Ocean Conservancy

What it reported doing in 2024

Preventing ocean plastics: 11 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean annually equivalent to a garbage truck's worth of plastic every single minute. Plastic pollution can be deadly to marine animals that eat or become trapped in it. Grounded in our cutting-edge research, ocean conservancy focuses on two critical solutions to the crisis: reducing production of the single-use plastics most dangerous to ocean life, and cleaning up 1 billion pounds of ocean plastic by 2050. Ocean conservancy advocates at the global, national, state and local levels for policies that reduce production of single-use plastics. In the last three years, we've secured 13 policies, eliminating 900 million single-use plastics every year. We also organize the international coastal cleanup, one of the largest single day volunteer events to clean up our shorelines and waterways. To date, ocean conservancy has removed over 400 million pounds of plastic and trash from our ocean, coast and waterways, engaging millions of volunteers on behalf of the ocean in over 150 countries. Through this effort, we also built the world's largest ocean plastics database, which is part of our cutting-edge research to fill gaps in our understanding of the plastic crisis and to identify solutions. For example, ocean conservancy scientists spearheaded the first-ever quantification of how much plastic is entering our ocean and how little plastic it takes to kill a bird, turtle or whale.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 76.4%; rating input score 76
• Program expense ratio: 74.1%; rating input score 74
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.4 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Pass
  • Conducts field audits: Fail
  • May suspend future funding: Fail
  • Requires financial reports: Pass
  • Conducts site visits: Fail
  • Requires grant agreements: Fail
  • May require repayment: Fail
• Grant itemization coverage: 98.1%; rating input score 98; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 26th 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: -1.4%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.98; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings