Santa Monica Conservancy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
753079169
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Santa Monica, CA, USA
Phone
3104963146
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$186,116
Expenses
$395,610
Assets
$571,288
Liabilities
$17,093

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARIO FONDA-BONARDI (PRESIDENT)
  • ALEC NEDELMAN (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • KAITLIN DRISKO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KAITLIN DRISKO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $92,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The santa monica conservancy is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to promoting widespread understanding and appreciation of the cultural, social, economic, and environmental benefits of historic preservation.

What it reported doing in 2025

The conservancy develops and implements educational programs including a weekly historic walking tour of downtown santa monica, the annenberg community beach house, the former home of william randolf hearst and actress marion davies, and an annual architectural tour. The conservancy also operates a preservation resource center in a historic shotgun house, where visitors can learn abut historic preservation and the history of santa monica., and where residents seeking to preserve the city's historic buildings may receive assistance. The conservancy also recognizes examples of heritage preservation each year at the preservation awards community event.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 61% 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.
  • 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 60.3%; rating input score 60
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.58 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 8; 8th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: -112.6%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.44; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 23.3%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.4% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 60.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $239K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $92K · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.