Puako for Reefs

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
932809206
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Kamuela, HI, USA
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Reported finances

Revenue
$188,039
Expenses
$189,554
Assets
$107,869

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KAREN ANDERSON (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • STEPHANIE ERICKSON (TREASURER)
  • GEORGE FRY III (VICE PRESIDE)
  • BARBARA BELL (SECRETARY)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Puako for reefs is dedicated to the protection and revitalization of the south kohala coast and the puako reef by addressing its land and water based threats in the face of climate change: wastewater, flooding, over- fishing, and fire.

What it reported doing in 2025

Organization and the county have agreed to a memorandum of understanding, mou. Four potential collection routes under evaluation. Secured support of manager at american water at mauna lani.established partnership with 3po networks (3po) to install fiber optic cable alongside the sewer line to offset some construction costs and bring high speed internet to community. Developed a plan to work with philanthropy partners to provide sliding scale assistance for homeowners to connect to sewer.determined that it will be possible to reuse newer existing septic tanks and atu basins with the orenco system.worked with bond council to develop various financial models to provide us the most flexibility.worked with the kalaimoku group to build a large coalition of organizations to support the project and strengthen community engagement. Who stands with you, matters in Hawaii. Hosted a donor appreciation dinner to thank all our donors who have made our work possible

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and assets have declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 94
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 33
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.4%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 93.7%; rating input score 94

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.8%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.57; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 27.6% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.4% per year; rating input score 0; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.4% of revenue deployed · 93.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $178K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 6 of 6 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.