Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Apr 2010.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
92 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
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
7 people listed on the 990; $110K paid to officers and key staff.
Nancy L Caruso’s $100K as President is at the 80th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1989 $100K–1M environment 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 · 1 named individual · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy L Caruso | $100,000 | $110,000 | $102,847 | $71,000 | $71,000 | $54,400 |
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 2Yes
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Inspire curiosity and stewardship for nature through science exploration and hands-on learning.
Questions for Get Inspired
Your first name shows with your question. Get Inspired answers here, for everyone.
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Abalone restoration project- the goal of this project is to restore green abalone to the Orange County coast by involving the community in their restoration. We are growing over 5000 green abalone until they are large enough to outplant. We grow them in classrooms in Orange County.
White seabass restocking project- The goal of this project is to restock white seabass along our coast by teaching kids in schools to grow them. We build seabass nurseries in classrooms and spend the whole year teaching the kids to care for them and about their ecology and biology. Kids get hands on science experience.
Aquaponics programs- We have six aquaponics systems in schools in Orange County providing learning for 275 students in their classrooms. Rooftop aquaponics system at Santa Monica High School is still being constructed and is running with the inclusion of the Team marine students from their environmental science class.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $739K | $908K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $739K | $908K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $739K | $908K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $100K | $90K | $10K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $28K | $25K | $3K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $89K | $89K | $0 | $0 |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $16K | $12K | $4K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $234K | $216K | $18K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $355K | $263K | $91K | $1.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 Viewing | $403K | $234K | $169K | $908K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $355K | $232K | $123K | $739K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $228K | $186K | $42K | $599K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $191K | $139K | $51K | $568K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $216K | $129K | $86K | $510K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $403,267 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 6 of 7 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $403,267 across 11 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $234,289 across 5 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $907,971 assets, 12 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $907,971 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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