American Bald Eagle Foundation

Legal name: American Bald Eagle Foundation Haines Chapter Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
222542783
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Haines, Alaska, US
Phone
(907)766-3094
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Bird Sanctuary, Preserve

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$376,251
Expenses
$378,897
Assets
$1,950,925
Liabilities
$504,703

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Kathleen Benner (Executive Director)
  • Maia Edwards (Assistant Executive Director)
  • Carolyn Goolsby (Vice President)
  • Sue Chasen (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Kathleen Benner (Executive Director): $54,823 total reported compensation
  • Lilianna Benassi (Admin Assistant): $42,734 total reported compensation
  • Maia Edwards (Assistant Executive Director): $34,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of the American Bald Eagle Foundation is the conservation of the bald eagle and its habitat through education and stewardship.

What it reported doing in 2024

What is the American Bald Eagle internship program? Every summer/fall we host an internship program that accepts two to six individuals from across the country. Interns have the opportunity to learn about raptors and the natural history of southeast Alaska. this internship is for anyone who seeks a career working with wildlife and/or in conservation education. We offer hands-on experience in animal behavior, animal handling, avian enrichment, public speaking, community outreach and collaboration, and a possibility for some research. Depending on prior experience and skill level, interns will learn how to train raptors via operant conditioning: positive reinforcement training. Interns also engage guests of all ages through natural history programs. They will learn about the many species of animals that occupy southeast Alaska and they may have a chance to collect data with a local researcher in the area.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 80% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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 the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 77
  • Sustainability: 44
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.9%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 72.6%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.7%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.15; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 39.1%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 73.9% of revenue deployed · 72.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 4 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $275K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $55K · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 38 of 39 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 37/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 17/100.