Partnership for the Delaware Estuary Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Living shorelines - pde continued to conduct studies to better understand the freshwater mussel habitat requirements that improve living shoreline designs, and continued to work on living shoreline planning, installation, and monitoring. This included living shoreline monitoring at lewes, de; mispillion, de; and maurice river, nj; as well as on the schuylkill river in philadelphia. Bivalve research and freshwater mussel propagation - pde conducted freshwater mussel genetic research and freshwater mussel growth research at several locations across pa, de, and nj. Pde is also continuing to work toward the start of construction of the freshwater mussel hatchery. Wetlands monitoring and assessment - pde conducted wetlands monitoring and assessment as part of the mid-atlantic coastal wetlands monitoring and assessment (macwa) program. Macwa activities included site specific intensive monitoring (ssim), as well as groundwater monitoring at sites in nj and de to assess the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. The use of newly acquired acoustic monitoring equipment is also being incorporated into monitoring at restoration sites to assess the change in wildlife usage pre- and post-restoration. Public engagement - pde staff engaged in community outreach related to clean water, healthy habitats, and strong communities. Pde participated in an increased the number of public events and festivals in 2024, providing pde with more opportunities to engage with people face-to-face. In addition to in-person events, pde reached communities through various social media platforms and pde's estuary news newsletter. Urban waters federal partnership coordination - pde served as the coordinator of the urban waters federal partnership (uwfp) for the Delaware river location, which includes the cities of philadelphia (pa), chester (pa), camden (nj), and wilmington (de). Pde stengthened connections within each of these communities and worked with community groups to plan community projects that will help improve water quality, habitat, and climate resilience.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 68.6%; rating input score 69
• Program expense ratio: 74.8%; rating input score 75
• Fundraising efficiency: $27.03 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• 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; 63rd 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: 8.7%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.85; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 9.3%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings