irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $2KThe Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Conservation Center serves as a faith-based conservancy and land trust to protect and conserve Church and other Catholic-held and stewarded land. The Center owns and protects the 150-acre Churchill Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Brookfield, New Hampshire.
- #2 $275The Center operates a program-related online store that offers Saint Kateri Habitat garden signs, garden stones, and native plant seeds for Mary Gardens and Saint Kateri Habitats.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Churchill Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Manages and protects a 150-acre wildlife sanctuary in Brookfield, New Hampshire, as a faith-based conservancy and land trust for the protection of Catholic-stewarded land.
Education and Outreach Program
Offers guidance on native plants, habitat restoration, rewilding, Mary Gardens, and Saint Kateri Habitats through social media, webinars, events, and the Catholic ecology library at Kateri.org.
Indigenous Peoples Program
Promotes Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and the integration of Indigenous environmental practices with Catholic faith and conservation efforts.
Online Store for Catholic Ecology Resources
Operates a program-related online store offering garden signs, garden stones, and native plant seeds to support the creation of Saint Kateri Habitats and Mary Gardens.
Parish Arks and Saint Kateri Habitats Initiative
Supports parishes and individuals in creating native plant gardens and wildlife habitats dedicated to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha as a model of Catholic ecological stewardship.
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 3 activities
- Administer Saint Kateri Habitat registration and recognition programOperates a program allowing individuals, parishes, and dioceses to register native plant gardens as Saint Kateri Habitats, providing personalized certificates, ecological guidance, and public recognition via an online story map.
- Develop and promote native plant alternatives for Catholic gardensIdentifies native plant substitutes for traditional European Mary Garden species and creates region-specific native garden designs for the East Coast, Pacific Northwest, and Midwest.
- Maintain public digital tools for habitat mapping and native plant resourcesOperates an online story map and interactive library to showcase Catholic habitats for people and wildlife, including a Native Plant Nursery Map and tools to identify green infrastructure incentives by county.
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Indigenous-Led Ecosystem Stewardship 1 activity
- Collaborate with Native American tribes on ecological restorationPartners with tribes such as the Pawnee Nation to return traditional crops to their ancestral homelands as part of ecological and cultural restoration efforts.
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Animal Welfare Fundraising Events 1 activity
- Host annual animal blessing servicesOrganizes and hosts animal blessing services globally in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi’s feast day.
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Nonprofit Retail and Merchandise Sales 1 activity
- Operate online store to support habitat initiativesSells garden signs, garden stones, and native plant seeds through an online store to fund and promote Saint Kateri Habitats and Mary Gardens.
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Land Acquisition and Conservation Easements 1 activity
- Protect land and water through Catholic land trust initiativesAcquires and stewards land and conservation easements for grasslands, forests, wetlands, streams, and farms, including ownership of the 150-acre Churchill Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in New Hampshire.
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Wildlife Monitoring and Field Research 1 activity
- Support biodiversity monitoring on Catholic-stewarded landsCreates and maintains iNaturalist projects mapped to Catholic lands, including retreat centers and Saint Kateri Habitats, and organizes the Saint Kateri Catholic Bioblitz to aggregate biodiversity observations.
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Uncategorized 3 activities
- Advocate for invasive species management through regional partnershipsCo-founded and served as program manager for the Long Island Invasive Species Management Area (LIISMA), operating under contract with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
- Conduct research to support Catholic land conservationDevelops GIS-based land conservation models for Catholic dioceses and parishes, supported by external grants such as from the University of Notre Dame.
- Deliver education and outreach on integral ecology from a Catholic perspectiveProvides guidance, planning, GIS mapping, land protection support, and educational resources including webinars, events, and a published field guide to promote biodiversity, climate resilience, and faith-based ecological stewardship.
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financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$13K
Contributions & grants$6K47%
Program service revenue$6K48%
Investment income$130%
Other revenue$613
expenses
Total expenses$18K
Program expenses79%
Admin / overhead15%
Fundraising6%
Salaries & benefits$2K
Grants paid out$3K
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$271K
Cash$25K
Investments$60K
Liabilities$0
Net assets$271K
Liquid reserves57.4 mo
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue +143.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathleen Hoenke | Executive Director and GIS Program Director | 30 | $2K |
board members · 7
- Angelica M Gonzalez Apple — Director
- Anna Johnson — Director
- Carol Rempp — Secretary/Treasurer
- Catherine Butryn — Director
- Rachel Harkins Ullmann — Director
- Shaunah Fuegan — Chair of Board
- William Patenaude — Director
relationships · 18
Who they work with
- Bill Jacobs Partner — Founder of the Saint Kateri Conservation Center, previously worked with a major secular conservation organization.
- Catholic Church Government — Honors Saint Francis of Assisi as the patron saint of ecology
- Catholic University of America Partner — Partners with Catholic University of America to support community gardens that integrate faith and environmental studies.
- Esri Partner — Collaborates to host the Saint Kateri Habitat Story Map using ArcGIS platform.
- Indigenous Peoples Partner — Collaborates with Indigenous Peoples to cultivate traditional crops and medicinal plants on Catholic-stewarded lands.
- Ken Carman Partner — Volunteer and iNaturalist expert supporting the biodiversity observation initiative.
- MODIS Land Science Team Partner — Collaborates with or references work from the MODIS Land Science Team in its habitat mapping or educational materials.
- Marianist Environmental Education Center Partner — Collaborates on the development and sharing of Mary Garden designs.
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Government — Partnered with the Long Island Invasive Species Management Area (LIISMA) under contract.
- Pawnee Nation Partner — Collaborates on returning traditional crops to tribal homelands.
- Pope Benedict XVI Government — Endorsed the ecological conversion promoted by the organization.
- Pope Francis Government — Endorsed the ecological conversion promoted by the organization.
- Saint John Paul II Government — Founded during the papacy of Saint John Paul II, who called for ecological conversion.
- Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill Partner — Worked with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill to permanently protect the Saint Mary’s by the Sea property.
- The Daughters of St. Paul Partner — Collaborates with the Daughters of St. Paul on ecological and spiritual initiatives, including the creation of Saint Kateri Habitats.
- The Nature Conservancy Network — Former employer of key staff; shared professional network in conservation.
- University of Notre Dame Funder — Provided a grant to develop a GIS land conservation model for Catholic dioceses and parishes.
- iNaturalist Partner — Collaborates with iNaturalist to track biodiversity on Catholic-stewarded lands through shared observation projects.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Decentralized Faith-Based Stewardshipmethodology: decentralized faith-based land stewardshipBy mobilizing parishes, households, and Catholic-stewarded lands to act as local biodiversity refuges through initiatives like Parish Arks and Saint Kateri Habitats, the organization expands ecological resilience because widespread, spiritually motivated local action creates scalable conservation impact rooted in moral responsibility and community ownership.
- Faith-Integrated Ecologymethodology: faith-integrated ecologyBy integrating Catholic teachings, particularly Laudato Si, with ecological science and sustainable practices, the organization fosters environmental action that is spiritually grounded and morally motivated, because faith provides the ethical foundation and transformative power necessary for lasting ecological stewardship.
- Geospatial-Enhanced Community Conservationmethodology: geospatial_accessibility_toolBy using GIS mapping, interactive tools, and spatial data visualization, the organization increases accessibility to conservation resources and funding, thereby empowering local actors to participate effectively, because spatial technologies lower barriers to engagement and enable data-informed stewardship at the community level.
- Science and Tradition-Integrated Conservationmethodology: science-and-tradition-integrated conservationBy combining best available ecological science with Catholic moral teaching and Indigenous traditional knowledge, the organization ensures conservation efforts are both ecologically effective and culturally respectful, because integrating diverse epistemologies strengthens legitimacy, adaptability, and justice in environmental action.
- Wonder-Based Ecological Educationmethodology: wonder-based ecological educationBy nurturing children's innate sense of wonder and spiritual connection to nature, the organization cultivates lasting ecological stewardship, because early emotional and spiritual engagement with creation fosters lifelong care and moral responsibility toward the natural world.