Friends of the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To ensure long-term protection and enhancement of native wildlife and habitats, support Refuge Partners management efforts, to promote advocacy, education, conservation, and recreational opportunities for the public. Support Native pollinators through education, sponsoring workshops and creating pollinator gardens in the Mashpee Refuge and with Refuge partners and other conservation partners.
- Income
- $25,895
- Spending
- $39,312
- Reserves
- 15 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 68%
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 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 (6)
- $1,500 spent. Wildlife Educational Programs for the General Public: annual newsletter, walks, and newspaper articles, webpage events. We hold our annual meeting where we highlighted our yearly achievements that include pollinator gardens, working with the Wampanoag tribal youth Camp where we spend a day on natural conservation professional opportunities that include fire management, wildlife conservation, native habitat management and native pollinators. We continue to give presentations to the public. Nearly every year we awarded our David Ross Palmer Environmental Hero award to those dedicated people that are involved in conservation and education. We are also supported by a Cape Cod AmeriCorps member who has created a new newsletters and works on our educational endeavors by support our native pollinator initiative to local K-8 grade schools to present on pollinators, native plants, native plants. etc. Because we do not have a visitor center or office facilities, the Friends of MNWR have rented monthly office space at Cape Space in Mashpee Commons. The AmeriCorps member also works on our educational with the other Refuge partners and conducts public trail hikes.
- $1,800 spent. In 2025 we continue our 9th year in working beyond on the 2016 Monarch Habitat Grant were we established 7 acres of Monarch/Native Pollinator habitat with Refuge Partners which include Falmouth Rod and Gun Club and the Town of Falmouth Conservation Commission. We also continue with our educational component of this grant who have now expanded their gardens or want to add host plants for butterflies and we continue to enhance and support teachers and other schools that are intersted in starting a new garden. Many offshoot projects have been started and new collaborations with conservation organizations continue to be explored
- $500 spent. Native Pollinator Garden Education for the public: We continue to maintain and enhance the native pollinator gardens started in 2013 so this is our 11th year of expanding the pollinator gardens within the refuge boundaries, all by volunteer work and purchasing and growing new plants. In 2024 we continue to add more mature plants and annual seeds to our trailhead gardens. In 2021, despite the COVID pandemic, we added 300 new plants to our new pollinator garden and Kiosk/parking area at the Red Brook trailhead that was started in 2020. the Friends grew native plants & purchased bushes and trees at the kiosk and throughout the site. This is our 6th Refuge garden. We created a new Native Pollinator Brochure specifically for Cape Cod region, listing native plant suggestions, a comprehensive Butterfly & Host Plant listings, and general needs for both plants and pollinators for the home gardener.
- $200 spent. We support on-going protection for our endangered New England Cottontail Rabbit and enhance their habitat needs through what is called a "rabbitat" project. We have designed and printed a new hands-on brochure to empower every interested homeowner, business and local scout troops. Visual examples of brush piles to build from simple and available resources in your own backyard are demonstrated in this brochure and available in printed form located at refuge partner visitor centers and trailhead kiosks and on our website as pdf. Hands-on demonstrations were planned by a local scout troop for 2023. In 2024, the project to build 4 rabbitat's with display information kiosk were installed at Red Brook trails and at the Falmouth Rod and Gun Club properties by our local scout troop. In 2025 informational displays were made and installed by a Falmouth Scout in Mashpee to finish this project.
- $2,000 spent. Wampanoag Tribal Youth Camp and Natural Resource day August 2016-2024. Working with the Wampanoag tribal youth Camp where we spend a day on natural conservation professional opportunities that include fire management, wildlife conservation, native habitat management and native pollinators and their habitat needs. This year there were 24 tribal youth that participated planting at their Maushop Farm property where the Santuit River flows through their ancient landholding. In 2024 and 2025 the USFWS Retiree Association gave us a grant to cover the native plant expenses for this program. We started a new initiative of plantings cultural and medicinal plants along with a new diverse species of pollinator plants at the Maushop Farm property. In the past, the tribal youth and refuge partners have enhance or created new gardens at this farm, at their ancient cemetery and meeting house area and at the Wampanoag Tribal Government Center. In each area, the fields are prepared prior to the event and over 400 perennials, bushes and trees enhance their property To start the day off, a cleansing ceremony was initiated with the group, with sage and sweet grass burring inside a quahog shell, lead by a youth member chosen as all participants held hands in a circle formation. Many elders stopped by to thank the youth for their contribution and respect for their ancestors. After their work, each place is full of color and excited voices for the many hours of planting.
- $562 spent. We participated in a new public and fundraiser event called "Walk For The Wild" (WFTW) in 2022, that encourages the public to get outside and enjoy the fall foliage within the Refuge trails. It is sponsored by the Public Lands Alliance and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife system. Participates walk a 5K designated trail through the Mashpee Refuge during the week of WFTW, generally the second week in October. Each year we increase our participation by the public. In 2023 year, we partnered with the local business, the Naukabout Brewery, to celebrate the WFTW where start and end the 5k walk and hold a raffle of nature-related items, offer reduced beer ticket for participants, and showcase the Friends and Refuge annual achievements. We have a live feed of our Osprey Camera and show highlights of the birds lives on the big screen TV for the public to enjoy nature at its closeness. In 2024 and 2025, we altered our walking route to be more in the refuge and included informational signs about native plants and animals and facts about the refuge throughout the walk. This media included QR coding, videos by refuge staff, facts about the Mashpee refuge to bring more awareness to the refuge and the partners activities in a fun and interesting way. We held the celebrations at a local brewery, The Naukabout, had a silent auction, raffle ticket items, sold refuge-themed merchandise and increased public participation by 4 times and brought more income to support our core programs.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 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 October 13, 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 November 6, 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 October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 1996.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 November 4, 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.