Sea and Desert Interpretive Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
953098995
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025
Location
North Shore, CA, USA
Phone
7603933810
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$57,303
Expenses
$25,040
Assets
$170,680
Liabilities
$1,052

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • David Ballard (President)

People named in this filing

  • KAREN NELSON (Director)
  • PATRICIA MEISTER (Treasurer)
  • Juan Pablo Landeros Cuervo (Director)

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

To support educational and interpretive activities of the saltonsea recreation area

What it reported doing in 2025

Visitors center-the association provides displays, video tapes, exhibits, publications, maps, environmental games, and guides for the ca. dept. of parks and recreation, salton sea state recreation area visitors center. the association also operates a gift and souvenir shop to support these endeavors.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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 - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 52
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 35.7%; rating input score 36
  • Program expense ratio: 80.3%; rating input score 80

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 56.3%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.82; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -12.9% per year; rating input score 0; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6% per year; rating input score 0; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 35.7% of revenue deployed · 80.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $20K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 36/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.