Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Legal name: Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
541060924
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Official website data refreshed
Jul 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, US
Phone
443-949-0575
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$16,008,340
Expenses
$15,543,680
Assets
$10,592,136
Liabilities
$6,870,029

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KATHARINE A FRITZ (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHARINE A FRITZ (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $183,938 total reported compensation
  • DREW D SIGLIN (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $179,270 total reported compensation
  • RACHEL FELVER (CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR): $134,785 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To bring together communities, companies, and conservationists to improve our lands and waters in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

What it reported doing in 2024

Other watershed restoration programs - the alliance designs, implements, and coordinates a variety of on-the ground projects that reduce polluted runoff in developed areas through green infrastructure stormwater practices, install effective best management practices on agricultural lands, runoff in developed areas through green infrastructure stormwater practices, install effective best management practices on agricultural lands, conduct monitoring of local streams through training and mobilization of citizen volunteers, carry out stream cleanup and restoration activities, assist local governments in developing local plans and implementing programs for watershed protection and restoration, and creating education and networking opportunities for conservation professionals.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 96% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84.9%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 87.4%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $71.37 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 98.7%; rating input score 99; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.9%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.68; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.65; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.5%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.2% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.9% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 28.8% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 5 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 84.9% of revenue deployed · 87.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $13.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $184K · 24 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3.1M reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 32 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 5 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 47/100.