Marine Spill Response Corporation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
621437621
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Herndon, VA, USA
Phone
1-800-OIL-SPIL (1-800-645-7745)
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$112,384,332
Expenses
$106,529,066
Assets
$173,047,693
Liabilities
$73,328,216

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN SWIFT (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOHN SWIFT (PRESIDENT): $544,987 total reported compensation
  • BRETT DREWRY (DIRECTOR): $538,312 total reported compensation
  • JOE BOWLES (VP): $475,910 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

MSRC provides oil spill response services, including readiness and response operations that can scale from small incidents to major events, with equipment pre-positioned across the U.S. International Response Support MSRC is equipped to take on every level of spill training, preparedness exercise and response. We offer scalable response model that can support an incident of any size and apply the right resources to the circumstance – from small 3-hour spills to major incidents requiring our full capability. Our extensive inventory of dedicated response equipment is stored and maintained at MSRC's pre-positioned equipment sites – strategically placed across the U.S, and ready to mobilize. In addition, MSRC has more than 300 dedicated personnel that can be cascaded across regions to support an event. MSRC's dedicated personnel are augmented by a unique reservist program which.

What it reported doing in 2024

Msrc has established a program to render its best efforts to contain, cleanup or otherwise mitigate a discharge or to mitigate a threat of a discharge of oil or other substances. This is accomplished through utilization of personnel and equipment of the corporation and various contractors. Msrc develops and maintains information regarding oil discharge response resources and related information. Msrc conducts training, drills, and exercises in order to review oil discharge capabilities and facilitate response related readiness. In 1999, and in accordance with an IRS ruling, msrc expanded its purpose to also include making its communications equipment and other resources available for use in response to other natural or manmade disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, or fires.

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 91% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 95
  • Accountability: 77
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.2%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 60%; rating input score 60; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.2%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.62; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.42; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -15% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -3.4% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 94.2% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $106.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $545K · 18 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $15.3M reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 17 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.