Terra Marine Research and Education
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 770125733
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2014–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2022, Form 990-EZ 2025
- Location
- Carpinteria, CA, USA
- Phone
- 8054487788
- Rating
- 96
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $31,515
- Expenses
- $63,408
- Assets
- $169,143
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KIRK CONNALLY (President)
People named in this filing
- KIRK CONNALLY (President)
- PANCHO MAYORAL (Director)
- THOMAS DONNELLY (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
Terra Marine Research & Education, (TMRE), was incorporated in 1986 to conduct research and education in the marine sciences and related fields. TMRE seeks funding and provides logistical support for groups and individuals engaged in projects designed to further our understanding of marine, island, and coastal ecosystems, as well as projects designed to minimize impact and enhance responsible utilization of natural resources.
What it reported doing in 2025
TMRE has partnered with the Santa Cruz Island Foundation under flag carrying expeditions of the Explorers Club of New York to conduct underwater research. TMRE has outfitted a commercial ROV, and assembled a group of professional volunteers to conduct research off the California Channel Islands. TMRE has completed a multibeam survey of the search area using a professional hydrographer.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
- 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 98
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 31
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 95.4%; rating input score 95
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: -101.2%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.67; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 16.9% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 95.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 4 filed program accomplishments · $61K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 6 of 6 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 10 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.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.