Cova Agua

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
264080644
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2012, Form 990-N 2011
Location
St Paul, MN, USA
Phone
3198302731
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,649,275
Expenses
$2,049,322
Assets
$4,581,180
Liabilities
$339,507

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WESLEY MEIER (PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR)
  • GREG MCGRATH (VICE PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • WESLEY MEIER (PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR): $162,458 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Cova is a nonprofit social enterprise building a healthier central america through data-driven, community-centered safe water solutions.

What it reported doing in 2025

Cova builds a healthier central america through community-centered safe water solutions in rural nicaragua, honduras, and el salvador. Through its locally led circuit rider model, cova partners with community water boards to strengthen the operation and long-term sustainability of rural water systems. Locally based water technicians install and maintain chlorination systems, monitor water quality, provide ongoing technical assistance, and train volunteer water boards in system management, financial planning, maintenance, and transparent governance. Cova also works with ministries of health, municipal governments, and other local partners to strengthen rural water services and build the capacity needed to sustain them over time.in 2025, cova extended safe water solutions to an additional 207,621 people, bringing its total reach to 1,797,830 people across 2,827 rural communities. A record 37 circuit riders completed 12,713 community visits during the year. Through this ongoing support, cova helped communities improve chlorination, maintain reliable water systems, strengthen local leadership, and reduce the risk of waterborne illness, allowing more children to attend school, adults to work, and communities to thrive.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 85% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - Most voting board members are independent and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 58
  • Transparency & Controls: 61
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 73
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 35.2%; rating input score 35
  • Program expense ratio: 90.8%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: $31.96 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Scored; rating input score 0

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 63.7%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.24; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.9%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.2% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 24.6% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 26.2% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 35.2% of revenue deployed · 90.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $162K · 9 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 35/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.