Sustainable Surf

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
453220205
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2013
Location
Manhattan Beach, CA, USA
Phone
8187328737
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Recycling Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,046,029
Expenses
$3,533,930
Assets
$2,926,654
Liabilities
$317,114

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JIM MORIARTY (EX-BOARD PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL STEWART (CO-FOUNDER/ DIRECTOR): $180,505 total reported compensation
  • KEVIN WHILDEN (CO-FOUNDER/ DIRECTOR): $168,303 total reported compensation
  • ALEXANDRA VON WINTERFELDT (FINANCE DIRECTOR): $120,905 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to regenerate the health of our ocean planet and reverse climate change. We protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems around the world, and create educational stories that inspire people and corporations to take action.

What it reported doing in 2024

Sustainable surf established the ecoboard project as the first independent 3rd party consumer-facing "eco-label" for surfboards. In 2024 the program continued to focus on building new partnerships with boardshapers, who specifically use innovative and sustainable manufacturing materials and approaches. Over half a million boards have now been manufactured since the launch of the program in 2012. As we continue to bring together surfboard manufacturers and the surf community, our focus is to educate and foster communication and sustainaibility commitments from both sides.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 79% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 84% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 85
  • Sustainability: 50
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 75.6%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 86.2%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $16.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 12.7%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.83; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.3%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 30.5% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 28.7% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 33.6% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 75.6% of revenue deployed · 86.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $181K · 13 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $229K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 54/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.