National Watershed Coalition

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
841142882
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Dellslow, WV, USA
Phone
3042881031
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Water Resource, Wetlands Conservation and Management

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$264,827
Expenses
$247,149
Assets
$421,116
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Gene Saurborn (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Dan Sebert (Senior Policy Advisor): $93,400 total reported compensation
  • Gene Saurborn (Executive Director): $54,700 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We advocate dealing with natural resource problems and issues using the watershed as the planning and operational unit. We represent the needs of watershed project sponsors.

What it reported doing in 2025

WATERSHED PROGRAM EDUCATION AND SUPPORT MATERIALS Internal and external education efforts are essential to accelerating Watershed Rehabilitation implementation. To address and support this effort, NWC will provide information and support to sponsors and NRCS employees on NRCS assisted watershed projects utilizing fact sheets in print, website, and electronic formats. One webinar was presented: 1) Opportunities of Flood Prone Communities, National Watershed Program Partner Forum in Ft Worth TX 143 attendees from 23 states, Maintaining the Investment 2025 Workshop in Decatur TX 95 attendees from 12 states.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 92% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 58
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.4%; rating input score 63
  • Program expense ratio: 67.9%; rating input score 68
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 22
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 6.7%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.7; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 59.9%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.1% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63.4% of revenue deployed · 67.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $168K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $93K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 18 of 18 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • 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.

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 50/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 55/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 2/100.