Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Feb 1994.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
69 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
20 people listed on the 990; $690K paid to officers and key staff.
Leah Lopez Schmalz’s $162K as President is at the 70th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1851 $1–10M 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 · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leah Lopez Schmalz | $162,360 | $162,137 | $130,806 | — | — | — |
| Alicia Sullivan | $159,769 | $162,318 | $158,837 | $145,309 | $139,883 | $136,788 |
| Janel Crite | $146,847 | $137,003 | $105,001 | — | — | — |
| Curtis Johnson | — | — | $140,253 | $145,683 | $142,498 | $132,399 |
| Laura Wildman | $134,018 | $127,564 | — | — | — | — |
| Denise Stranko | $132,916 | $123,128 | — | — | — | — |
| Roger Reynolds | $132,561 | $131,976 | $120,840 | — | — | — |
| David Ansel | $127,364 | $122,456 | — | — | — | — |
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.
See Save the Sound INC executive salaries →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
Safeguards and enhances natural resources like land, air, and water.
Questions for Save the Sound INC
Your first name shows with your question. Save the Sound INC answers here, for everyone.
Ecological Restoration
The ecological restoration program works with natural systems to create or restore the conditions for ecological and human thriving and resilience. The program does this by removing dams and restoring fish passage; installing green infrastructure that employs native plants to absorb and filter stormwater before it pollutes local…
The long island sound program uses citizen science, education, advocacy and on-the-water watchdog activities to protect and restore the health of long island sound and its watershed. Last year the program coordinated the unified water study, an effort to monitor water quality with 23 groups in 40 embayments around long island sound…
Endangered Lands
The endangered lands program uses grassroots advocacy, education, policy and legal tools to ensure connecticut's iconic lands are preserved and the forests that filter drinking water are protected.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
Federal money
The auditor reported no findings.
The auditor reported: a material weakness in money controls.
Plus 1 smaller program.
The auditor reported no findings.
The auditor reported no findings.
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY20 | FY19 | FY18 | FY17 | FY16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $6.9M | $5.8M | $4.9M | $4.5M | $3.6M |
| Given inLn 1b | $799K | $509K | $276K | $925K | |
| SpentLn 1d–1f | $139K | $76K | $306K | $387K | $63K |
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $1.3M | $1.7M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $5.8M | $6.9M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $98K | $122K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $12.6M | $14.3M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $1.2M | $1.1M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $11.5M | $13.1M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $277K | $277K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $237K | $137K | $33K | $67K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $2.3M | $1.3M | $315K | $640K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $512K | $273K | $100K | $139K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $54K | $43K | $11K | $86 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $30K | $24K | $6K | $48 |
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $26K | $25K | $976 | |
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $40K | $40K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $659K | $555K | $54K | $50K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $145K | $41K | $75K | $29K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $232K | $85K | $99K | $48K |
| TravelLn 17 | $59K | $47K | $7K | $5K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $20K | $554 | $1K | $18K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $8K | $3K | $4K | $173 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $51K | $43K | $3K | $5K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $1.0M | $1.0M | $5K | $5K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $5.6M | $3.9M | $715K | $1.0M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Aug 3, 2026 | $9.9M | $9.0M | $974K | $20.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Aug 15, 2025 | $7.9M | $8.1M | −$205K | $18.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Aug 15, 2024 | $11.9M | $9.6M | $2.3M | $16.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS May 31, 2023 | $5.9M | $6.1M | −$190K | $13.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Jul 28, 2022 | $7.1M | $5.3M | $1.8M | $15.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 ViewingFiled with the IRS Aug 1, 2021 | $6.5M | $5.6M | $924K | $13.1M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $6,544,864 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 14 of 14 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $6,544,864 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $5,620,927 across 17 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $14,255,599 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $13,141,426 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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