Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in May 2002.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
90 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
20 people listed on the 990; $948K paid to officers and key staff.
Mark J Spalding’s $272K as President is at the 55th percentile of top reported officer pay among 324 $10–100M 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark J Spalding | $271,551 | $361,013 | $331,854 | $300,258 | $285,586 |
| Shana Miller | $168,629 | $158,237 | $157,210 | $143,992 | $141,895 |
| Tamika Washington | $118,546 | $154,515 | $146,451 | $132,340 | $128,596 |
| Kate Morrison | — | $150,277 | $140,884 | $127,300 | $123,700 |
| Andrea Capuro | — | $137,200 | — | — | — |
| Erica Nunez | $136,630 | — | — | — | — |
| Benjamin Scheelk | $130,100 | — | — | — | — |
| Bobbi-Jo Dobush | — | $129,073 | — | — | — |
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 2Yes
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Provides global communities with the financial, technical, and informational resources needed to restore marine habitats, improve ocean health, and build climate resilience.
Questions for The Ocean Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. The Ocean Foundation answers here, for everyone.
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Protecting Marine Habitats and Special Places
Our oceans are a mosaic of special places, from the bustling vibrancy of coral reefs to the tidal pools of rocky coasts, to the stark, glistening beauty of the frozen Arctic. These habitats and ecosystems are more than just picturesque; they all provide vital benefits to the health of the ocean, the plants and animals that live in them…
Expanding Ocean Literacy and Public Awareness
One of the most significant barriers to progress in the marine conservation sector is the lack of genuine understanding about the vulnerability and connectivity of ocean systems. It is easy to view the oceans as vast, nearly unlimited sources of food and recreation, filled with abundant animals, plants, and protected spaces.
Building the Capacity of the Marine Conservation Community- There are many outstanding conservation organizations dedicated to protecting and preserving our oceans. The Ocean Foundation provides assistance to these entities, which have a need to develop a certain skill or competence, or for general upgrading of performance ability.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $564K | $2.1M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $1.5M | $217K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $1.1M | $13.0M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $23.2M | $17.7M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $4.4M | $1.4M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $18.9M | $16.3M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $1.9M | $1.9M | ||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $123K | $123K | ||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $1.9M | $1.9M | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $293K | $221K | $65K | $7K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $2.5M | $1.9M | $542K | $61K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $154K | $110K | $39K | $4K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $246K | $181K | $62K | $3K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $222K | $158K | $59K | $5K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $81K | $63K | $18K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $345K | $345K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $321K | $321K | $5 | |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $447 | $252 | $195 | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $325K | $179K | $145K | $819 |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $173K | $54K | $115K | $4K |
| TravelLn 17 | $754K | $749K | $5K | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $227K | $225K | $2K | $108 |
| InterestLn 20 | $5K | $5K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $38K | $27K | $11K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $83K | $31K | $52K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $6.2M | $6.1M | $99K | $5K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $15.8M | $14.2M | $1.6M | $96K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $13.2M | $15.8M | −$2.6M | $16.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $18.8M | $18.8M | $20K | $18.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $15.2M | $15.9M | −$762K | $15.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $11.8M | $11.5M | $255K | $15.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $9.1M | $8.5M | $640K | $15.6M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $13,196,134 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 13 of 14 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $13,196,134 across 9 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $15,812,467 across 20 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $17,747,319 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $16,331,816 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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