Clean Ocean Action Inc

What it reported doing in 2025

Clean ocean action, inc.(coa)is the only full-time coalition dedicated to improving the marine waters of the New York/New Jersey region. Founded in 1984, coa brings together and empowers organizations, hundreds of businesses and thousands of citizens to protect nature's most important resource: the ocean. The professional staff includes phd's, an attorney, and several with master's degrees. The dynamic and effective team applies research, education, and citizen action to reduce sources of pollution and impacts from climate change with fact-based campaigns to implement environmentally-sound solutions. Coa also engages meaningful and authentic efforts to ensure environmental justice. Accomplishments: significant improvements to marine water quality by reducing sources of pollution, plastics, and climate change, including: ended ocean dumping of eight ocean dumpsites off the coast of nj blocked fossil fuel ocean industrialization, including five liquefied natural gas facilities and oil and gas drilling successfully led nj campaign to pass the nation's strongest single-use plastic reduction law passed the nation's strongest state law prohibiting offshore oil and gas activities with support from 99% of nj legislature passed the nation's strongest fertilizer control law to protect nj's coastal waterways reduced sources of raw sewage, protecting swimmers from sewage established the region's largest enviromental litter reduction event, beach sweeps, collected nearly 8 million pieces of trash from nj beaches, and created a database for regional litter and plastic reduction efforts reduced the use of plastics in communities and businesses, and by individuals conducted a statewide sampling of microplastics along the entire nj coast improved the management of dredge material created a model coastal watershed protection program, called rally for the waterways that has expanded into two nj counties created a municipal pollution reduction certification program, called blue star challenging reckless ocean industrialization expanded seaside education programs for k-12 grade students. Education programs coa created the beach sweeps - the region's longest running, largest bi- annual volunteer citizen science event for all ages that puts feet on the beach and hands in the sand to reduce marine debris and collect a legacy of information that is used to identify sources of marine debris, monitor trends and promote solutions. Coa also developed "watershed mindfulness" programs to engage people in pollution reduction at the local level, as well as coordinating diverse and engaging educational programs for all ages (youth - seniors), to reduce pollution, climate change and plastics. Coa also provides mostly-free seaside education for thousands of k-12 students. Research programs coa conducts research to identify plastics, pathogens, and chemical pollution sources by engaging citizen science with rigorous oversight by the phd water quality research director. Research is coordinated with state and federal agencies, as well as with outside scientists to ensure quality. Water quality monitoring is also conducted in coa's new in-house lab. Campaigns are implemented along with municipal engagement to reduce the sources of pollution and impacts discovered through research. Coa also researches threats to ocean resources from industrialization, such as oil and gas drilling, power plants, and aquaculture. In december 2024, coa's rally for the two rivers program received the 2024 governor's environmental excellence award under the watershed management and water resources category. These awards are presented in a ceremony hosted by njdep and "awarded annually to individuals and organizations that demonstrate commitment and leadership on a variety of environmental issues, including environmental justice, climate change, sustainability and education" (njdep). Coa established the rally for the navesink coalition in 2016 to address the chronic pathogen pollution and

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 75.9%; rating input score 76
• Program expense ratio: 85.7%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $27.07 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • 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: 13.7%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.47; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 20.6%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings