Charles River Watershed Association Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION IS TO PROTECT, RESTORE, AND ENHANCE THE CHARLES RIVER AND ITS WATERSHED THROUGH SCIENCE, ADVOCACY, AND THE LAW. THE ORGANIZATION DEVELOPS SCIENCE-BASED STRATEGIES TO INCREASE RESILIENCE, PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH, AND PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY AS THEY CONFRONT A CHANGING CLIMATE.
- Income
- $4.9 million
- Spending
- $3.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 73%
- Reserves
- 10.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 86%
- Employees
- 29
- Volunteers
- 1,276
- Highest pay
- $170,186, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.5 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 4% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 33% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 122% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1573% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 60% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2517 of 17 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
10 of 10Gave 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 September 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 (4)
- $779,323 spent. CLIMATE RESILIENCE - CRWA IS COMMITTED TO REDUCING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUPPORTING RESTORATIVE CLIMATE ADAPTATION. THE ORGANIZATION WORKS ACROSS ALL PROGRAM AREAS TO BUILD RIVER AND WATERSHED RESILIENCE TO MORE INTENSE RAIN EVENTS, MORE FREQUENT SUMMERTIME DROUGHTS, AND HOTTER TEMPERATURES. IT DOES THIS BY BRINGING TOGETHER MUNICIPAL STAFF FROM ACROSS THE WATERSHED AS PART OF THE CHARLES RIVER CLIMATE COMPACT, PARTICIPATING IN MUNICIPAL AND STATE CLIMATE PLANNING INITIATIVES, EDUCATING LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS, CONDUCTING WATERSHED AND SUB WATERSHED-SCALE PLANNING, RESTORING STREAMS, WETLANDS, AND FLOODPLAINS, REMOVING DAMS, AND ENGAGING IN LEGISLATIVE LOBBYING AND ADVOCACY.CRWA IS ALSO ACTIVELY WORKING TO ENGAGE WITH COMMUNITIES THAT ARE PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ESPECIALLY LOW-INCOME AND MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES. CRWA IS WORKING TO DEVELOP A GREENER AND MORE JUST WORLD THAT WILL BE MORE RESILIENT TO THE CHANGES THAT ARE COMING.
- $658,461 spent. RIVER RESTORATION - CRWA ADVOCATES FOR THE REMOVAL OF DEFUNCT DAMS, TACKLING INVASIVE SPECIES, DAYLIGHTING STREAMS, IMPROVED FISH PASSAGE, AND MORE TO RESTORE THE RIVER'S NATURAL ECOLOGY AND BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE. CRWA ALSO ADDRESSES THE CONDITION OF THE CHARLES RIVER'S TRIBUTARIES--MANY OF WHICH FACE ISSUES SURROUNDING POOR WATER QUALITY, ABUNDANT INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES, AND IMPAIRED FISH PASSAGE SIMILAR TO THE CHARLES ITSELF--BY PLANNING FOR RIVERBANK RESTORATION AT IMPAIRED STREAMS AND INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY IN ITS EFFORTS, ADVANCING A VISION OF A HEALTHIER WATERSHED FOR HUMANS AND WILDLIFE. CRWA ALSO ADVOCATES FOR PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION OF LOCAL WETLANDS IN ORDER TO PROTECT IMPORTANT HABITAT AND MITIGATE FLOOD DAMAGE. AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THIS PROGRAM IS:* INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL - THE ORGANIZATION WORKS WITH LOCAL AND STATE PARTNERS TO ELIMINATE INVASIVE SPECIES, INCLUDING WATER CHESTNUT AND BITTERSWEET, THROUGHOUT THE WATERSHED THROUGH MECHANICAL HARVESTING, HAND-PULLING BY VOLUNTEERS, AND BY SUPPORTING HERBICIDE APPLICATION WHERE APPROPRIATE. THIS PROGRAM INCREASES AWARENESS ABOUT INVASIVE SPECIES AND THE IMPACTS OF NUTRIENT POLLUTION WHILE CREATING NEW RIVER STEWARDS.
- $543,134 spent. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH - CRWA'S WORK TO PROMOTE BETTER WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AND RIVER STEWARDSHIP INCLUDES A WIDE RANGE OF OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING: EDUCATIONAL TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS TO SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS; A COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE AND ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS; THE PUBLICATION OF BROCHURES, PLANS AND REPORTS; TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS FOR MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES; AND PARTICIPATION IN MANY LOCAL AND REGIONAL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES. COMMITTED TO GROWING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENVIRONMENTALISTS, CRWA TRAINS NUMEROUS STUDENT INTERNS EACH YEAR, HOSTS THE RITA BARRON FELLOW, A ONE-YEAR POSITION FOR RECENT GRADUATES LOOKING TO ENTER THE ENVIRONMENTAL FIELD, AND ENGAGES NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL GROUPS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND NETWORKING PURPOSES.AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THIS PROGRAM ARE TWO SIGNATURE OUTREACH EVENTS: * THE RUN OF THE CHARLES CANOE AND KAYAK RACE - RUN OF THE CHARLES IS BOSTON'S PREMIER PADDLE RACE HELD ANNUALLY IN APRIL. FEATURING OPPORTUNITIES FOR KAYAK, CANOE, OR PADDLE BOARD RACERS, AND FOUR DIFFERENT COURSES, THE ANNUAL RACE SHOWCASES THE ONGOING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE RIVER.* ANNUAL EARTH DAY CHARLES RIVER CLEANUP - THE ANNUAL EARTH DAY CHARLES RIVER CLEAN UP BRINGS THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS TOGETHER ACROSS THE WATERSHED TO MAKE THE CHARLES CLEANER, HEALTHIER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL BY PICKING UP TRASH AND REMOVING DEBRIS. CRWA ORGANIZES THE CLEANUP IN PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION WITH PARKLAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, COMMUNITIES, AND THE MA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION.
- $434,689 spent. STORMWATER SOLUTIONS - UNDER THIS PROGRAM, CRWA PLANS, DESIGNS, IMPLEMENTS AND PROMOTES GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE APPROACHES, OR NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS, FOR MANAGING WATER IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. CRWA ALSO ADVOCATES FOR BETTER MANAGEMENT OF STORMWATER AT THE PROPERTY-, MUNICIPAL-, AND REGIONAL-LEVEL TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY AND MITIGATE FLOODING. THROUGH RESEARCH, DESIGN, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS ON PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PROPERTIES, THE ORGANIZATION'S GOAL IS TO MIMIC, OR RE-CREATE, NATURAL HYDROLOGY AT THE SUB-WATERSHED SCALE, MAKING LAND AND WATER ONCE AGAIN WORK TOGETHER. THESE PROJECTS ARE MODELS FOR BETTER SITE DESIGN, PROVIDE PUBLIC REALM BENEFITS, SERVE TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON THE IMPORTANCE OF STORM WATER MANAGEMENT, REDUCE POLLUTION AND FLOODING, AND PROVIDE DEVELOPERS AND LOCAL BOARDS WITH INFORMATION ON LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT.RIVER SCIENCE PROGRAM - CRWA COLLECTS ROBUST WATER QUALITY DATA TO UNDERSTAND THE HEALTH OF THE RIVER, IDENTIFY EMERGING THREATS, ADVOCATE FOR EFFECTIVE CLEANUP AND RESTORATION STRATEGIES, AND PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH. SEVERAL IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF THIS PROGRAM ARE:* VOLUNTEER MONTHLY MONITORING - THE ORGANIZATION'S LONG-RUNNING COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF WATER QUALITY IN THE CHARLES INVOLVES A LARGE NETWORK OF VOLUNTEER CITIZEN SCIENTISTS WHO COLLECT WATER SAMPLES MONTHLY ALL ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE RIVER. CRWA HAS ESTABLISHED ONE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVE WATER QUALITY DATA SETS FOR ANY RIVER IN THE NATION. THIS MONITORING INFORMS CRWA'S SCIENCE, RESEARCH, AND ADVOCACY. THE DATA IS USED BY NUMEROUS RESEARCHERS, POLICY MAKERS AND STUDENTS AND SERVES AS THE BASIS FOR THE ANNUAL CHARLES RIVER REPORT CARD ISSUED BY THE U.S. EPA. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO ISSUES AN ANNUAL REPORT ON ITS WATER QUALITY MONITORING RESULTS. CRWA ALSO CONDUCTS MACROINVERTEBRATE SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS FOR ASSESSING ECOSYSTEM HEALTH OF STREAM SEGMENTS.* LOWER CHARLES WATER QUALITY FLAGGING - FROM APRIL THROUGH OCTOBER, BOATERS FROM WATERTOWN TO BOSTON ARE APPRISED OF REAL-TIME WATER QUALITY FORECASTS THROUGH CRWA COLOR-CODED FLAGS FLOWN AT MULTIPLE BOATING LOCATIONS IN THE LOWER BASIN. CRWA USES A PREDICTIVE MODEL BASED ON A VARIETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, INCLUDING WEATHER DATA COLLECTED BY A WEATHER STATION IN THE LOWER BASIN. THIS INFORMATION IS POSTED ON CRWA'S WEBSITE AND DISTRIBUTED BY EMAIL, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND OTHER SOURCES AS NEEDED. E.COLI BACTERIA DATA IS COLLECTED ON A REGULAR BASIS DURING THIS TIME TO VERIFY MODEL PREDICTIONS. CYANOBACTERIA BLOOMS ARE CLOSELY MONITORED AND TRACKED, CSO EVENTS ARE ALSO TRACKED AND DOCUMENTED.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 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 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 October 13, 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 September 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 March 1992.
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 October 21, 2026.
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