2025-06-25T11:17:12-07:00 2024-12-31 331527511 Brinkman & Company 302 N Montgomery St Ojai CA 93023 990 2024-01-01 461239650 BLUE SKY SUSTAINABLE LIVING CENTER BLUE 6614133005 PO BOX 271 NEW CUYAMA CA 93254 KELLY SCHMANDT FERGUSON President 2025-06-25 true Danielle L Brinkman-Mallare P00196523 8054857194 2024 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z KELLY SCHMANDT FERGUSON PO BOX 271 NEW CUYAMA CA 932540271 537677 false X WWW.BLUESKYCENTER.ORG X 2012 CA BLUE SKY CENTER IS A RURAL, PLACE-BASED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WITH THE MISSION TO STRENGTHEN OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE CUYAMA VALLEY BY SUPPORTING ENTREPRENEURS AND BUILDING OUR REGIONAL CREATIVE & ECONOMIC RESOURCES. 7 7 7 50 0 298295 403840 138428 121896 -698 0 7531 8563 443556 534299 0 0 199058 317594 0 5318 302412 297788 501470 615382 -57914 -81083 1107910 1023520 13525 10218 1094385 1013302 X BLUE SKY CENTER IS A RURAL, PLACE-BASED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WITH THE MISSION TO STRENGTHEN OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE CUYAMA VALLEY BY SUPPORTING ENTREPRENEURS AND BUILDING OUR REGIONAL CREATIVE & ECONOMIC RESOURCES. false false 214853 149180 ALL OTHER PROGRAMS 193055 147470 Creative Community Engagement:Our artwork is co-creation. Art that builds relationships, resonates in the community, and inspires action. We open difficult conversations that empower the 1,100 people of the Cuyama Valley with information and ways to express themselves. From our early research, we saw the power of using arts to identify and address Cuyama's rural and systemic issues. In 2024, we hosted Cuyama Song Camp and Cuyama Drama Club after-school programs with our local school district. We opened Paso O Paso, a vibrant community space where Cuyamans identified as artists and entrepreneurs. With an NEA grant, we published ideas from local students and local food producers in "A Post-Carrot Cuyama: A Food System Built on Community and distributed the "Unofficial Cuyama Valley Guide to Broadband Internet." The collective project "Bello Valle" had students celebrating Cuyama's bloom of colorful wildflowers. Our ninth annual Dia de los Muertos celebration raised funds for local students in collaboration with Amplify Arts Project and High Desert Print Company. To close the year, we came together in collaboration with Quail Springs to review artist applications for three upcoming Cuyama Water Justice Residencies, funded as part of a larger environmental justice grant from CalEPA. 164214 175645 Economic Development through various programs including:Explore Cuyama - With our partners at the Cuyama Buckhorn, we are continuing to lay the groundwork to establish the Cuyama Valley as a treasured regional tourist destination through shared efforts and the visit Cuyama campaign. At our 267-acre property, we have expanded our capacity for the types of events and gatherings that we can host. Made in Cuyama - our moto that runs throughout the organization. Economic Development is the umbrella for our work, with three specific arenas: creative community engagement, food security, and community research. These are our strategies for supporting entrepreneurs and building our regional creative and economic resources, so that life for all Cuyama residents is resilient, thriving, and inclusive. At the Blue Sky Center Property, we continue to host local craftspeople in the "Blue Sky Shops." We provide space to work and one-on-one technical assistance for sustaining and growing their unique businesses. Cuyama Beverage Co - We support Cuyama Valley farmers and earn revenue for Blue Sky Center through sales of our dry session-style mead. Each bottle purchased contributes to regenerative economic development in the Cuyama Valley. L88 Airstrip - Now in its third year of operations, the newly resurfaced L88 Airstrip continues to expand its reputation as a regional destination for pilots, aviation enthusiasts, events, and photoshoots. Owned and managed by Blue Sky Center, the L88 Airstrip is stewarded by a dedicated team of volunteers who have been focused on the maintenance and expansion of service offerings. The airstrip has not only been used as a stop for pilots on their routes. Hot air balloons floated above the valley, gliders swooped through, supersonic drones tested their capabilities, R/C hobbyists showed off their remote-controlled model airplanes, and muscle cars flexed their wheels on our pavement! The future of our L88 Airstrip leads towards the horizon, full of possibilities. With planned upgrades and maintenance, it is only made possible by the support, time, and dedication of volunteers and donors. 12676 38203 Community research and development:We often describe our work as "translating." Literally translating between English and Spanish for communication materials, yes, but also translating between the real lived experience of Cuyamans to the stakeholders and resource-providers beyond Cuyama. Through our engagement, we seek to collect honest, thorough, and nuanced stories of real life in Cuyama with the need and opportunities; through listening sessions, surveys, and conversations, we then work to translate that information into the charts, graphs, and spreadsheets that government officials and grantor's depend on to be assured of the quantified and validated need for their investment. 11594 25504 Food and Agriculture:Blue Sky Center has made significant strides in advancing food security in the Cuyama Valley over the last decade. Throughout this time, our work has focused on overcoming the deep-rooted challenges of access to affordable, healthy food in a region defined by its rural isolation and agriculture abundance - that paradoxically lacks the infrastructure to serve its own community's food needs. 24270 63707 596392 true true false false false false false false false false true false false false true false false false false false false 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 true 16 0 false 7 true false false false false false false false 0 false false false false false false false X 7 7 false false false false false false false true true false false true true true true true true true true false CA X X Samuel Bassett 6614133005 1000 Perkins Road Cuyama CA 93254 SAMUEL BASSETT Executive Dir. 33.00 0.00 X X 63679 0 0 Carmen Sandoval-Aqimowon MEMBER-AT-LARGE 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 1794 Ciara Ristig Member-at-Large 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 KELLY SCHMANDT FERGUSON President 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 JESSE SUGARMANN Secretary 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Katerina Barilov Treasurer 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Eric Meyer Member-at-Large 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 SAVANNAH FOX Secretary 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 63679 1794 0 false false false 0 234233 169607 34927 403840 Facility Rents 531390 71090 71090 Program Service Fees 721000 50806 50806 121896 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6650 3378 3272 3272 Event Tickets Misc Income 5291 5291 5291 534299 130459 0 0 0 0 63679 63679 0 239923 234557 2433 2933 0 13992 13992 0 0 10356 6678 3678 0 0 0 0 134 134 0 0 0 0 0 22010 22010 0 0 0 0 25202 16381 7561 1260 11151 11151 CONTRACT SERVICES 118006 116881 1125 Utilities 25845 25845 MAINTENANCE & REPAIR 25292 25292 RENT 19978 19978 39814 39814 615382 596392 13672 5318 85281 26768 0 38538 1273 19671 59638 0 0 0 24029 20652 2923 2923 1154622 242356 937468 912266 0 0 0 0 0 1107910 1023520 13525 10217 1 13525 10218 X 1094385 1013302 1094385 1013302 1107910 1023520 -81083 X true X false true false X 163157 236425 711509 298295 403840 1813226 0 0 163157 236425 711509 298295 403840 1813226 0 1813226 0 0 0 1813226 294998 1.00000 1.00000 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 406412 406412 657050 156721 500329 87960 82435 5525 3200 3200 912266 Rounding 1 1 LEGAL/PROF SERV 1 4008 COST SUPPLIES 1 30919 COST false false false Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b THE 990 WAS REVIEWED BY THE FULL BOARD AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD AT THE TIME SIGNED THE 990. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 DOCUMENTS ARE PUBLICLY POSTED AT BLUESKYCENTER.ORG/DISCLOSURES Part VI Line 12C Enforced as new board members join or when board members realize a real or percieved potential conflict of interest, presented and reviewed at a regular board meeting. Part VI line 15 The Board of Directors has a policy of annually reviewing the performance of its executive staff with a process decided by and documented by the Board of Directors. Any hiring, compensation changes, termination, or any other changes of executive staff are performed by the Board of Directors and recorded within the minutes and documents of the Board meetings in which the actions occur.