Maine Audubon Society
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Maine Audubon works to conserve Maine's wildlife and habitat by engaging people of all ages in education, conservation, and action. We are helping the people of Maine become the nation's most informed and effective stewards of wildlife and habitat.
- Income
- $6.0 million
- Spending
- $5.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 65%
- Reserves
- 23.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 58%
- Employees
- 103
- Volunteers
- 2,224
- Highest pay
- $150,102, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 86% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 23.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 11% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 38% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1565% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 23 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 42% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2526 of 26 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $2.0 million spent. Education: Maine Audubon's education programs are designed to increase public environmental literacy and to impel actions such as stewardship, community science, and advocacy on behalf of Maine wildlife and wildlife habitat (see Section O for more detail). EDUCATION: Our primary statewide education activities and areas of focus include: (1) working collaboratively with schools and school districts to bring educational programs to entire grade levels from Pre-K to Grade 12 in several districts around the state; (2) hosting and leading field trips and in-depth units of study with schools and other learning communities; (3) family programs and events; (4) naturalist-led walks, talks, and field trip programs for adults; (5) guided boat trips for seeing and learning about seabirds; (6) outreach programs, social media campaigns, and events to promote community science and stewardship priorities; (7) professional development programs for teachers and community leaders; (8) canoe and kayak rentals and guided trips; (9) camp programs for youth; and (10) guided travel programs to birding destinations. Highlights from 2024-2025 include: Bringing Nature Home: We grow and promote nearly 100 species of hard-to-find Maine native perennials, shrubs, trees, climate-resilient species, and more, and sell them to individuals, businesses, and municipalities throughout the state. We work with municipalities, schools, private partners, and other communities to restore habitat and install native plant landscapes in public and other spaces. We also maintain the Maine Native Plant Finder (https://mainenativeplants.org/). Youth and Teen Engagement: We work with Portland and Bangor Public Schools to work across entire grade levels, and have developed curricula that can be used in other school districts. Maine Audubon engaged teens in summer youth stewardship programs in Portland, Lewiston/Auburn, Bangor, and in Washington County, including learning and paid service through community tree nurseries. Vacation and Summer Day Camps: Maine Audubon provides popular, high-quality vacation camp and summer day camp experiences for youth in Greater Portland and Greater Bangor. Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center: Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center welcomed approximately 10,000 people to engage with nature-based activities (boat tours, walks, and guided or informal educator-led talks) from the center during the season. Improvements to the Nature Trail included interpretive signage and new boardwalks. Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary: In addition to welcoming over 3,000 hikers annually to use the trails, Maine Audubon added naturalist-led day programs for the public on several days during the summer season. CONSERVATION: Primary conservation projects include (1) protecting nesting endangered piping plovers and least terns on the beaches of Maine; (2) working with foresters, landowners, and loggers to manage woodlands "with birds and other wildlife in mind; (3) providing outreach, education, and technical and financial resources to road professionals to help them replace malfunctioning culverts and bridges with stream and coastal/tidal crossings that improve fish and wildlife movement up, down, and along streams, and reduce risks of flooding and destruction of road infrastructure in the face of more severe storms; (4) Engage volunteers in the Maine Loon Restoration Project which aims to increase loon nesting success and decrease loon mortality by placing artificial nests (rafts) and monitoring the productivity of loons on artificial nests, expanding Fish Lead Free programs to reduce lead tackle use and loon lead poisoning; and launching a Look Out for Loons Program to reduce disturbance to loons and increase nesting success; (5) produce analyses and reports on siting renewable energy projects to minimize impacts to high value species and habitats; and (6) engage people in community science projects to collect data on a variety of species in the Maine environment to inform conservation efforts. Highlights from 2024-2025 include: Community Science: Maine Audubon's conservation programs engage approximately 2,000 "community scientists," including volunteers for the annual loon count and Loon Restoration project, Stream Explorers program, Fish Lead Free project, Song Meter program, and Coastal Birds program. Marsh and Stream Explorers: Maine Audubon's Marsh and Stream Explorers program engaged community science volunteers to find and identify macroinvertebrates that serve as indicators of water quality. We are partnering with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to recruit, train, and support volunteers interested in searching streams for large aquatic insects. Data collected is valuable to help the DEP prioritize which water bodies should have more in-depth surveys related to water quality. Forestry for Maine Birds and Fish: Our Forestry for Maine Birds program has reached more than 1600 foresters, landowners, loggers, land trusts, and others with tips for how to manage woodlands "with birds in mind." The concept of improving breeding bird habitat, using active and passive management, is spawning offshoots that include Bird-Friendly Maple (a program that encourages maple producers to manage their sugarbush with birds in mind) and Forests for Maine Fish (a program to help loggers, foresters, and forest landowners manage forests to enhance habitat for fish and watershed wildlife).
- $966,644 spent. Conservation: Conservation Programs are designed to help protect both common and at-risk native wildlife species and habitats in Maine (see Section O for more detail).
- $500,674 spent. Advocacy: Our Advocacy program works to promote and defend laws, rules, and policies that help conserve native Maine wildlife, with a focus on issues related to our primary projects (see Section O for more detail). ADVOCACY: Maine Audubon's major current advocacy priorities include: (1)Smart growth: We are working to ensure that new development in Maine occurs according to smart growth principles that protect wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity, and improving land use planning and legal tools to emphasize smart growth and keep vital habitat intact; (2) Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species: Maine Audubon advocates for policies that protect and help recover vulnerable species, such as the federal Endangered Species Act and Maine's Endangered Species Act. The success of these laws and others is incumbent upon functioning, well-funded natural resource agencies at the state and federal level, as well as a public that is committed to wildlife stewardship; (3) Bird-Friendly Architecture: Maine Audubon leads BirdSafe Maine as a statewide collaboration to raise awareness about the bird-window collision problem and encourage adoption of available solutions, through research, policy, design solutions, and education; (4) Climate Action: Maine Audubon is focusing implementation efforts on increasing conservation lands in the state, with a focus on high biodiversity areas and areas important for habitat connectivity, and encouraging thoughtfully sited and operated renewable energy development. We advise solar developers and policy makers on smart-sited solar, producing tools to help municipalities maximize their role in smart siting, and developing policies that put best siting practices to action across the state. We're also expanding our knowledge and advocacy on offshore wind, advocating for offshore wind that is located, developed, and managed with wildlife in Maine in mind; and (5) Water Quality: Clean water is essential for fish, loons, and all wildlife. Maine Audubon supports policies that keep pollution and invasive species out of our waterways and that otherwise maintain or improve this essential resource. Highlights of 2024-2025 include: Dark Skies advocacy: Maine Audubon advocated for Maine's first ever law to regulate outdoor light pollution, and to develop responsible outdoor lighting policies, as natural dark skies contribute to functioning ecosystems. Vernal pool protection: We strongly supported legislation that established a 100 foot "no-development zone" around state-recognized Significant Vernal Pools and closed an existing loophole in the law in order to increase protections to the critical terrestrial habitat that surrounds these pools. BirdSafe Municipal Ordinance: Maine Audubon advocated for the first municipal bird-friendly architecture ordinance in Maine. The building and design requirements were added to city code in Portland, Maine's largest municipality.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending April 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since June 1940.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.