is the next return of TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION due?

The return for tax year 2025 (the year ending July 31, 2026) is due December 15, 2026. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION last file with the IRS?

The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended July 2025.

Who is the principal officer of TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION?

The 990 for the year ended July 31, 2025 names Stephen Smith.

Who are the officers and directors of TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION?

The 990 for the year ended July 31, 2025 lists 10 people; 0 received compensation from the organization.

How much revenue does TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION have?

On its 990 for the year ended July 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $460,119, expenses of $592,594 and total assets of $121,038 at year end.

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