Save California Salmon

What it reported doing in 2024

2024 has been a year of progress celebration and partnership for Save California Salmon. We are inspired by the support and dedication of our communities and partners and together weve made great strides in the fight for healthier rivers and lands and more empowered communities. Our work on the Klamath River reached new heights with dam removal and flow and restoration projects that benefit salmon and communities taking center stage. These efforts have been successful. All four of the lower Klamath River dams have been removed and there is a growing commitment to ensuring fish passage and restoration in the upper Klamath are effective. To realize the vision of a restored Klamath River and community we continued a concerted push for permanent instream flow protections for the Scott and Shasta Rivers and more water from the federal water projects that impact the Klamath and Trinity Rivers. Were also proud to be part of the movement to dismantle outdated dams on the Eel River and fight for water justice 2 through strategic litigation and policy advocacy. We have increased our efforts to restore flows and remove dams in the Sacramento Rivers key salmon tributaries such as Battle Deer Butte Mill and Antelope Creeks. We are also supporting efforts to bring the salmon home above the Oroville and Shasta dams the states largest dams. We intensified our efforts to restore the Bay Delta San Francisco Bay the states largest estuary which faces severe challenges from over-allocated water use and excessive pollution. As part of this work we organized rallies panels and letter-writing campaigns advocating for science-based flow decisions over toothless Voluntary Agreements in the California Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan Updates and the Biological Opinions for endangered species affected by the Central Valley Project. We also took a leading role in opposing the Sites Reservoir water rights application and joined efforts to challenge the Delta Tunnels Change of Diversion water rights. Notably the Sites Reservoir water rights proceeding marks the first major case where Tribes have intervened bringing both traditional knowledge and Tribal water rights expertise to a semi-judicial hearing. We are proud to stand against Californias first proposed reservoir in over 50 years. Centuries of harmful extraction including dam building and water projects have displaced both Native people and salmon and stopped people from practicing indigenous sciences such as cultural burning and river management. This is why we are committed to supporting land return as a means to achieving justice for Native people in California and meeting climate and restoration goals. 2024 was a huge year for public and private land return and co-management in California. We are proud to support these efforts and to have published the first California LandBack Special Report highlighting these efforts and policy recommendations. Our education programs have also expanded with significantly increased capacity for providing Native youth with culturally relevant resources and experiences. We hosted our Indigenous Science Camps for the third year in a row and expanded camps into new regions including the former dam reach of the Klamath River. We launched new curriculum lessons and provided field trips and outdoor activities for students to engage with Traditional Ecological Knowledge TEK and dam removal firsthand. We also hosted family-centered water protection and educational events along with fun family days across the Klamath Trinity Eel and Sacramento River watersheds. These one-day river events and camps included many raft and canoe trips cultural and educational workshops and a Trinity River clean-up! Our continued commitment to amplifying Native voices also led to more educational events celebrating Native culture and history several art contests and in-school lessons and the publication of new youth activity books. We also greatly expanded our staff office space and progra

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 72.5%; rating input score 73
• Program expense ratio: 79.7%; rating input score 80
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
  • 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: 9%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.27; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 10%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 46.3% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 29.8% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings