Lighthawk

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
840852104
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Grand Junction, CO, USA
Phone
9707979355
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Reported finances

Revenue
$729,263
Expenses
$942,643
Assets
$1,764,185
Liabilities
$125,158

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES BECKER (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • JAMES BECKER (CEO): $122,537 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Lighthawk flies to save the earth. Lighthawk exists because we know excellent conservation work can be done with aircraft. Most conservation groups are unaware of the efficiency savings and impact to perceptions aerial views can provide. Even when they do, flights may seem unaffordable to them. Lighthawk's conservation professionals identify significant conservation issues and work with leading conservation partner organizations to co-design effective flight campaigns where aviation can quickly accelerate the work to more quickly achieve significant outcomes. Once campaigns are designed, we leverage a nationwide network of more than 350 highly-experienced volunteer pilots who make flights affordable by donating their time, aircraft, expertise and fuel. We are able provide flights to our partners without charge because of the charitable support of our pilots.

What it reported doing in 2024

Research and management: land, water and wildlife: 41% of this fiscal year. Lighthawk flights supported land trust oversight and management throughout the us through easement monitoring and evaluation of land for acquisition feasibility and providing compliance and other information otherwise not accessible. Lighthawk flights informed research studies on coastal sea level changes, and other major water areas like the Delaware and Colorado rivers. Lighthawk flights provided otherwise unavailable data toward annual counts of salmon, various endangered bird species, algal blooms and invasive plant growth, and riparian water rights issues.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 51
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 62%; rating input score 62
  • Program expense ratio: 46.9%; rating input score 47
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.61 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -29.3%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.87; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.9% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.4% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 62% of revenue deployed · 46.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $442K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $123K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2011 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.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 47/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.