Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jul 2004.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
60 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
10 people listed on the 990; $177K paid to officers and key staff.
John Etgen’s $122K as CEO is at the 91st 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 · 2 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Etgen | $122,414 | $132,878 | $135,893 | $133,520 | $126,000 |
| Dennis Nelson | — | — | — | — | $50,702 |
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
Educates people about global water challenges to inspire local action.
Questions for Project Wet Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. Project Wet Foundation answers here, for everyone.
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In a time when water faces many threats and is more important than ever, the project wet foundation inspires local actions and understanding for water, creating a sustainable future. PWF works with partners in over 80 countries and all 50 us states to deliver hands-on lessons about water.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $1.4M | $1.1M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $1.6M | $1.4M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $179K | $167K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $1.4M | $1.2M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $177K | $125K | $37K | $14K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $306K | $216K | $65K | $25K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $25K | $18K | $5K | $2K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $121K | $85K | $26K | $10K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $34K | $24K | $7K | $3K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $2K | $2K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $34K | $34K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $148K | $76K | $9K | $63K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $83K | $29K | $54K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $4K | $2K | $193 | $2K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $2K | $814 | $991 | $190 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $79K | $30K | $47K | $2K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.0M | $605K | $287K | $123K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 LatestFiled with the IRS Sep 5, 2025 | $673K | $924K | −$251K | $450K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Jul 30, 2024 | $639K | $939K | −$299K | $685K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Nov 15, 2023 | $767K | $982K | −$214K | $925K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Aug 1, 2022 | $911K | $823K | $89K | $1.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 ViewingFiled with the IRS Jul 9, 2021 | $743K | $1.0M | −$272K | $1.2M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $743,373 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 8 of 8 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $743,373 across 9 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,015,519 across 12 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $1,372,623 assets, 14 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,205,805 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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