Chesapeake Conservancy Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
262271377
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Annapolis, MD, USA
Phone
4433213610
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Environmental Beautification and Aesthetics

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$14,019,453
Expenses
$12,637,581
Assets
$20,640,689
Liabilities
$798,285

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

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOEL DUNN (PART-YEAR PRESIDENT AND CEO)
  • JOANNE COUSER (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOEL DUNN (PART-YEAR PRESIDENT AND CEO): $237,429 total reported compensation
  • KUMAR MAINALI (DATA SCIENCE LEAD/SENIOR DATA SCIENTIST): $152,471 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL EVANS (SENIOR DATA SCIENTIST): $150,449 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To conserve and restore the natural and cultural resources of the chesapeake bay watershed for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. We serve as a catalyst for change, advancing strong public and private partnerships, developing and using new technology, and empowering environmental stewardship.

What it reported doing in 2024

Empower with data: chesapeake conservancys conservation innovation center (cic) serves as a catalyst for change, leveraging cutting-edge geospatial data science, artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to tackle pressing environmental and conservation challenges in the chesapeake bay watershed. Our goal is to transform data into precise and actionable insights that restore and sustain the bays health for current and future generations. The cic has pioneered the use of high-resolution data products to deepen our understanding of both precision-based and landscape-scale conservation. Through strong public and private partnerships, the cics insights inform policies and drive targeted project priorities to maximize conservation outcomes. Using evidence- based strategies, quantifiable nature-based climate solutions and advanced analytics, we create innovative tools and analyses that empower evidence-based decision-making.

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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 60
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.1%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 83.3%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 86.1%; rating input score 86; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9.9%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.63; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.7% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17.4% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77.1% of revenue deployed · 83.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $10.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $237K · 25 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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.
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 39/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.