Bright Water Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 465674573
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2019–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2018
- Location
- Shingle Spgs, CA, USA
- Rating
- 96
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- International Relief
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $110,949
- Expenses
- $143,374
- Assets
- $179,723
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
16 people listed
People named in this filing
- Isaac Ferguson (Board Chair)
- Martin Mortensen (Vice Chair)
- Ronald Bateman (Treasurer)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Primary Exempt Purpose is to eliminate water-borne diseases worldwide through testing training and teaching.
What it reported doing in 2025
Current field project activities were maintained in 2025. One series of early projects in nine 9 communities was revitalized including sale of purification tablets and distributing of safe water storage containers. These efforts resulting in 1 about 1,400 household visits 2 the distribution of 950 safe water containers ten-times more tablets sold 85% of tablets sold rather provided gratis and producing positive safe water microbiological test results in about 80% of families. A training education materials simplification and digitization project was carried out at the headquarters office resulting in an updated educator training manual and family education discussions all re-formatted for use on digital devices laptops and tablets. An electronic phone application revision was also carried out to complement the improved education materials. All are functioning well and were ready for implementation in early 2026. Planning was carried out for two new community projects where the new materials and data collection app are to be tested. A random market-site survey was carried out in 9 communities to determine the efficacy of a series of public service messages broadcast over local communication information Centers. The results were overwhelmingly positive revealing that more than 90% of residents recognized the Bright Water messages with a similar percentage indicating that the safe water messages are important and should be continued.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 100
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 29
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -29.2%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.25; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 33.4% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $143K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 16 people listed
- Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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 4/100.