Upper Missouri Waterkeeper Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
UPPER MISSOURI WATERKEEPER PROTECTS FISHABLE, SWIMMABLE, DRINKABLE WATER THROUGHOUT THE 25,000 SQUARE MILES OF MONTANA'S UPPER MISSOURI RIVER BASIN OF MONTANA. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS MISSION WE ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH CITIZENS, STAKEHOLDERS AND DECISIONMAKERS, UTILIZE WATER-QUALITY MONITORING AND BEST-AVAILABLE SCIENCE AND, WHEN NECESSARY TO PROTECT WATERWAYS AND COMMUNITIES, INSIST ON COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW. WE BELIEVE HEALTHY, CLEAN WATERWAYS GO HAND-IN-HAND WITH STRONG COMMUNITIES AND THEREFORE FOCUS BOTH ON STOPPING POLLUTION AND ON SUSTAINABLE, LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS TO ISSUES THREATENING SOUTHWEST AND WEST-CENTRAL MONTANA.
- Income
- $1.2 million
- Spending
- $645,365
- Spent on programs
- 85%
- Reserves
- 19.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 96%
- Employees
- 3
- Volunteers
- 319
- Highest pay
- $164,224, executive dir.
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. Higher than 91% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 19.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 45% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 81% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1585% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 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
Good: 77 out of 100. Higher than 34% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 258 of 8 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no 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
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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)
- $547,458 spent. During this calendar year the organization secured a landmark litigation win in the Horse Creek Hills case, which concerned the lawfulness of the DNRC and County government in allowing sprawl development reliant on multiple exempt from review groundwater wells without any analysis of offsite impacts. The February 2024 case order put a stop to the DNRC's practice of allowing multiple exempt wells for new subdivision development, and also affirmed the critical and independent role of local government in assessing offsite water resource impacts, including affirming the legal value of local citizen input and public participation. Relatedly, the organization's Save Wild Trout campaign performed river monitoring across 36 locations on 5 rivers, developing a first-of-its-kind baseline of dissolved oxygen, temperature, and nutrient loading water quality data to inform river conservation efforts. This data can directly inform ongoing State efforts to understand the causes of unprecedented 40-year low recruitment in wild trout populations in SW Montana. The organization also successfully held the state water pollution control agency accountable to perform mandatory public participation in the design and authorization of new sewage infrastructure projects, including winning a preliminary injunction halting the spraying of sewage nearby a generational ranch owned by Waterkeeper members.
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 August 2014.
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.
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.