Earthecho International Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
954789334
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2023503190
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Film, Video

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,472,376
Expenses
$1,708,999
Assets
$1,370,343
Liabilities
$74,466

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • PHILIPPE COUSTEAU (PRESIDENT)
  • MIA DEMEZZA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (UNTIL 10/15/2025))
  • ROSEMARY TRENT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (EFF. 10/15/2025))

Highest reported compensation

  • MIA DEMEZZA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (UNTIL 10/15/2025)): $161,334 total reported compensation
  • PHILIPPE COUSTEAU (PRESIDENT): $109,872 total reported compensation
  • SCOTT A WEBB (CFO): $48,882 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Earthecho international's mission is to build a global youth movement to protect and restore our ocean planet.

What it reported doing in 2025

The earthecho youth leadership program and ambassadors programs are cornerstones of our strategy to inspire and develop the next generation of environmental leaders. These programs equip young ocean advocates between the ages of 16-22 with the training, funding, and tools needed to lead creative campaigns and initiatives mobilizing support for policy and regulatory and conservation actions to advance ocean protection and restoration. Our five current ambassador programs focus on topics including: expanding and enhancing marine protected areas (30x30), ratification of the high seas treaty, direct protection of blue carbon ecosystems, addressing marine plastic pollution, and supporting local watershed health.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 48
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 95.4%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 82.2%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.43 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 27th 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: -16.1%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.8; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21.3%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -7.7% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -7% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 95.4% of revenue deployed · 82.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $161K · 18 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 42/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.