Braided River

What it reported doing in 2024

America's arctic - braided river is a media partner alongside a coalition of national conservation and indigenous nonprofits supporting science and cultural education around the alaskan arctic. In particular, the western arctic and the arctic national wildlife refuge have been a special focus. Through media campaigns, legislative action, and support for group trips to america's arctic, braided river has provided education through media about protecting the arctic from unsustainable development. Braided river also worked closely with national geographic photographer florian schulz on fieldwork surrounding photography and film of some of the most remote places of the arctic. We are continuing to support the impact campaign for an educational giant screen film called "the arctic: our last great wilderness." the film has been shown to date at more than 20 theaters at major science centers, for more than 10,000 people, including several thousand school groups and educators. We have also supported film and storytelling efforts digitally, on social media and a web platform protectthearctic.orgc, which has more than 58,000 followers. Columbia river - this book and visual storytelling campaign released on may 22nd of 2024 has been educating about the beautiful and complicated columbia river system and its expansive watershed from sea to source. To date, the photographer david moskowitz and the author eileen delehanty pearkes have presented at 11 in-person events as part of the big river event series, reaching a total of 450 people in the pacific northwest. The largest in-person speaking event was a 115-person audience at the Oregon museum of science and industry (omsi) in partnership with 350 pdx, columbia riverkeeper, and save our wild salmon. The transnational media campaign has been a great success, reaching across north america and western canada markets in print and social media. Big river is a forewards indies finalist for book of the year. In 2025, the big river traveling museum exhibit was created, is slotted to travel to eastern Washington in 2026 and 2027. Other programs - (1) in 2024, braided river supported the we are puget sound traveling museum traveling events, which were viewed by more than 40,000 people collectively. (2) book development of woodpecker: a year in the life of north american woodpeckers - a photography book and campaign on all 41 species of woodpeckers in north america. The book's fieldwork, editorial development, and layout were completed in 2024, with a publication date of september 1, 2025.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 93.9%; rating input score 94
• Program expense ratio: 81.6%; rating input score 82
• Fundraising efficiency: $99.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 86; 86th 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -15%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.83; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 13% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings