Wildlife Research Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
330750949
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Julian, CA, USA
Phone
7607651957
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Wildlife Preservation, Protection

Reported finances

Revenue
$-26,646
Expenses
$53,948
Assets
$1,141,766
Liabilities
$-177

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

People named in this filing

  • LEIGH BITTNER (MANAGING DIR)
  • FRED SPROUL (BOTANIST)
  • TINA WEST (Treasurer)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Wri is a non-profit organization based in san diego county dedicated to the preservation of wildlife through research, education, advocacy, cooperative work with governmental agencies, and land trust management

What it reported doing in 2024

Golden eagle survey project - 2022 was wri's 34th year of eagle survey and monitoring. Initial implementation of drone monitoring.our mission statement:1 - to document past and present golden eagle nests and their territories,2 - to document past and present golden eagle foraging areas which are critical areas for the success of current and future pairs of eagles.3 - to monitor and document the long-term dynamics of golden eagle nestin territories including natural threats, threats from human disturbance and change over time.4 - to monitor and document the pairs, their life history and any other data which may help evaluate the future success of the species in san diego county

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 86% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.9%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 80%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.24 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -302.5%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 21.16; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -17.8% per year; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -21.9% per year; rating input score 0; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.4% per year; rating input score 0; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77.9% of revenue deployed · 80% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $43K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 18 of 18 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.