Merwin Conservancy INC: Nonprofit Profile, Financials & Form 990 (EIN 47-4653401)

Sonnet K Coggins’s $133K as Executive Di is at the 93rd 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
Sonnet K Coggins	$132,663	$129,566	$129,419	$150,816	$125,000	$121,812

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

Inspires innovation by advancing W.S. Merwin's ideas through retreats, residencies, and community programs.

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3 programs · $320K · in their own filed words · FY2025

01

Tending the Merwin Palm Tree Collection

Since assuming stewardship of the merwin palm tree collection in 2020, the merwin conservancy has continued to care for, protect, and catalog one of the worlds most significant and diverse palm collections.

$149Kprogram expense

02

Arts and Ecology Programming

Through our public program series the green room, the merwin conservancy presented the work of poets, writers, and artists to local, national, and international audiences. We hosted in- person programs on maui and o'ahu featuring current and former residents and offered virtual programs to extend access to our global community.

$121Kprogram expense

03

Residency Program

The merwin conservancys residency program, launched in 2021, continued in 2025 to offer the merwins home and garden as a sanctuary for writers, artists, and thinkers who make new possibilities for language and land. Residents are selected through a nomination process involving advisors working across disciplines.

$49Kprogram 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 · FY2024

Jonathan and Kathleen Altman FoundationFY2024$104K

The Seattle FoundationFY2024$11K

Donor Advised Charitable Giving INCFY2024$11K

The US Charitable Gift TrustFY2024$10K

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFY2024$6K

Makana Aloha FoundationFY2024$3K

Florence FoundationFY2024$2K

Gordon E and Betty I Moore FoundationFY2024$500

Total grants receivedfrom 10 funders$148K

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By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

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1The main four

Money inPt VIII

$1.4M

Ln 12

Gifts and grantsLn 1h$781K

Fees for servicesLn 2g$574K

Investment incomeLn 3$65K

Money outPt IX

$697K

Ln 25

Programscol B$494K

Managementcol C$103K

Fundraisingcol D$99K

Owns and owesPt X

$3.4M

net assets · Ln 32

Cash and savingsLn 1–2$397K

Total assetsLn 16$3.5M

LiabilitiesLn 26$37K

PeoplePt VI, VII

20

listed · VII A

PaidVII A1

Voting boardVI 1a19

IndependentVI 1b19

2In more detail

Revenue in detailPt VIII

Gifts and grantsLn 1h$781K

Noncash giftsLn 1g$74K

Fees for servicesLn 2g$574K

Investment incomeLn 3$65K

Gains on assetsLn 7$1K

Total revenueLn 12$1.4M

Assets in detailPt X, end of year

CashLn 1$397K

Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$397K

InvestmentsLn 11–13$2.2M

Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$492K

Total assetsLn 16$3.5M

LiabilitiesLn 26$37K

Net assetsLn 32$3.4M

OperationsPt I, VI

EmployeesI 56

VolunteersI 624

Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember

Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes

Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes

Records policyVI 14Yes

3Year over year

Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B

Line	Start FY25	End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2	$151K	$397K
InvestmentsLn 11–13	$1.9M	$2.2M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c	$566K	$492K
Total assetsLn 16	$2.6M	$3.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26	$22K	$37K
Net assetsLn 32	$2.6M	$3.4M

4Every line

Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line

Line	Total	Programs	Management	Fundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5	$148K	$86K	$28K	$34K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7	$186K	$108K	$35K	$43K
Other employee benefitsLn 9	$6K	$3K	$1K	$1K
Payroll taxesLn 10	$27K	$15K	$5K	$6K
Legal feesLn 11b	$3K	$2K	$2K
Accounting feesLn 11c	$9K		$9K
Investment management feesLn 11f	$9K		$9K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g	$47K	$47K
Advertising and promotionLn 12	$7K		$725	$6K
Office expensesLn 13	$4K	$2K	$1K	$608
OccupancyLn 16	$21K	$16K	$3K	$2K
TravelLn 17	$9K	$5K	$5K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19	$980	$980
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22	$25K	$25K
InsuranceLn 23	$7K	$4K	$2K	$1K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24	$188K	$180K	$3K	$5K
Total functional expensesLn 25	$697K	$494K	$103K	$99K

Filing history

Year	Money in	Money out	In minus out	Net assets	Download
FY2025 Latest Viewing	$1.4M	$697K	$724K	$3.4M	990 PDF
FY2024	$732K	$636K	$97K	$2.6M	990 PDF
FY2023	$665K	$508K	$157K	$2.4M	990 PDF
FY2022	$379K	$619K	−$241K	$2.5M	990 PDF
FY2021	$640K	$499K	$141K	$2.8M	990 PDF
FY2020	$1.2M	$479K	$673K	$2.8M	990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support M · Noncash O · Explanations

See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)

Part I · Summary $1,420,584 revenue, 12 lines filed

I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $664,814$781,370

I-9 Program service revenue$574,394

I-10 Investment incomePrior year $67,408$64,820

I-11 Other revenue$0

I-12 Total revenuePrior year $732,222$1,420,584

I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0

I-14 Benefits paid to members$0

I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $362,158$366,188

I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0

I-17 Other expensesPrior year $273,451$330,318

I-18 Total expensesPrior year $635,609$696,506

I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $96,613$724,078

Part VI · Governance 19 of 19 board members independent, no flags

VI-1a Voting members of the governing body19

VI-1b Independent voting members19

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

Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,420,584 across 7 lines filed

VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$781,370

VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$74,073

VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$781,370

VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $574,394$574,394

VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $63,715$63,715

VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsRelated to mission $1,105$1,105

VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $575,499 · Excluded from tax $63,715$1,420,584

Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $696,506 across 16 lines filed

IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $85,576 · Management $27,877 · Fundraising $34,157$147,610

IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $107,916 · Management $35,155 · Fundraising $43,074$186,145

IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $3,411 · Management $1,111 · Fundraising $1,361$5,883

IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $15,392 · Management $5,014 · Fundraising $6,144$26,550

IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $1,543 · Management $1,543$3,086

IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $9,240$9,240

IX-11f Investment management feesManagement $9,224$9,224

IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $47,153$47,153

IX-12 Advertising and promotionManagement $725 · Fundraising $5,865$6,590

IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $2,039 · Management $1,152 · Fundraising $608$3,799

IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $15,858 · Management $2,981 · Fundraising $1,988$20,827

IX-17 TravelPrograms $4,726 · Management $4,726$9,452

IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $980$980

IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $24,688$24,688

IX-23 InsurancePrograms $4,437 · Management $1,775 · Fundraising $1,183$7,395

IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $180,414 · Management $2,555 · Fundraising $4,915$187,884

IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $494,133 · Management $103,078 · Fundraising $99,295$696,506

Part X · Balance sheet $3,476,899 assets, 12 lines filed

X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $150,869$397,470

X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $924$367,763

X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $566,324$492,483

X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $1,878,697$2,219,183

X-16 Total assetsStart of year $2,604,276$3,476,899

X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $22,283$24,280

X-19 Deferred revenue$12,500

X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $22,283$36,780

X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $822,279$1,296,167

X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $1,759,714$2,143,952

X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $2,581,993$3,440,119

X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $2,604,276$3,476,899

Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $3,440,119 net assets at year end

XI-1 Total revenue$1,420,584

XI-2 Total expenses$696,506

XI-3 Revenue less expenses$724,078

XI-4 Net assets at start of year$2,581,993

XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$183,201

XI-9 Other changes in net assets−$49,153

XI-10 Net assets at end of year$3,440,119

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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