Sacramento Area Creeks Council
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Sacramento Area Creeks Council (SACC) seeks to promote public and private care of natural streams and waterways through education, advocacy and hands-on activity. Educational materials, workshops and field outings are some of the tools used to achieve these goals. SACC: provides support for creek, waterway, open-space and neighborhood cleanups; participates in the decision-making processes which affect the health of Sacramento area waterways, and in the land use planning process to promote creek preservation, sound flood control project design, habitat restoration and effective stream bank stabilization methods; distributes educational materials encouraging the teaching of science concepts and holds community workshops on creek issues; supports on-going volunteer water quality monitoring efforts; co-sponsors grants to preserve and restore creeks and their natural corridors; SACC offers educational materials and participates in neighborhood fairs and public events, working with schools,
- Income
- $112,384
- Spending
- $83,728
- Spent on programs
- 97%
- Reserves
- 14.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 88%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 300
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 81% of charities in its peer group (environment, under $250k).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 14.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 25% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 25% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1597% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 89% of charities in its peer group (environment, under $250k).
Independent board
25 of 2515 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.
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, 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 (1)
- $81,454 spent. During 2025, Sacramento Area Creeks Council (SACC) was proud to act as fiscal sponsor for two outstanding groups which were able to become tax exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code: River City Waterway Alliance (RCWA) and Waterbird Habitat Project (WHP). During its third year of operations alone, the volunteer group RCWA (rivercitywaterwayalliance.org) removed 1.2 million pounds of trash from Sacramento area waterways over 307 events. This milieu of trash included 7,500 needles, 556 shopping carts, 540 tires, 253 mattresses and some 2,100 pounds of batteries, both large and small. Since its inception, RCWA has removed over three million pounds of trash, and continued to enrich its relationships with partner organizations: the County and City of Sacramento, American River Flood Control District, RD1000, Forensiclean, ACTenviro and others. Removal of invasive plants, such as primrose, has become a feature at cleanup events, and plans are afoot for more extensive removal activities. RCWA is moving from strength-to-strength as it continues to increase its volunteer roster and provide much needed aide to our rivers and creeks which have suffered greatly from years of governmental neglect and inattention. This resulting degradation of habitats has been harmful to wildlife. WHP (waterbirdhabitat.org) was formed to safeguard the American River where waterbirds such as herons, egrets, cormorants, ducks, and geese mistake discarded fishing line and hooks for food, leading to fatal entanglement or internal injuries. Other wildlife, including beavers, otters, and river mammals, can also become trapped, suffering exhaustion and eventual death. Unseen fishing line microplastics contaminate the water, creating long-term environmental consequences for wildlife and the communities that rely on the river. WHP removes abandoned fishing gear and collaborates with anglers to raise awareness of fishing gear injuries and promote responsible stewardship of the river ecosystem. At William Pond, WHP removed invasive primrose with support from the California Conservation Corps. SACC believes that environmental alliances such as these strengthen support, awareness and collaboration among many groups, amplifying our impact on governmental policies and the protection of delicate and beautiful ecosystems. Other notable accomplishments during the past year included:Participated in Dry Creek Salmon Count which continues to show significantly more salmon (5 in the 2023 count and 208 in 2024). Our analysis shows that the removal of trash from Steelhead Creek had a major impact on the increase in salmon. Participated in the California Coastal Cleanup and the September/October Multi-Agency.Sponsored several non-profit events at Effie Yeaw Nature Fest, Walk on the Wild Side, Family Fall Fest, ECOS and Rio Americano Earth Day, Biodiversity Day.Participated in several outreach events in Sacramento County (Two National Nights Out).Participated in monthly Parkway Coalition meetings. These achievements were celebrated at a very successful second annual Streamside Social event at Camp Pollock, an 11-acre riverfront site which is managed and maintained by The Sacramento Valley Conservancy. The event included presentations by Jeffrey Mount, Ph.D., founder of the UC Davis Watershed Institute, on restoring connectivity between rivers, their watersheds and their communities, and Kimberly ShiningStar Petree, Cultural Resource Preservation Officer for El Dorado County Indian Council, who shared a fish tale.In 2026, SACC will continue to work on a five-year strategic plan which will identify a keystone project for Steelhead and Arcade Creeks.
Source: Form 990 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 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 December 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 February 2009.
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.
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