Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Sep 2008.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
82 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
4 people listed on the 990; $80K paid to officers and key staff.
Kurt Lieber’s $80K as Board President/Manag. Dir is at the 63rd 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 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kurt Lieber | $80,000 | $74,000 | $69,000 | $69,000 | $66,000 |
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 Ocean Defenders Alliance 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 2Yes
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
- Loans to or from officersSch L · Pt II1 listed
Programs and updates
Ocean Defenders Alliance is an environmental nonprofit based in Huntingtn Bch, CA.
Questions for Ocean Defenders Alliance
Your first name shows with your question. Ocean Defenders Alliance answers here, for everyone.
Marine Debris Removal
Safely locate, remove, and dispose of man-made pollution from the oceans, leaving marine habitat and wildlife safe to thrive. The debris is primarily nets, traps, hooks, and lines abandoned by commercial and recreational fishing operations, but a large amount of trash (mostly plastic) is collected as well.
Education and Outreach (e&o)
Oda believes that for change to occur, people must be made aware of the issues, problems, and challenges that currently threaten the oceans' health and survival. We work with students, volunteers, and the public to inspire all generations to act as life-long stewards of the environment.
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 | $464K | $543K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $13K | $9K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $494K | $646K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $39K | $25K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $455K | $622K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $50K | $50K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $80K | $68K | $8K | $4K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $6K | $5K | $612 | $306 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $2K | $2K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $102K | $63K | $6K | $33K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $12K | $8K | $3K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $3K | $2K | $867 | $299 |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $19K | $8K | $1K | $10K |
| TravelLn 17 | $17K | $17K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $7K | $7K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $110 | $110 | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $81K | $80K | $960 | |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $607 | $607 | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $379K | $310K | $18K | $52K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 14, 2025 | $550K | $379K | $170K | $622K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Nov 11, 2024 | $320K | $324K | −$4K | $455K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Sep 7, 2023 | $399K | $372K | $27K | $460K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Nov 15, 2022 | $471K | $321K | $150K | $433K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Nov 12, 2021 | $346K | $249K | $97K | $283K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $549,572 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 3 of 4 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $549,572 across 4 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $379,437 across 13 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $646,218 assets, 12 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $621,642 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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