WaterWatch of Oregon

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
930888158
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Portland, OR, USA
Phone
5032954039
Rating
89
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,755,437
Expenses
$2,756,585
Assets
$1,435,320
Liabilities
$509,692

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NEIL BRANDT (Executive Director)
  • MARYLOU SOSCIA (President)
  • LESLIE BACH (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • NEIL BRANDT (Executive Director): $89,833 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

WaterWatch is a water conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring streamflows in Oregon rivers for fish, wildlife and the people who depend on healthy rivers.

What it reported doing in 2025

Streamflow: since 1987, WaterWatch has tirelessly advocated for the establishment of new instream rights, which now number over 1,700 across Oregon. The first of its kind in the West, the Instream Water Rights Act of 1987 established a means for three state agencies to apply for water rights to protect water instream for fish and wild- life, water quality, and recreation. in 2025, Oregon saw significant progress with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife applying for 98 new instream water rights in the South Willamette River Basin and 44 in the Mid and North Coast Basins. When approved, these rights will help safeguard flows in beloved rivers such as MCkenzie, Tualatin, Molalla, Santiam and many more.

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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 90
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 92.8%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $22.13 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.52; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.36; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.3%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 25.6% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 25% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 93% of revenue deployed · 92.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $90K · 13 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $1.5M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 26/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Whistleblower policy not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.