Boston Harbor Now Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043268863
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
5083773003
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,122,273
Expenses
$5,450,425
Assets
$9,729,333
Liabilities
$426,607

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

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KATHERINE ABBOTT (PRESIDENT AND CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHERINE ABBOTT (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $305,715 total reported compensation
  • JANINE DAILEY (CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER): $192,099 total reported compensation
  • ALANKRITA NARANG (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $141,378 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to ensure that the people of greater boston benefit from a vibrant, resilient, and inclusive waterfront, harbor, and islands; these spaces are equitable, accessible, and adapted to climate change; and to ensure our public, environmental, and economic health and well-being.

What it reported doing in 2024

The stone living lab is looking to create a future where people work with nature to make coastal regions resilient and adaptive to climate change while enhancing natural and built environments. It is an innovative and collaborative partnership for testing and scaling up nature-based approaches to climate adaptation, coastal resilience, and ecological restoration in the high-energy, cold-water environment of boston harbor. The lab is a partnership among the following organizations, in collaboration with members of the Massachusetts tribe at ponkapoag: umass boston school for the environment boston harbor now city of boston Massachusetts department of conservation and recreation Massachusetts executive office of energy and environmental affairs national park servicelab operations are led by umass boston school for the environment and boston harbor now. Boston harbor now helped to launch the lab and build a team of staff and consultants. We continue to position and brand it; build strategic partnerships locally, nationally and internationally; run a comprehensive education and engagement program; assist with the research and monitoring program; organize conferences; manage and lead the real-time monitoring in boston harbor project; and advocate for legislation and policy changes for how climate adaptation infrastructure can be built throughout the commonwealth.

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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 41.3%; rating input score 41
  • Program expense ratio: 75.1%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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; 66th 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: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 46.2%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.79; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 41.3% of revenue deployed · 75.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $4.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $306K · 29 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $144K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 41/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 55/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.