Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Apr 1990.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
85 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
29 people listed on the 990; $815K paid to officers and key staff.
Chad Nelsen’s $252K as CEO is at the 52nd 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 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chad Nelsen | $251,790 | $239,800 | $220,000 | $193,800 | $174,712 |
| Michelle Kremer | $209,275 | $199,252 | $182,701 | $167,183 | $162,016 |
| Eduardo Anaya | $172,028 | $148,587 | $138,929 | $129,091 | $133,342 |
| Spencer Campbell | $160,783 | $155,868 | $145,742 | $129,894 | $124,845 |
| Zachary Plopper | $134,061 | $136,440 | $119,750 | — | — |
| Natalie Scarlata | $135,200 | — | — | — | — |
| Angela Howe-Stemrich | — | $133,992 | $124,007 | $114,303 | $108,909 |
| Lori Booth | $133,961 | $123,345 | $114,120 | $105,616 | — |
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
Protects the world's ocean, waves, and beaches from plastic pollution and environmental threats through a powerful activist network and grassroots advocacy campaigns.
Questions for The Surfrider Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. The Surfrider Foundation answers here, for everyone.
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Various environmental activities such as grass roots volunteer organizing, promoting reduction in single use plastics, promoting ocean friendly garden techniques, promoting beach water quality, beach access and beach and wave preservation.
Chapter Assistance
We developed training materials, trained and assisted volunteers with campaign planning, and facilitated the chapters in their grass roots activist works.
Clean Water Initiative
We protect our coastal waterways, communities, and wildlife from water pollution by focusing on two main programs. These programs are the blue water task force (BWTF) and ocean friendly gardens (ofg). Chapters also run campaigns against projects that will cause pollution and advocate for wise management of our land and water resources.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $8.1M | $11.3M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $486K | $528K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $66K | $45K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $9.4M | $13.8M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $474K | $526K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $8.9M | $13.2M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $19K | $19K | ||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $13K | $13K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $364K | $310K | $23K | $30K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $3.8M | $3.3M | $120K | $358K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $54K | $48K | $1K | $5K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $342K | $301K | $10K | $31K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $236K | $207K | $7K | $22K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $362K | $328K | $34K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $39K | $35K | $1K | $3K |
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $226K | $226K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $908K | $757K | $84K | $68K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $518K | $457K | $1K | $60K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $510K | $439K | $48K | $23K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $287K | $237K | $36K | $14K |
| TravelLn 17 | $72K | $48K | $17K | $6K |
| Payments to affiliatesLn 21 | $66K | $64K | $2K | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $27K | $24K | $848 | $2K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $54K | $316 | $54K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $387K | $236K | $98K | $53K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $8.3M | $7.1M | $503K | $711K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest | $14.5M | $14.5M | −$54K | $20.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $14.3M | $13.5M | $817K | $19.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $12.3M | $10.9M | $1.4M | $18.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $13.6M | $8.9M | $4.7M | $17.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 Viewing | $12.6M | $8.3M | $4.3M | $13.2M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $12,597,004 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 16 of 16 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $12,597,004 across 13 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $8,303,339 across 19 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $13,752,426 assets, 14 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $13,226,226 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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