Connectocean Conservation and Outreach Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 852131191
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2023–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2022
- Location
- Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Rating
- 43
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Human Service Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $30,250
- Expenses
- $21,015
- Assets
- $22,739
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
3 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ERNST VAN DER POLL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
People named in this filing
- ERNST VAN DER POLL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- SARAH TRAVERS (CONSERVATION DIRECTOR)
- ERIC MADEJA (DEPUTY DIRECTOR)
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
Connectocean conservation and outreach is dedicated to fostering ocean stewardship and conserving aquatic ecosystems through community engagement, education, and collaborative conservation efforts. Our mission is to connect communities to the ocean by delivering stem-based educational programs, citizen science initiatives, and water safety training, including our swim safe costa rica program, which aims to prevent drowning and promote water safety nationwide. Costa rica ranks as the second-highest country in the world where u.s. Citizens drown abroad. To address this critical issue, we are working closely with the u.s. Embassy and the national drowning prevention commission to advocate for legislative changes and garner government support for water safety initiatives.
What it reported doing in 2025
Regenerative community conservation and heritage programsconnectocean empowers communities to regenerate ecosystems and preserve cultural heritage through its community managed conservation model, based on the discover, connect, protect pillars.-discover: communities learn to map sensitive ecosystems, identify conservation successes, and recognize their environment's value. Regional conservation alliances guide these efforts, fostering a sense of ownership over local ecosystems.we have been able to do this through the incorporation of the development of an e-learning platform that connectocean conservation and outreach are developing in partnership with conservation partners to create online courses through open ai for source to sea, mangroves, intertidal zones, coral reefs, open ocean and sharks and rays.click here for more info -connect: conservation associations are formed in each community, led by local champions. These groups, supported by the conservation alliance and padi dive centres, use "how-to guides" to implement scalable conservation projects. This phase combines global expertise with local leadership, creating a ripple effect of education and empowerment.-protect: communities apply their skills to create community managed conservation areas (cmcas), regenerating ecosystems like mangroves, coral reefs, and watersheds. These areas often become hubs for regenerative tourism, welcoming visitors who support conservation efforts while boosting local economies. [learn more here.](click here for details)-heritage and youth empowerment in limn: connectocean collaborates with embajadores del mar in limn, costa rica, to empower at-risk youth.--sponsored 3 full padi instructor scholarships and a swimming instructor certification for local youth.--purchased equipment for a mobile dive training station, enabling dive training in remote areas like cuajiniquil, where coastal communities are now being trained.--supported snorkeling tours to 17th-century slave shipwrecks, connecting youth to their afro-caribbean heritage while fostering sustainable tourism opportunities. Plans include a community maritime archaeology certification to preserve this history. Watch the video here.impact: these initiatives have directly benefited the communities that we implemented these programs in, fostering sustainable livelihoods, regenerating ecosystems, and preserving cultural heritage while aligning with global conservation goals such as the 30x30 initiative and the un decade of ocean science for sustainable development.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- No current program activity. The filing reports no program spending for the current year.
The verdict
MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 0
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 67
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 0%; rating input score 0
- Program expense ratio: 0%; rating input score 0
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 30.5%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.08; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: -33.3% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -41.9% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 0% of revenue deployed · 0% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 3 filed program accomplishments
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
- Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.