Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Aug 2016.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
92 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
5 people listed on the 990; $261K paid to officers and key staff.
Matt Maraynes’s $100K as Chief Operating Officer is at the 45th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1137 $1–10M animals 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Vinick | $88,560 | $52,500 | $126,000 | $134,000 | $166,667 |
| Matt Maraynes | $100,000 | $50,000 | — | — | — |
| Lori Marino PHD | $72,000 | $72,000 | $72,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
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.
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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
Creates a seaside sanctuary for whales and dolphins, prioritizing their well-being and natural habitat.
Questions for The Whale Sanctuary Project
Your first name shows with your question. The Whale Sanctuary Project answers here, for everyone.
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Progress at the sanctuary site marine and land infrastructure design; third-party review and reporting of environmental data; marine geotechnical surveys; wine harbour buoy DEPLOYMENT.** marine and land infrastructure design: we made significant progress in design engineering of the sanctuary's mile-long perimeter net and marine animal…
Planning for whales in urgent need efforts to retire the orcas and beluga whales at theme parks in france, canada and south korea enabled the whale sanctuary project to build partnerships and collaborations with other ngos, develop diplomatic relations with foreign countries, and make progress towards a global sanctuary movement for…
Outreach and education oceans day celebrations; community events in nova scotia; educational outreach to children and students of all AGES.** oceans day celebrations: we organized and celebrated the first ever ocean's day celebration in ST. Mary's municipality, where the sanctuary is located.
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 | $1.7M | $1.6M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $0 | $0 |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $1.7M | $2.4M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $193K | $363K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $1.5M | $2.0M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $261K | $200K | $14K | $47K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $16K | $11K | $1K | $4K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $9K | $2K | $7K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $31K | $31K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $1.3M | $1.3M | $4K | $12K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $58K | $52K | $2K | $5K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $296 | $170 | $126 | |
| TravelLn 17 | $42K | $33K | $100 | $8K |
| InterestLn 20 | $4K | $4K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $1K | $266 | $1K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $49K | $41K | $7K | $487 |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $587 | $36 | $35 | $516 |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.8M | $1.7M | $72K | $77K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest Viewing | $2.3M | $1.8M | $462K | $2.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $1.8M | $1.9M | −$152K | $1.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $1.9M | $1.6M | $292K | $1.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $1.5M | $792K | $749K | $1.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $464K | $753K | −$290K | $657K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $2,269,935 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 2 of 4 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $2,269,935 across 4 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,807,876 across 12 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $2,372,176 assets, 12 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $2,008,925 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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