Lake Superior Tall Ships

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
465349847
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2014, Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2017
Location
Bayfield, WI, USA
Rating
45
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Swimming & Other Water Recreation

Reported finances

Revenue
$155,212
Expenses
$100,105
Assets
$128,010
Liabilities
$6,232

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Gordon Ringberg (Executive Director)
  • Nancy Trapp (President)
  • Alan Appel (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • Gordon Ringberg (Executive Director)
  • Nancy Trapp (President)
  • Alan Appel (Vice President)

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

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

Overview

Mission

The Mission of Lake Superior Tall Ships is; To teach youth seamanship personal responsibility teamwork and self-esteem while building skills in leadership and citizenship to inspire all generations to be responsible stewards of Lake Superior and all lakes rivers and oceans and to promote awareness appreciation and preservation of Lake Superiors marine communities and maritime heritage.

What it reported doing in 2025

Abbey Road was out sailing on Lake Superior for 68 days in 2025 with guests. She sailed 2,004 nautical miles on trips from Bayfield to the Apostle Islands Grand Marais MN and Whitefish Bay MI. Most of the trips were 3 to 4-hour half day or evening sails and many of the guests especially the Sea Scouts were repeat sailors. Of the trips 37 days were Youth Adventure Trips with the area Sea Scouts school groups and other area youth. We had 7 days of Family Adventures 8 days of Adult Offshore Adventure 7 days of bareboat charter and 7 days participating in the Tall Ships America Festival of Sail in Duluth MN. The season was cut a little short due to an engine failure the first week of September and the part was not available in the US.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
No current program activity. The filing reports no program spending for the current year.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 0
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Program expense ratio: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 35.5%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.28; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20.1%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -7.9% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -11% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0% of revenue deployed
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 2 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 26/100.