Bahamas Marine Ecocentre
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Research and Education: Bahamas Marine EcoCentre focuses on marine science education and research and promotes scientific and artistic activities that foster environmental stewardship. In 2025, activities were focused in three geographic areas: Bahamas, Western Australia, and Northern Chile, as outlined in Lines 28-30. Research on gypsum depositional system in lagoons in the Atacama Desert, which initiated as a consulting service in 2017, became a funded research project in 2018. Supported by the Chilean mining company, SQM, BME is investigating the role of microbes in sedimentation in the desert lagoon systems.
- Income
- $136,595
- Spending
- $96,242
- Reserves
- 11.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 67% of charities in its peer group (environment, under $250k).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 11.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 30% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 (3)
- $20,705 spent. Program activities in the Bahamas in 2025 involved maintenance of the Darby Island Research Station, and eventual closure of the lab due to the sale of Little Darby Island. Lab equipment and resources were donated to Bahamas National Trust Moriah Harbor Cay National Park. One publication from research at the research station: Kalderon-Asael, B., Wang, J., Planavsky, Oehlert, A.M., N.J., Vitek, B.E., Reid, R.P., Tarhan, L.J. 2025. Evaluation of early diagenetic signatures of lithium and stable strontium isotopes in shallow marine carbonate sediments. Chemical Geology v. 676.
- $50,098 spent. Our second geographic area of research was the Atacama Desertof northern Chile where we continued monitoring stromatolite growth in saline lagoons. This research involved two research fellows and a consultant. Program expenses pertain to field activities, sample analyses and writing reports and publications. Two papers were published from results of this research : 1. Suosaari, E.P., Dupraz, C., Oehlert, A.M., Lascu, I., Vitek, B.E., Piggot, A.M. Palma, A.T., Reid, R.P. (2025) Coupled authigenic Mg silicate and carbonate precipitation in saline lakes of the Salar de Atacama, Northern Chile. The Depositional Record, 00, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1002/dep2.70055 and 2. Kong, T., Reid, R.P.; Suosaari, E.P., Maizel,D., Daza, L.R., Palma, A.T., Oehlert, A.M. 2025. Lake morphology and meteorological conditions impact stratification of saline lakes in the Atacama Desert. Plos One https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0321759. Program service costs include payments to university laboratories for sample analysis and consulting services.
- A third area of research activity was Western Australia,where we cont'd research into modern marine stromatolites in Shark Bay. This research involved one research fellow, Erica Suosaari who is working on a monograph summarizing publications resulting from all our research in Shark Bay for the past 20 years. An additional paper documenting results from our Shark Bay research was published: Pollier, C.G.L., Reid, R.P., Suosaari, E.P., Vitek B. E., Dupraz C., Oehlert A. M.. Arsenic enrichment patterns are defined by microbialite morphology, fabric, and accretion mechanism. Nature Communications 16, 10218 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65007-4. Program expenses largely supported the research fellow.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 September 2014.
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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