Explore Ecology
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 204944165
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Phone
- 8058840459
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Recycling Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,993,161
- Expenses
- $1,743,457
- Assets
- $892,617
- Liabilities
- $492,562
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
10 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SUSAN TOMPKINS (PRESIDENT)
- LINDSAY JOHNSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- LINDSAY JOHNSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $100,322 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Explore ecology empowers our community to proect and preserve the planet with innovative environmental education and nature-based learning.
What it reported doing in 2024
Environmental education: over 800 environmental lessons were conducted by explore ecology staff for approximately 20,000 students throughout santa barbara county. Lessons focus on water quality, watershed stewardship and waste management - reduce, reuse, recycle and compost. Environmental education lessons take place in classrooms, on field trips including the watershed resource center, tajiguas landfill, and beach cleanups. Through this environmental education program, explore ecology helps local government agencies and school districts reach their goals of educating the community about environmental sustainability. Over 800 environmental lessons were conducted by explore ecology staff for approximately 20,000 people, nearly all students. An additional 10,000 elementary age students were educated through explore ecology's school gardens program. Lessons focus on waste diversion (reduce, reuse, recycle and compost), water quality, school gardens and nutrition. Environmental education lessons are presented to groups from local schools, after school and summer camp groups, as well as some groups of college students and adults. Through this environmental education program, explore ecology helps local governments and school districts reach their goals of educating the community about environmental sustainability.
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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 65
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 46
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 65.7%; rating input score 66
- Program expense ratio: 75.1%; rating input score 75
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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: 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: 12.5%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.51; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.55; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.8%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 18.1% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 65.7% of revenue deployed · 75.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $100K · 10 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $180K reported
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 28/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 24/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 14/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 51/100.