Friends of Manatee Lagoon Inc

What it reported doing in 2025

Marine Conservation Efforts : FOML's marine conservation initiatives build community, advance environmental literacy, and directly support our mission to protect manatees, marine mammals, and their habitats. In 2025, we hosted and participated in a range of conservation education and engagement events, mobilizing the public around meaningful environmental action.Donor Stewardship & Conservation Awareness - FOML opened 2025 with a dual-purpose gathering: honoring major donors from the fall 2024 Soire for Seagrass and deepening community awareness of FOML's conservation work. Hosted at the home of Victoria and Scott Exnicios, the event drew 90 guests and featured an educational demonstration by FOML board member Jack Lighton.Citizen Science - Drift Card Program FOML partnered with the Angari Foundation on its biannual drift card program, which tracks how currents carry debris through local waterways. FOML engaged the community in decorating and releasing drift cards into Lake Worth Lagoon at two organized events in 2025 turning a scientific exercise into a hands-on public experience.Teacher Conservation Camp - FOML provided meals for a week-long summer camp led by the Angari Foundation and designed to immerse local educators in the ecosystems of Lake Worth Lagoon. Twenty-nine teachers from 20 schools participated in active, field-based conservation work. These educators return to their school communities as informed ambassadors for marine ecosystem protection.Women in Conservation Breakfast - FOML sponsored the Everglades Foundation's third annual Women in Conservation breakfast, covering meals and event promotion. The gathering drew more than 80 community members and reinforced FOML's commitment to supporting regional conservation leadership.Sunday Lecture: Mangroves & Coastal Ecosystems - FOML invited representatives from the MANG Foundation to present as part of Manatee Lagoon's Sunday Lecture series. Approximately 50 attendees gained a deeper understanding of the critical role mangroves play in sustaining healthy coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 11%; rating input score 11
• Program expense ratio: 13.6%; rating input score 14
• Fundraising efficiency: $4.77 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
  • 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: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 39.5%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.06; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 35.7%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -16% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 24.6% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 35.5% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings