Conservation Action Research Network
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 455045474
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2014–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2022, Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2012
- Location
- Fairfax, CA, USA
- Phone
- 3109135791
- Rating
- 90
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Natural Resources Conservation and Protection
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $163,017
- Expenses
- $131,622
- Assets
- $76,680
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- THOMAS SMITH (President)
People named in this filing
- THOMAS SMITH (President)
- VIRGINIA ZAUNBRECHER (Treasurer)
- MARK CAPPELLANO (Secretary)
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
To understand the biotic processes that underlie and maintain the diversity of life worldwide, especially in the tropics, and to use this knowledge to address global environmental and sustainability challenges.
What it reported doing in 2025
Aspire supporting conservation science in africa: carn supports science in central africa by providing small grants to african scientists and supporting logistics for scientists working country. We provide grants to young african researchers. Grant makers explanation for monitoring use of funds outside us carn requires grantees to provide mid-term and final financial and programmatic reporting on their use of aspire funds using templates we provide. We also request that grantees send any scientific publication that result from their aspire funding, even after the grant and reporting period is finished. Finally, we occasionally conduct surveys of past grantees to assess the impact our grants have on their careers and productivity.wells and waterthis program aims to facilitate access to water by villages participating in a native tree planting project by building wells located strategically near communities. The wells are built by a local vetted contractor and members of the team visited the site and verified and reported with pictures and videos on the work performed. Conservation geneticsconservation genetics: carn supported numerous projects to use advanced geneticstechniques to understand and preserve species. We supported work on pangolins, theworlds most trafficked mammal that elucidated routes of pangolin trafficking fromafrica to asia using the dna isolated from pangolin scales confiscated in hong kong.we also support work to use environmental dna to better understand what animals have been present in rwanda over time. That work trained dozens of students andconservationists from throughout africa on the theory and practice of edna. Thatdata is being analyzed and prepared for publication.ngs pangolinbuck knives
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 85
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 53
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 78.4%; rating input score 78
- Program expense ratio: 97.1%; rating input score 97
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: 19.3%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.58; rating input score 42; 42nd 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: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 78.4% of revenue deployed · 97.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $128K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.