National Estuarine Research Reserve Association
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 223004888
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Wells, ME, USA
- Phone
- 2076461555
- Rating
- 89
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,132,390
- Expenses
- $1,090,239
- Assets
- $453,282
- Liabilities
- $42,875
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
40 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KRISTEN GOODRICH (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- REBECCA ROTH (EXECUTIVE DI): $132,434 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To inspire the protection of our nation's estuaries and to promote conservation-based research, education, and stewardship by advancing the work of the national estuarine research reserve system.
What it reported doing in 2024
The organization was organized to support research, monitoring, and educational programs and activities about estuaries, promote public awareness of estuaries, promote research and education regarding estuaries, and promote stewardship of estuarine systems.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 90
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 36
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 89.6%; rating input score 90
- Program expense ratio: 93%; rating input score 93
- Fundraising efficiency: $55.94 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 79; 79th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 3.7%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.42; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 12.1%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -5.4% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 89.6% of revenue deployed · 93% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 39 of 39 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $132K · 40 people listed
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 47/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 30/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.