Merwin Conservancy INC: FY2024 Nonprofit Profile & 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 · $365K · in their own filed words · FY2024

01

Tending the Merwin Palm Tree Collection

Since assuming stewardship of the merwin palm tree collection in 2020, TMC has employed contract gardeners to care for, protect, catalog, and report on a diverse collection of palms. The collection is widely considered to be one of the largest and most diverse private palm collections.

$179Kprogram expense

02

Arts and ecology programming. This year, through our long standing public program series the green room, we presented the work of several writers and poets during in-person gatherings on maui and oahu. We also offered virtual broadcasts of our green room events with our growing global community.

$111Kprogram expense

03

Residency Program

Our residency program, launched in late 2021, offers the merwins' home and garden as a sanctuary for writers, artists, and scientists who make new possibilities for language and land across disciplines. Our residents are selected by a committee of nominators working across and between fields.

$75Kprogram 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 FY2024 990, line by line.

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1The main four

Money inPt VIII

$732K

Ln 12

Gifts and grantsLn 1h$665K

Investment incomeLn 3$67K

Money outPt IX

$636K

Ln 25

Programscol B$432K

Managementcol C$111K

Fundraisingcol D$93K

Owns and owesPt X

$2.6M

net assets · Ln 32

Cash and savingsLn 1–2$151K

Total assetsLn 16$2.6M

LiabilitiesLn 26$22K

PeoplePt VI, VII

19

listed · VII A

PaidVII A1

Voting boardVI 1a18

IndependentVI 1b18

2In more detail

Revenue in detailPt VIII

Gifts and grantsLn 1h$665K

Noncash giftsLn 1g$105K

Investment incomeLn 3$67K

Gains on assetsLn 7$18K

Total revenueLn 12$732K

Assets in detailPt X, end of year

CashLn 1$151K

Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$151K

InvestmentsLn 11–13$1.9M

Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$566K

Total assetsLn 16$2.6M

LiabilitiesLn 26$22K

Net assetsLn 32$2.6M

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 FY24	End FY24
Cash and savingsLn 1–2	$280K	$151K
InvestmentsLn 11–13	$1.5M	$1.9M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c	$501K	$566K
Total assetsLn 16	$2.4M	$2.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26	$12K	$22K
Net assetsLn 32	$2.4M	$2.6M

4Every line

Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line

Line	Total	Programs	Management	Fundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5	$138K	$80K	$30K	$28K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7	$184K	$106K	$40K	$37K
Other employee benefitsLn 9	$13K	$7K	$3K	$3K
Payroll taxesLn 10	$28K	$16K	$6K	$6K
Legal feesLn 11b	$1K	$570	$571
Accounting feesLn 11c	$8K		$8K
Investment management feesLn 11f	$8K		$8K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g	$13K	$11K		$2K
Advertising and promotionLn 12	$9K		$965	$8K
Office expensesLn 13	$4K	$2K	$922	$838
Information technologyLn 14	$1K	$644	$244	$222
OccupancyLn 16	$31K	$22K	$5K	$4K
TravelLn 17	$8K	$4K	$4K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19	$345	$345
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22	$15K	$15K
InsuranceLn 23	$7K	$4K	$1K	$1K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24	$168K	$163K	$2K	$4K
Total functional expensesLn 25	$636K	$432K	$111K	$93K

Filing history

Year	Money in	Money out	In minus out	Net assets	Download
FY2025 Latest	$1.4M	$697K	$724K	$3.4M	990 PDF
FY2024 Viewing	$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 FY2024 990 (6 parts)

Part I · Summary $732,222 revenue, 12 lines filed

I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $590,162$664,814

I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $710$0

I-10 Investment incomePrior year $74,341$67,408

I-11 Other revenue$0

I-12 Total revenuePrior year $665,213$732,222

I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0

I-14 Benefits paid to members$0

I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $273,713$362,158

I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0

I-17 Other expensesPrior year $234,674$273,451

I-18 Total expensesPrior year $508,387$635,609

I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $156,826$96,613

Part VI · Governance 18 of 18 board members independent, no flags

VI-1a Voting members of the governing body18

VI-1b Independent voting members18

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 $732,222 across 6 lines filed

VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$664,814

VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$104,563

VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$664,814

VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $49,027$49,027

VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsRelated to mission $18,381$18,381

VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $18,381 · Excluded from tax $49,027$732,222

Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $635,609 across 17 lines filed

IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $79,853 · Management $30,288 · Fundraising $27,535$137,676

IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $106,469 · Management $40,384 · Fundraising $36,714$183,567

IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $7,378 · Management $2,799 · Fundraising $2,544$12,721

IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $16,353 · Management $6,203 · Fundraising $5,638$28,194

IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $570 · Management $571$1,141

IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $8,214$8,214

IX-11f Investment management feesManagement $8,027$8,027

IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $10,655 · Fundraising $2,266$12,921

IX-12 Advertising and promotionManagement $965 · Fundraising $7,605$8,570

IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $2,429 · Management $922 · Fundraising $838$4,189

IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $644 · Management $244 · Fundraising $222$1,110

IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $21,691 · Management $4,671 · Fundraising $4,247$30,609

IX-17 TravelPrograms $4,177 · Management $4,177$8,354

IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $345$345

IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $15,195$15,195

IX-23 InsurancePrograms $3,915 · Management $1,485 · Fundraising $1,350$6,750

IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $162,666 · Management $1,585 · Fundraising $3,775$168,026

IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $432,340 · Management $110,535 · Fundraising $92,734$635,609

Part X · Balance sheet $2,604,276 assets, 12 lines filed

X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $280,050$150,869

X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $2,488$924

X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $4,315$7,462

X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $500,920$566,324

X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $1,538,759$1,878,697

X-16 Total assetsStart of year $2,427,822$2,604,276

X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $11,608$22,283

X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $11,608$22,283

X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $842,455$822,279

X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $1,573,759$1,759,714

X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $2,416,214$2,581,993

X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $2,427,822$2,604,276

Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $2,581,993 net assets at year end

XI-1 Total revenue$732,222

XI-2 Total expenses$635,609

XI-3 Revenue less expenses$96,613

XI-4 Net assets at start of year$2,416,214

XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$69,166

XI-10 Net assets at end of year$2,581,993

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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Merwin Conservancy INC FY2024 filing

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