Ocean Blue Project Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
753022057
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2019, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Corvallis, OR, USA
Rating
56
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$536,454
Expenses
$262,763
Assets
$663,347
Liabilities
$159,802

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Richard Arterbury (Executive Dir.): $15,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Ocean Blue Project is a grassroots environmental charitable organization with a Mission to protect the health of humans, our One World Ocean, beaches, and rivers through collaborative community driven plastic pollution relief, service learning projects, scientific research, and youth education

What it reported doing in 2024

Create a CleanUp Program Report Our incredible team of 23 CleanUp Crew Leaders has brought communities together nationwide, organizing a total of 377 dedicated volunteers across eight of our 15 active states (CA, FL, SC, OR, WA, CO, MA, and ME) for local cleanup efforts. Through their enthusiasm and steadfast commitment, these teams collectively removed an impressive 189,240 pounds of plastic and debris from beaches, rivers, and waterways. Blue Schools Program Report Ocean Blue has cleaned up over 1.6 million pounds of plastic and debris to date Plastic Disaster Relief Program Report Throughout 2024, the Plastic Disaster Relief Program yielded significant results, including the removal of 792,700 pounds of debris from the Chesapeake Bay area. This region accounted for an important share of the total pounds removed in 2024, contributing substantially to our long-term goals of plastic and debris mitigation. While our Create a Cleanup program continues to mobilize volunteers across the U.S., much of the Chesapeake Bay area's success came through the relentless efforts of our Ocean Blue team. These efforts require specialized resources, including equipment and dedicated personnel to manage on-ground and in-water cleanup operations.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 47
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 6
  • Sustainability: 74
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 34.3%; rating input score 34
  • Program expense ratio: 69.8%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.59 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 14
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Limited
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 51%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.52; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.7%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 94.2% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 24.5% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 34.3% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 34.3% of revenue deployed · 69.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 9 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $183K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $15K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 34/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 28/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 51/100.