To promote positive development through learning adventures in living classrooms.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
78¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$177K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2021 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
4 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $48K a year · 4% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
78%
of spending
Looks good: 78% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$177K
to officers and key staff · 24% of spending
Worth a look: pay to officers and key staff is 24% of spending; over 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
15 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 14.6 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $10K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$175K
10% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 10% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
14
of 14 voting members
Looks good: 14 of 14 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.0M
-14% vs prior year
Spent
$744K
To programs
78%
Net assets
$1.5M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$1.0M
FY2021▼ -14%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$1.2M
FY2021$1.0M
FY2022$865K
FY2023$1.4M
FY2024$1.2M
FY2025$1.3M
Expenses
$744K
FY2021▼ -35%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$1.1M
FY2021$744K
FY2022$896K
FY2023$1.4M
FY2024$1.4M
FY2025$1.3M
Net assets
$1.5M
FY2021▲ +30%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.1M
FY2021$1.5M
FY2022$1.5M
FY2023$1.6M
FY2024$1.4M
FY2025$1.5M

From the FY2021 Form 990 (year ending March 2021) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Dec 2000.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

78 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 78% · $584K Management & general 17% · $130K Fundraising 4% · $30K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

30 people listed on the 990; $177K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2020); the FY2021 filing did not itemize Part VII
Executive Director
$88,269Pt VII · Sec A
Executive Director
$88,269Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Adam Shepherd’s $100K as Executive Director is at the 23rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 733 $1–10M diseases & disorders nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Adam Shepherd$100,000$100,000$99,586$89,250$88,269—
Shepherd Adam————$88,269$77,216

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Promotes positive development through hands-on learning adventures in real-world settings.

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Provided by the organization

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2 programs · $1.1M · in their own filed words · FY2020
01

The organization seeks to foster appreciation and preservation of coastal ecosystems through sea kayaking and other wilderness EXPERIENCES.OUR youth program offerings include summer camps, teen kayak adventure expeditions, school partnerships, community partnerships and youth leadership programs.

$584Kprogram expense
02

The organization seeks to foster appreciation and preservation of coastal ecosystems through sea kayaking and other wilderness experiences. Our youth program offerings include summer camps, teen kayak adventure expeditions, school partnerships, community partnerships and youth leadership programs.

$525Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$10K

By the numbers

The FY2021 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.0M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$747K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$278K
Investment incomeLn 3$7K
Money outPt IX
$744K
Ln 25
Programscol B$584K
Managementcol C$130K
Fundraisingcol D$30K
Owns and owesPt X
$1.5M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$907K
Total assetsLn 16$1.7M
LiabilitiesLn 26$175K
PeoplePt VI, VII
30
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a14
IndependentVI 1b14
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$747K
Government grantsLn 1e$196K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$278K
Investment incomeLn 3$7K
Other incomeLn 4–11$2K
Total revenueLn 12$1.0M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$907K
Total assetsLn 16$1.7M
LiabilitiesLn 26$175K
Net assetsLn 32$1.5M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 557
VolunteersI 6200
Fiscal year endsHeaderMarch
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $1.3M$1.3M$59K$1.5M 990 PDF
FY2024 $1.2M$1.4M−$151K$1.4M 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.4M$1.4M$53K$1.6M 990 PDF
FY2022 $865K$896K−$31K$1.5M 990 PDF
FY2021 Viewing $1.0M$744K$289K$1.5M 990 PDF
FY2020 $1.2M$1.1M$68K$1.1M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2021 990 (1 part)
Part VI · Governance 14 of 14 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body14
VI-1b Independent voting members14
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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