Archbold Expeditions Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC.'S MISSION IS TO BUILD AND SHARE THE SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE NEEDED TO PROTECT THE LIFE, LANDS, AND WATERS OF THE HEART OF FLORIDA AND BEYOND.
- Income
- $14.9 million
- Spending
- $8.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- 73.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- investment income, 57%
- Employees
- 113
- Volunteers
- 43
- Highest pay
- $223,320, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 73.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 43% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 30% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1578% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2520 of 20 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 December 31, 2024, 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 (1)
- $6.6 million spent. ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC. CONDUCTS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND, CONSERVATION PROGRAMS ACROSS THE LANDS AND WATERS OF THE HEADWATERS OF THE EVERGLADES WATERSHED IN SOUTH CENTRAL FLORIDA. WITHIN THIS LANDSCAPE ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC. MANAGES NEARLY 20,000 ACRES, SERVING AS A NATURAL LABRATORY FOR PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING (1) ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION, A 5,200-ACRE PRISTINE FLORIDA SCRUB ECOSYSTEM LOCATED ON THE ANCIENT LAKE WALES RIDGE; (2) THE 10,500-ACRE BUCK ISLAND RANCH, A WORKING CATTLE RANCH LANDSCAPE FORMERLY MANAGED BY ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC. AS THE MACARTHUR AGRO-ECOLOGY RESEARCH CENTER MAERC; AND (3) THE WETLAND AND UPLAND ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION LANDSCAPE OF THE 3,600-ACRE ARCHBOLD RESERVE. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: STAFF AND VISITING SCIENTISTS STUDY ECOLOGICAL PATTERNS AND PROCESSES ON PRISTINE FLORIDA SCRUB ECOSYSTEMS, WORKING RANCHLANDS, AND WETLAND AND UPLAND RESTORATION LANDS IN THE HEADWATERS OF THE EVERGLADES. FIELDS OF RESEARCH INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TOPOPULATION BIOLOGY, ANIMAL BEHAVIOR, BIOGEOGRAPHY, RESTORATION ECOLOGY, COMMUNITY ECOLOGY, CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, AGRO-ECOLOGY, LIMNOLOGY, ENTOMOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY. CONTRIBUTIONS TO FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE HAVE RESULTED TO DATE IN MORE THAN 2,750 RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS. MANY ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC. RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ARE COORDINATED WITH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH NETWORKS SUCH AS THE US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LONG-TERM AGROECOSYSTEM RESEARCH LTAR NETWORK, THE GLOBAL LAKES ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH GLEON NETWORK, AND IDIGBIO, THE NATIONAL NETWORK FOR BIOLOGICAL MUSEUM COLLECTIONS RESEARCH. RESEARCH AT BUCK ISLAND RANCH IS LINKED TO LIFE CYCLE ANALYSES (GREENHOUSE GASES, WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY) OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. IN ADDITION TO CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING, ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC. RESEARCH INFORMS CONSERVATION AND LAND MANAGEMENT DECISION-MAKING ON ARCHBOLD PROPERTY, ACROSS THE WATERSHED, AND INTERNATIONALLY. STUDIES OF RARE SPECIES, THE CYCLING OF FIRE, WATER, NUTRIENTS AND CARBON, AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION AND SUSTAINING ESSENTIAL ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES, ARE ALL REPRESENTED ON ARCHBOLD'S PROPERTY. THESE STUDIES GUIDE LAND MANAGEMENT AND LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION BY PUBLIC AGENCIES, CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS, AND PRIVATE LANDOWNERS.EDUCATION: THIS DESCRIPTION OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT ARCHBOLD IS FOR A TYPICAL YEAR. ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC. LINKS ITS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TO EDUCATION THROUGH PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE EDUCATION AND OUTREACHACTIVITIES AT ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION, BUCK ISLAND RANCH, AND THEARCHBOLD RESERVE. THE EDUCATION PROGRAM IS MULTIFACETED. ITENCOMPASSES ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND SCIENCE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENTFOR GRADES 3 - 5 AND SCHOOLCHILDREN SUMMER CAMPS WITH MORE THAN ONETHOUSAND K-12 SCHOOLCHILDREN PARTICIPATING ANNUALLY. UNDERGRADUATE ANDGRADUATE STUDENTS CONDUCT INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ADVISED BY ARCHBOLDSTAFF; MORE THAN 100 MASTERS AND DOCTORAL THESES HAVE STEMMED FROMSTUDENT RESEARCH. VISITING CLASSES FROM COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIESAROUND THE COUNTRY USE ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC. LANDS FOR TEACHING AND FIELD BIOLOGY. ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC. HOSTS MANY PUBLIC AGENCY, CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION, AND OTHER EVENTS INCLUDING SEMINARS AND TALKS, MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS, TOURS AND DEMONSTRATION DAYS AT ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION AND AT BUCK ISLAND RANCH. ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC.OFFERS TALKS AND TOURS, GUIDED NATURE TRAILS, AND OTHER EVENTS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.CONSERVATION: ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC. PROPERTY INCLUDES MANAGEMENT OF LANDS AND WATERS OF NATIONAL CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANCE AND ITS RESEARCH INFORMS CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT ACROSS THE RIDGES, RANCHES AND RIVERS OF THE NATIONALLY IMPORTANT HEADWATERS OF THE EVERGLADES WATERSHED. ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION IS A GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT PRESERVE, WHICH SUPPORTS THE THREATENED FLORIDA SCRUB HABITAT AND 19 FEDERALLY THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES. BUCK ISLAND RANCH LIES WITHIN AN IMPORTANT SUB BASIN OF THE HEADWATERS OF THE EVERGLADES, PROVIDING HABITAT FOR 6 FEDERALLY LISTED SPECIES, SERVING AS A VITAL ELEMENT IN FLORIDA'S NETWORK OF WILDLIFE CORRIDORS, AND PROVIDING ESSENTIAL ECOSYSTEM SERVICES FROM WORKING LANDS. ON THE ARCHBOLD RESERVE, A DEGRADED FORMER CATTLE RANCH ARCHBOLD EXPEDITIONS, INC. HAS A RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION FOCUS ON LARGE SCALE ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE SCRUB, SEEPAGE SLOPES AND CUTTHROAT FLATWOODS COMMUNITIES OF THE SITE. IN ADDITION TO CONSERVATION LAND MANAGEMENT, ARCHBOLD STAFF SERVE AS INDEPENDENT ADVISORS TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, TO ESTABLISH BIOLOGICAL PRIORITIES FOR LAND ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FLORIDA WILDLIFE CORRIDOR, LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION, AND RESTORATION BY PUBLIC AGENCIES, CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS, AND PRIVATE LANDOWNERS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 December 2024.
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 April 1987.
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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