Friends of South Louisiana Wetlands

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
200833998
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2012
Location
Houma, LA, USA
Phone
9855807289
Rating
49
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Children's Museums

Reported finances

Revenue
$718,446
Expenses
$694,773
Assets
$833,825
Liabilities
$1,939

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HEATHER BRADFORD (PRESIDENT)
  • KRISTIAN KEY (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JONATHAN FORET (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

People named in this filing

  • HEATHER BRADFORD (PRESIDENT)
  • KRISTIAN KEY (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • WAYNE ROBINSON (TREASURER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of south la wetlands discovery center is to revolutionize the way we think, teach, and learn about louisianas disappearing coast. We are currently raising funds to further our mission.

What it reported doing in 2025

Coastal classroom: coastal classroom integrates wetlands education with the current Louisiana science standards to develop hands-on lessons focusing on louisianas coastal land loss crisis. These interactive lessons are designed to bring the wetlands into the standard classroom. Students have the opportunity to delve into problems like subsidence and saltwater intrusion and examine the effects of these problems on the surrounding coastal ecosystem. In addition to the problems of land loss, students are able to examine the various protection and restoration projects along the coast and learn how these efforts are helping to preserve louisianas wetlands.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 89% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 6
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 6.6%; rating input score 7
  • Program expense ratio: 4.3%; rating input score 4
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.62 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.3%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.2; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -8.9% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.8% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 6.6% of revenue deployed · 4.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $30K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2013 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 7/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 4/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 7/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 40/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 49/100.