African Aquatic Conservation Fund Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
472592641
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2019, Form 990-N 2015
Location
Chilmark, MA, USA
Phone
4142028705
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$534,989
Expenses
$515,766
Assets
$309,931
Liabilities
$126,445

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANDREW HOLMAN (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SALVATORE CERCHIO (DIRECTOR): $52,700 total reported compensation
  • DR LUCY KEITH DIAGNE (EXECUTIVE DIR.): $45,333 total reported compensation
  • ANGELA FORMIA (DIRECTOR): $44,800 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Through focused research, conservation, and education actions, the african aquatic conservation fund is dedicated to the preservation of african manatees, turtles, and other aquatic wildlife and their habitats throughout the african continent. We work in close partnership with local people, scientists, governments, and other stakeholders for the benefit of both wildlife and humans.

What it reported doing in 2025

The african cetaceans program conducted continuing passive acoustic monitoring (pam) projects off the west coast of madagascar, off the nampula coast of mozambique, and off senegal. The pam work in the mozambique channel was part of a multi-partner effort to mitigate shipping noise in the southwest indian ocean (swio) funded by the french govt agency ffem, and involved two expeditions to cross the mozambique channel in a sailing vessel to deploy and recover remote acoustic recorders. We also conducted an omura's whales research expedition off the northwest coast of madagascar surveying approximately 400 km of coast in a sailing vessel. The ceteceans program leader co-supervised three phd students enrolled at curtin university - mauritius campus, on the acoustic ecology of blue whales, humpback whales and sperm whales in the swio. The leader also attended and presented work at the bienial meeting of the scientific committee of the international whaling commission in bled, slovenia.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most filed governance safeguards are in place. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 55
  • Accountability: 64
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.9%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 89.1%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: $80.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 55.6%; rating input score 56; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.6%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.6; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.41; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 27.7%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 18.2% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 19.9% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 22.2% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.9% of revenue deployed · 89.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 9 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $460K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $53K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 41/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.