Wild tortoise conservation initiatives: Tortoise Group partners with several federal, state, and local agencies with the sole intent of conserving our state's reptile. Through partnerships with United States Geological Survey (USGS), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Nevada Dept of Wildlife (NDOW), and Clark County Desert Conservation Program (DCP), and many more, Tortoise Group is able to augment existing studies and research projects as well as providing volunteer labor hours to assist in ongoing conservation projects in Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (TUSK), Lake Mead National Rec Area, and uninhabited portions of the Mojave Desert within NV. Tortoise Group is at the forefront of providing volunteers for "citizen science" projects. Tortoise Group's Road Warriors project with Clark County Desert Conservation Program conducts road mortality surveys along roadways and fence inspections during less active season. Data collected from these surveys inform local, state

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
61¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 130 volunteers and 4 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
4 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $7K a year · 6% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
61%
of spending
Worth a look: 61% of spending went to programs; under 65%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$37K
to officers and key staff · 50% of spending
Concern: pay to officers and key staff is 50% of spending; over 30%.
Pt VII · Sec A
20 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 19.5 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
3
named funders · $4K
Looks good: 3 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$7K
5% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 5% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
5
of 5 voting members
Looks good: 5 of 5 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$87K
-21% vs prior year
Spent
$74K
To programs
61%
Net assets
$115K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$87K
FY2025▼ -21%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$168K
FY2021$125K
FY2022$157K
FY2023$75K
FY2024$110K
FY2025$87K
Expenses
$74K
FY2025▼ -47%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$100K
FY2021$89K
FY2022$116K
FY2023$159K
FY2024$140K
FY2025$74K
Net assets
$115K
FY2025▲ +13%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$138K
FY2021$175K
FY2022$216K
FY2023$131K
FY2024$102K
FY2025$115K

From the FY2025 Form 990 · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Aug 1984.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

61 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 61% · $45K Management & general 26% · $19K Fundraising 13% · $10K

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

8 people listed on the 990; $37K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director
$20,667Pt VII · Sec A
Executive Director
$16,250Pt VII · Sec A
Adoption's Coordinator
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary/Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Chairman and Volunteer Coordinator
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Chair
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Aerial West’s $21K as Executive Director is at the 51st percentile of top reported officer pay among 135 <$100K 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.

See Tortoise Group executive salaries →

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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 15aNo

Programs and updates

Protects and educates about desert tortoise well-being.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · in their own filed words · FY2025
01

Wild Tortoise Conservation Initiatives

Tortoise Group partners with several federal, state, and local agencies with the sole intent of conserving our state's reptile. Through partnerships with United States Geological Survey (USGS), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Nevada Dept of Wildlife (NDOW), and Clark County Desert Conservation Program (DCP), and many more, TG…

Pt IX · col B
02

Wellness Clinics

Tortoise Group (TG) offers four free annual Wellness Clinics and Microchipping Clinics to the public in the summer months when the tortoises are active. These clinics provide tortoise custodians with free wellness exams for their captive pet tortoises including examining for illness, weighing and measuring, sexing their tortoise, and…

Pt IX · col B
03

Captive Desert Tortoise Adoption Program

It is only legal to keep desert tortoises as pets in states where they naturally occur. There are several federal and state laws addressing the issue of transfer and custodianship of captive desert tortoises, Tortoise Group operates as the sole entity legally allowed to adopt these animals in NV.

Pt IX · col B

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
Total grants receivedfrom 3 funders$4K
See all 3 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$87K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$85K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$2K
Investment incomeLn 3$89
Money outPt IX
$74K
Ln 25
Programscol B$45K
Managementcol C$19K
Fundraisingcol D$10K
Owns and owesPt X
$115K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$120K
Total assetsLn 16$122K
LiabilitiesLn 26$7K
PeoplePt VI, VII
8
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a5
IndependentVI 1b5
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$85K
Government grantsLn 1e$32K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$0
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$0
Fees for servicesLn 2g$2K
Investment incomeLn 3$89
Total revenueLn 12$87K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$54K
SavingsLn 2$66K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$120K
Total assetsLn 16$122K
LiabilitiesLn 26$7K
Net assetsLn 32$115K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 54
VolunteersI 6130
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
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$102K$120K
Total assetsLn 16$111K$122K
LiabilitiesLn 26$9K$7K
Net assetsLn 32$102K$115K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$39K$31K$4K$4K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$2K$2K
Payroll taxesLn 10$3K$2K$291$291
Accounting feesLn 11c$4K$4K
Investment management feesLn 11f$0$0$0
Advertising and promotionLn 12$7K$1K$525$5K
Office expensesLn 13$1K$0$985$162
OccupancyLn 16$6K$3K$3K$360
TravelLn 17$2K$1K$417$11
InsuranceLn 23$2K$1K$300
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$3K$0$3K$0
All other expensesLn 24e$6K$5K$398$0
Total functional expensesLn 25$74K$45K$19K$10K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $87K$74K$13K$115K 990 PDF
FY2024 $110K$140K−$30K$102K 990 PDF
FY2023 $75K$159K−$84K$131K 990 PDF
FY2022 $157K$116K$40K$216K 990 PDF
FY2021 $125K$89K$37K$175K 990 PDF
FY2020 $168K$100K$68K$138K 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 O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $87,040 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $108,476$85,246
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $1,160$1,705
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $7$89
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $109,643$87,040
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $75,078$43,032
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $64,476$30,723
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $139,554$73,755
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$29,911$13,285
Part VI · Governance 5 of 5 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body5
VI-1b Independent voting members5
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
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
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $87,040 across 12 lines filed
VIII-1a Federated campaigns$0
VIII-1b Membership dues$3,860
VIII-1c Fundraising events$0
VIII-1d Related organizations$0
VIII-1e Government grants$32,400
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$48,986
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$0
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$85,246
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $1,705 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$1,705
VIII-3 Investment incomeRelated to mission $89 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$89
VIII-5 RoyaltiesRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$0
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $1,794 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$87,040
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $73,755 across 12 lines filed
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $31,105 · Management $3,700 · Fundraising $3,700$38,505
IX-9 Other employee benefitsManagement $1,500$1,500
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $2,445 · Management $291 · Fundraising $291$3,027
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $4,500$4,500
IX-11f Investment management feesPrograms $0 · Management $0$0
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $1,000 · Management $525 · Fundraising $5,373$6,898
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $0 · Management $985 · Fundraising $162$1,147
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $2,880 · Management $2,952 · Fundraising $360$6,192
IX-17 TravelPrograms $1,086 · Management $417 · Fundraising $11$1,514
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $1,393 · Management $300$1,693
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $0 · Management $3,258 · Fundraising $0$3,258
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $5,123 · Management $398 · Fundraising $0$5,521
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $45,032 · Management $18,826 · Fundraising $9,897$73,755
Part X · Balance sheet $121,540 assets, 12 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $38,013$54,348
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $63,783$65,777
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $8,025$565
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $0$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $834$850
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $110,655$121,540
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $9,078$6,678
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $9,078$6,678
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $73,306$86,591
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $28,271$28,271
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $101,577$114,862
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $110,655$121,540
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $114,862 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$87,040
XI-2 Total expenses$73,755
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$13,285
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$101,577
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$0
XI-6 Donated services and use of facilities$0
XI-7 Investment expenses$0
XI-8 Prior period adjustments$0
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$114,862

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

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