American Whitewater

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237083760
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Springfield, OR, USA
Phone
8777483777
Rating
90
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Water Resource, Wetlands Conservation and Management

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,395,397
Expenses
$2,510,140
Assets
$2,433,783
Liabilities
$287,408

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Clinton Begley (Executive Director)
  • Brent Austin (President)
  • Erin Savage (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Clinton Begley (Executive Director): $136,766 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

As a national river conservation nonprofit, our mission is to protect and restore Americas whitewater rivers and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely.

What it reported doing in 2024

Conservation and Access: American Whitewaters core mission is the conservation, restoration, and responsible management of whitewater rivers-and 2024 was a year of meaningful impact. We permanently protected 4.25 miles of river frontage along West Virginias Big Sandy Creek and celebrated the historic removal of four dams on Oregons Klamath River, where we ensured public access was integrated into the restoration process. In Colorado, we secured new Forest Service protections for 113 miles of rivers, while in the Southeast we defended the Nolichucky River Gorge from post-hurricane railroad-related damage through both legal and public advocacy. Our team directly improved flows and public access associated with dams on at least 33 rivers nationwide.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.2%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 80.8%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $57.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 80; 80th 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: 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -4.8%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.97; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.4%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.2% of revenue deployed · 80.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $137K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 50/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.