Sacred Sea

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, our efforts were focused on: EDUCATION1) Sa'le Q'ewet Netse-lh/Our Hearts Beat as One, a bilingual Xwlemi Chosen/English children's book about the Lummi people's special connection to the captive orca Lolita/Tokitae/Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut. The story told in the book is the story lived by Lummi people and their supporters as they worked to bring their orca relation out of captivity at the Miami Seaquarium and back home to the Salish Sea. The book is written in English, with Lummi language translation. It is illustrated by Coast Salish artist Jason LaClair. The back pages are filled with educational materials and activities related to the story, to orcas, to the Lummi people, and to Coast Salish art. The book is being taught as part of the Since Time Immemorial curriculum in the Bellingham School district.2) The Mountaineers: we wrote a series of articles and blog posts for the Mountaineers magazine, educating the public on regional treaties, land acknowledgments, and Indigenous place names.3) Our Hearts Honoring Ceremony: we invited the public to witness the story of how Lummi tribal members worked to bring their relation Tokitae. We blanketed the Lummi tribal members, invited speakers to the floor, and shared a multi-media presentation of "Sa'le Q'ewet Netse'lh/Our Hearts Beat as One." This event was free and open to the public.4) ongoing readings and classroom visits pertaining to the bookMEDIA PRESENCE AND RELATIONS1) ongoing interviews, film festival screenings, panel discussions related to the documentary films "Scha'nexw Elhtal'nexw Salmon People: Preserving A Way of Life," "Resident Orca, and "The Last Reefnetter."2) ongoing monthly "Since Time Immemorial" interview/photo series in Bellingham Alive! magazineCULTURAL PROJECTSWe continued to develop "The Protector" idea, in which a statue of a traditional Lummi woman would serve both as protector of all Lummi people out on the water and as a memorial to those lost at sea.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 24.6%; rating input score 25
• Program expense ratio: 79.9%; rating input score 80
• Fundraising efficiency: $71.31 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 40%; rating input score 40; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 22
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Fail
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 68.8%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.51; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 62.5%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: Limited
• Revenue growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 44.2% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings