Blue Investments for Nature Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
851228166
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020
Location
Arlington, VA, USA
Phone
7038415300
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Reported finances

Revenue
$25,277,092
Expenses
$26,727,943
Assets
$474,024,862
Liabilities
$384,652,666

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SVETOSLAV GATCHEV (PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JEFF SCHUTES (TREASURER & DIRECTOR): $359,717 total reported compensation
  • SVETOSLAV GATCHEV (PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR): $354,309 total reported compensation
  • MELISSA GARVEY (VP & DIRECTOR): $271,232 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Blue investments for nature, inc. (bin) is a nonprofit corporation whose sole member and supported organization is the nature conservancy (tnc). Tnc is a longstanding section 501(c)(3) public charity organized and operated for the charitable purpose of environmental conservation. Bin is organized and operated to support tnc by furthering tnc's global mission of conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends.

What it reported doing in 2024

Blue investments for nature, inc. (bin) supports tnc through entering into financial and conservation agreements with other nations and non-profits.bin entered into a debt conversion transaction with the government of belize on november 14, 2021. As part of the transaction, belize retired existing debt with new debt provided by a disregarded entity of bin. As part of the transaction, belize committed to a number of environmental and financing commitments to support marine conservation and protecting and managing belize's environmentally sensitive areas. Through this project, bin is supporting belize's conservation of ocean bidoversity protection zones, designating public lands with the belize barrier reef reserve system as mangrove reserves, developing integrated coastal zone management plans, and more. Bin is able to support the conservation of belize through making grants to the belize fund for a sustainable future, a u.s. Tax-exempt conservation trust fund that operates in belize. Additionally, bin manages an account of investments, the principal and earnings of which will be distributed for conservation purposes in belize.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 79% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 76% for direct work, and 24% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 32
  • Sustainability: 47
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.8%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 94.8%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -5.7%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 17.74; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.81; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.5%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 32.8% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.8% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 35.4% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.8% of revenue deployed · 94.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $25.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $360K · 4 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 23 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.