The Living River Restoration Trust

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
731688340
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Norfolk, VA, USA
Phone
7575004579
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Rural Economic Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$377,908
Expenses
$480,677
Assets
$2,810,159
Liabilities
$5,276

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Helen W Kuhns (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Helen W Kuhns (Executive Director): $80,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The Trust works to restore the environmental quality of the Elizabeth River by removing legacy contaminants and conserving the river and its tributaries for future beneficial uses and resiliency. It also conserves land in the coastal Virginia region for health and well-being, habitat and open space.

What it reported doing in 2024

Restoring waterways by removing pollutants and mitigating their impacts on the Elizabeth River and its tributaries. Specific work done during the year ending September 30, 2025, included:(a) long-term monitoring of improvements made to Paradise Creek and (b) approved permitting and construction of oyster reef at Lambert's Point.

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

STRONG - 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: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 81.9%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -27.2%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.85; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.6%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.6% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 81.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $394K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $80K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 17/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 11/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.