Point Lobos Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
942546064
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Carmel, CA, USA
Phone
8663387227
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,048,888
Expenses
$851,114
Assets
$2,326,096
Liabilities
$53,736

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Kathleen Lee (Former Executive Director)
  • Betty Maurutto (Board President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Steffanie Gamecho (Executive Dir.): $91,001 total reported compensation
  • Kathleen Lee (Former Executive Director): $55,522 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To protect and nurture point lobos state natural reserve, to educate and inspire visitors to preserve its unique natural and cultural resources, and to strengthen the network of Carmel area state parks.

What it reported doing in 2024

Visitors ServicesEducate visitors to enhance their appreciation, understanding, and support of Point Lobos State Natural Reserve through various channels including magazines, newsletters, website, digital app, multilingual brochures, public events, and meetings. In 2024, we served 5,326 students by funding the Docent-led School Outreach Program which provides guided walks to schools in the Monterey and Salinas Valley area. Total expenses $301,810.45, restricted funding of $69,833.91.Including funding for the following projects in 2024: Improving visitor safety by re-painting crosswalks and adding safety signage throughout the Reserve.Improvements to and expansion of the Point Lobos entrance area including improved signage, interpretive materials, and trails. Supported the interpretive materials and program needs of the School Outreach Committee at Point Lobos including funding the transportation and entry costs of Title 1 students and summer walks with underserved youth from CHISPA at Point Lobos, interpretive materials and equipment for virtual and in-person learning, and bookmarks, coloring books, and tote bags given to out to Title 1 students and teachers visiting the Reserve.Provided free informational brochures on the flora and fauna located within the Reserve.Supported the Summer Adventures summer camp hosted by CA State Parks and awarded scholarships to 28 local children from underserved communities through Community Partnership for Youth to attend the summer camp. Supported public bird walks led by CA State Parks at Ishxenta State Park. Purchased updated filming equipment used for digital, educational programing by the CA State Parks PORTS program. Continued to support the migration of our current archive of historical items to an online database to be used as a future teaching resource for the Docent Corps and public and continued to support the maintenance of historical Whalers Cabin and the museumCreation of a scat and tracks identification brochure and life-like scat castings for visitors to learn about the animals within the Reserve. Funded (2) issues of the Point Lobos Magazine as a free membership benefit and also available for purchase at the Reserve.Hosted our annual member appreciation event, the Moonlight Walk which included live music and free, guided walks.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 61% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 60% for direct work, and 40% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 66
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 70.6%; rating input score 71
  • Program expense ratio: 77.2%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 24th 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: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 97.8%; rating input score 98; 45th 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: 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: 18.9%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.73; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17.2%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 70.6% of revenue deployed · 77.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $657K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $91K · 13 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 34 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 filed related-organization links
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.