Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
660842495
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Lajas, PR, USA
Phone
7872375321
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Marine Science and Oceanography

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,801,853
Expenses
$3,230,024
Assets
$2,756,619
Liabilities
$692,032

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RUPERTO CHAPARRO (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JULIO MORELL (EXECUTIVE OFFICER / DIRECTOR): $166,850 total reported compensation
  • PATRICIA CHARDON MALDONADO (DEPUTY AND TECHNICAL DIRECTOR): $119,350 total reported compensation
  • ABDIEL ALVARADO (TREASURER): $57,600 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

As part of its mission as a Regional Coastal Observing System under the IOOS/NOAA program (https://ioos.noaa.gov/), CARICOOS (http://www.caricoos.org/) collects and distributes decision supporting data and products to diverse sectors in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Island including federal and state agencies, marine observers ranging from beachgoers to ship operators and others. Data and forecasts originated and distributed by CARICOOS include waves, winds, currents, storm surge, beach pathogens as well as other biological, chemical and physical properties of the ocean.

What it reported doing in 2025

The organization program services consist in provide data and forecast from a variety of sources, including satelites, ocean instruments and numerical models to the public under an integrated view of past, present and forecasted ocean conditions in the US Caribbean region. Data are provided online by a number of organizations including NOAA, NASA, ONR, Universities and others to whom credit is given.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 95% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 55
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 66.2%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 98.4%; rating input score 98
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 32.7%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.85; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.25; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.6%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 34.5% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 36.9% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 35.9% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 66.2% of revenue deployed · 98.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $167K · 18 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 45 of 45 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.