Dolphin Research Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
592072869
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Grassy Key, FL, USA
Phone
3052891121
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,578,339
Expenses
$7,400,267
Assets
$11,214,200
Liabilities
$3,634,229

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RITA IRWIN (PRESIDENT/CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • RITA IRWIN (PRESIDENT/CEO): $253,811 total reported compensation
  • ARMANDO RODRIGUEZ (COO): $202,523 total reported compensation
  • SCOTT GEARHART (MEDICAL DIRECTOR): $169,404 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Providing sanctuary and a forever home since 1984.through education, research and rescue, dolphin research center promotes peaceful coexistence, cooperation and communication between marine mammals, humans and the environment we share with the well being of drc's animals taking precedence.

What it reported doing in 2024

Public education: programs ranging in length from 1 hour to 1 week and varied in specific focus/depth of material and formation of dolphin research center training institute. All serve to develop an awareness for dolphin history, conservation issues and interactions with humans.drc welcomed approx 50,000 guests to drc to meet its family of dolphins and sea lions. Guests can participate in a wide variety of activities to support drc's mission statement, from admissions to interactive programs to private custom programs. Dolphin research center partners with wounded warriors and hosts the annual soldier ride in the Florida keys through endowments from the charles evans foundation, as well as project odyssey and custom programs for wounded warriors and their caregivers. Additionally, dolphin research centerstrives to educate through its support of its local community* by sponsoring all local monroe county school children visits, tom's harbor bridge cleanup, 7-mile bridge run, local chamber events, and ocean day celebration. Dolphin research center also partners with Florida fish and wildlife as the primary manatee rescue agent in monroe county Florida.

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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 79.5%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $55.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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; 63rd 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: 2.3%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.52; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.32; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.3%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.1% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80% of revenue deployed · 79.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $5.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $254K · 10 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 42/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 52/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.