River Otter Ecology Project
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 454997526
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2016
- Location
- Forest Knolls, CA, USA
- Phone
- 4153424597
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Animal Protection and Welfare
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $241,321
- Expenses
- $176,868
- Assets
- $118,805
- Liabilities
- $33
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Megan Isadore (Executive Director)
- Terence Carroll (President)
- Richard Abramson (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- Megan Isadore (Executive Director): $97,104 total reported compensation
- Terence Carroll (President): $35,000 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To create lasting protections for local waterways using community science, research, education, and advocacy—advancing environmental justice and ensuring participation of every voice through the North American river otter as an indicator of healthy waters. Individual action matters: When _I met the River Otter Ecology Project folks over a dozen years ago, it was clear that this was an organization getting things done! It had inspired leadership and committed community science volunteers who were making a difference — furthering our understanding of the natural world and how it supports us._ _‘A pebble dropped into water, expanding circles of energy, waves reflecting the light, the source of inspiration multiplied and verified.’ This is how I see ROEP today at the launch of our “Otters for Waters” project._ _I firmly believe that individual actions can have power and influence on big...
What it reported doing in 2024
We engage people in supporting waterways in their own communities. Otters for Waters is a nationwide conservation initiative, aiming to protect and support waterways across the country, with river otters as charismatic ambassadors. Building on more than decade of community science, research, education, and advocacy, we are expanding our Otter Spotter program, which mobilizes people to document otter sightings, enabling them to take an active role in local conservation efforts. The Intent: To use the skills, knowledge, and technical expertise gained through the Otter Spotter program nationally, in order to increase our reach and influence throughout the United States in support of watershed conservation. The Vision: We envision a national web of connected projects using our collective data and the appeal of river otters as ambassadors for healthy waterways. River otters are indicators of waterway health and symbols of the success humans can achieve in restoring ecosystems for all species, including ourselves. The Plan Partner with local NGOs across the nation dedicated to watershed conservation. We have launched pilot programs in Virginia, Arizona, Utah, and Louisiana. We use their on-the-ground knowledge and connections along with our platform and expertise to help partners achieve their goals. The initiative's expansion is rooted in collaboration. Partnering with local organizations, Otters for Waters provides training, technical support, and tools to empower partners in their conservation goals. Partners provide the on-the-ground knowledge of the needs of local waterways. Our expansion vision is to create a national network of conservation advocates, leveraging the appeal of river otters to spark public interest and support waterway restorations and policies. Like all changes, it starts with a few drops that grow to ripples then waves of change.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 98% 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
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 73
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 70
- Sustainability: 54
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.5%; rating input score 64
- Program expense ratio: 87.7%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: $40.38 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 26.7%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.67; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 74.7%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 64.5% of revenue deployed · 87.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $155K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $97K · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.