North Carolina Coastal Land Trust

What it reported doing in 2024

Land acquisition and community conservation: North Carolina coastal land trust (ncclt) completed four (4) new conservation acquisitions during the fiscal year, protecting 1,272 acres. Additionally, ncclt placed permanent conservation restrictions on four (4) properties (through state or federal conservation or restrictive easements and/or notices of grant restrictions). Ncclt completed three (3) transfers of property for public use, namely, the transfer of one (1) property to the state to be added to state game lands and managed by the North Carolina wildlife resources commission (ncwrc) and the transfer of two (2) properties to municipalities - one for use as a public nature and history park and the other to facilitate public access to the ocean-to-sound south end of topsail island purchased by ncclt. Ncclt also transferred one (1) property to the North Carolina coastal federation, a nonprofit organization and leader in wetlands restoration, for long-term hydrological and forested wetlands restoration. Highlights of this year's completed transactions and other activities follow: - in october 2024, ncclt completed the bargain sale purchase of a conservation easement on 268 acres of property located near the city of new bern and the town of bridgeton, in craven county - the third phase of a four-phase project to protect more than 600 acres along morgan swamp in the neuse river basin. The predominantly forested property contains stands of naturally regenerated loblolly pine of various ages, mixed pine hardwood uplands, and coastal plain bottomland hardwoods and provides a 1,400 linear foot riparian buffer along a tributary of morgan swamp. The permanent protection of this property provides connectivity to other lands ncclt holds under conservation easement that buffer morgan swamp and contributes to the protection of the water quality of upper broad creek. - in november 2024, ncclt closed on the purchase of the 594-acre newport river ii tract, in carteret county, from weyerhaeuser company, with grants from the u.s. Dept. Of defense repi program, n.c. Land and water fund (nclwf), usfws north american wetlands conservation act (nawca), and enviva forest conservation fund. The acquisition concluded the second phase of a three-phase project involving ncclt's purchase of three (3) contiguous tracts (collectively containing almost 3,000 acres) along the newport river. The first phase was completed in may 2023 with ncclt's purchase of the 1,437-acre newport river i tract from weyerhaeuser company. Following ncclt's purchase of the newport river ii tract, ncclt placed permanent conservation restrictions on the property with the transfer of a restrictive easement to the U.S.a., a conservation easement to the state, through nclwf, and a notice of federal grant restrictions. This property is designated by the North Carolina natural heritage program (nc nhp) as a state significant natural heritage site of very high ecological significance due to the discovery of a rare forest type (coastal fringe evergreen forest) on the property. The property, which also features estuarine marsh, managed loblolly pine forest, and bottomland hardwoods along four (4) miles of the newport river, provides connectivity to other conservation lands, namely, it is located across the newport river from ncclt's 530-acre newport river marshes nature preserve and is adjacent to a portion of the 160,000-acre croatan national forest. - immediately following ncclt's transfer of permanent conservation restrictions on the newport river ii tract, as described above, ncclt transferred the 594-acre property (without consideration) to the North Carolina coastal federation, inc., a North Carolina nonprofit organization, for long-term hydrological and forested wetlands restoration on the property, together with the newport river i tract, to enhance water quality and shellfish habitat in the newport river and reduce flooding of the neuse river estuary. - in december 2024, ncclt c

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 72.5%; rating input score 72
• Program expense ratio: 85.9%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $16.58 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th 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; 72nd 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: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • 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: 20%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 12.82; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings