Ocean Conservancy Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
OCEAN CONSERVANCY UNITES SCIENCE, PEOPLE, AND POLICY TO PROTECT OUR OCEAN, TODAY AND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
- Income
- $48.8 million
- Spending
- $49.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 74%
- Reserves
- 14 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 92%
- Employees
- 174
- Volunteers
- 566,079
- Highest pay
- $750,028, chief executive officer
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 88 out of 100. Higher than 70% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 14.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 12% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 1% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1574% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 16 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2514 of 15 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 June 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)
- $15.4 million spent. CROSS-CUTTING WORK: OCEAN CONSERVANCY HAS MULTIPLE CROSS-CUTTING PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT THE THREE KEY PILLARS - PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY, PREVENTING OCEAN PLASTICS, AND MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE. OUR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS WORK ENGAGES DIRECTLY WITH GOVERNMENTS AT ALL LEVELS TO ADVANCE POLICIES THAT PROTECT THE OCEAN. OCEAN CONSERVANCY IS AN EVIDENCE-BASED ORGANIZATION THAT ENSURES WE ARE PURSUING SOLUTIONS THAT ARE BACKED BY SCIENCE. OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING WORK INSPIRES PEOPLE TO CARE ABOUT AND TAKE ACTION FOR OUR OCEAN THROUGH THE MEDIA AS WELL AS DIGITAL AND SOCIAL CHANNELS. THIS INCLUDES OUR RECENTLY LAUNCHED SPORTS MARKETING INITIATIVE, PROTECT WHERE WE PLAY, WHICH MOBILIZES ATHLETES, EVENTS, VENUES, ARTISTS AND FANS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE OCEAN. THE INAUGURAL PROTECT WHERE WE PLAY TOUR PARTNERS WITH VENUES TO USE REUSABLE CUPS; IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE TOUR WILL PREVENT 1 MILLION SINGLE-USE CUPS FROM ENTERING THE WASTE SYSTEM.
- $10.4 million spent. PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY: OUR OCEAN IS HOME TO AN INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY OF LIFE, FEEDING BILLIONS AND SUPPORTING CULTURES AND LIVELIHOODS AROUND THE WORLD. BUT THE OCEAN'S BOUNTY IS UNDER THREAT FROM UNSUSTAINABLE EXTRACTION, OVERFISHING, PLASTIC POLLUTION AND A WARMING OCEAN. OCEAN CONSERVANCY WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIGENOUS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO ENSURE THAT THE OCEAN AND THE PEOPLE WHO RELY ON IT CAN THRIVE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. WE PROTECT BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE ARCTIC, WORK TOWARD ZERO LOST OR DISCARDED FISHING GEAR IN THE OCEAN AND SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES. IN THE ARCTIC, WE PREVIOUSLY SECURED A MORATORIUM ON COMMERCIAL FISHING IN THE CENTRAL ARCTIC OCEAN AND ARE NOW WORKING TO EXPAND THAT PAUSE TO COVER ALL INDUSTRY, INCLUDING SHIPPING AND DEEP-SEA MINING. WE LEAD THE GLOBAL GHOST GEAR INITIATIVE TO END "GHOST GEAR"- FISHING GEAR THAT'S BEEN LOST OR THROWN AWAY THAT CONTINUES TO FISH INDISCRIMINATELY. GHOST GEAR IS THE DEADLIEST FORM OF MARINE DEBRIS IN OUR OCEAN. FINALLY, WE ADVOCATE FOR SUSTAINABLE FISHING GIVEN THE CENTRAL ROLE FISH PLAY IN OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS AND THE LIVES OF BILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. WE HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES, AND NOW WORK WITH FISHING COMMUNITIES TO ADAPT TO THE CHALLENGES OF A WARMING OCEAN.
- $5.9 million spent. PREVENTING OCEAN PLASTICS: 11 MILLION METRIC TONS OF PLASTIC ENTER THE OCEAN ANNUALLY EQUIVALENT TO A GARBAGE TRUCK'S WORTH OF PLASTIC EVERY SINGLE MINUTE. PLASTIC POLLUTION CAN BE DEADLY TO MARINE ANIMALS THAT EAT OR BECOME TRAPPED IN IT. GROUNDED IN OUR CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH, OCEAN CONSERVANCY FOCUSES ON TWO CRITICAL SOLUTIONS TO THE CRISIS: REDUCING PRODUCTION OF THE SINGLE-USE PLASTICS MOST DANGEROUS TO OCEAN LIFE, AND CLEANING UP 1 BILLION POUNDS OF OCEAN PLASTIC BY 2050. OCEAN CONSERVANCY ADVOCATES AT THE GLOBAL, NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS FOR POLICIES THAT REDUCE PRODUCTION OF SINGLE-USE PLASTICS. IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE'VE SECURED 13 POLICIES, ELIMINATING 900 MILLION SINGLE-USE PLASTICS EVERY YEAR. WE ALSO ORGANIZE THE INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP, ONE OF THE LARGEST SINGLE DAY VOLUNTEER EVENTS TO CLEAN UP OUR SHORELINES AND WATERWAYS. TO DATE, OCEAN CONSERVANCY HAS REMOVED OVER 400 MILLION POUNDS OF PLASTIC AND TRASH FROM OUR OCEAN, COAST AND WATERWAYS, ENGAGING MILLIONS OF VOLUNTEERS ON BEHALF OF THE OCEAN IN OVER 150 COUNTRIES. THROUGH THIS EFFORT, WE ALSO BUILT THE WORLD'S LARGEST OCEAN PLASTICS DATABASE, WHICH IS PART OF OUR CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH TO FILL GAPS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PLASTIC CRISIS AND TO IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, OCEAN CONSERVANCY SCIENTISTS SPEARHEADED THE FIRST-EVER QUANTIFICATION OF HOW MUCH PLASTIC IS ENTERING OUR OCEAN AND HOW LITTLE PLASTIC IT TAKES TO KILL A BIRD, TURTLE OR WHALE.
- $4.9 million spent. MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE: CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE GREATEST THREAT OUR OCEAN HAS EVER FACED. A WARMING OCEAN LEADS TO BLEACHED CORAL REEFS, MASS DEATHS OF MARINE ANIMALS, AND MORE FREQUENT AND SEVERE HURRICANES AND STORMS. BUT THE OCEAN IS ALSO A CRUCIAL ALLY FOR OUR CLIMATE: IT PRODUCES HALF THE WORLD'S OXYGEN AND ABSORBS MORE THAN 90% OF THE EXCESS HEAT FROM CLIMATE CHANGEAND IT HAS VAST UNTAPPED POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE CLEAN ENERGY THAT REDUCES CLIMATE IMPACTS. OCEAN CONSERVANCY WORKS WITH PARTNERS AND DECISION-MAKERS AT THE LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL TO DEVELOP, INFORM AND ADVOCATE FOR OCEAN-BASED SOLUTIONS TO PROTECT OUR CLIMATE. THESE INCLUDE DEPLOYING CLEAN OCEAN ENERGY FROM WIND, WAVES AND TIDES AND PHASING OUT OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS WHICH HARMS OUR OCEAN. OCEAN CONSERVANCY ALSO LEADS INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE THE GLOBAL SHIPPING INDUSTRY'S EMISSIONS ROUGHLY ONE BILLION TONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE EVERY YEAR.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 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 June 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 December 1972.
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.