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The Hydrous

EIN 46-5112972 · San Francisco, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair69 out of 100GovernanceNot ratedThe short tax form does not cover thisImpact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE HYDROUS IS AN EDUCATION-CENTERED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO TRANSLATING SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY IN OUR OCEAN INTO PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING. OUR MISSION IS TO CREATE "OPEN ACCESS OCEANS" SO THAT ALL PEOPLE MAY EXPLORE, UNDERSTAND, AND ENGAGE WITH BEAUTIFUL AND THREATENED MARINE INVIRONMENTS.

Income
$46,526
Spending
$119,072
Reserves
6 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 65%
Highest pay
$54,000, ceo

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

Fair: 69 out of 100. Higher than 41% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, under $250k).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 6.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 156% 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)
  1. $5,989 spent. CONTENT CREATIONWE DESIGN DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL CURRICULA TO TEACH AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES ABOUT THE OCEAN. FOR INSTANCE, WE CREATED AN AWARD-WINNING OCEAN EDUCATION KIT CALLED "CORAL REEFS: A HYDROUS LEARNING EXPEDITION" THAT INCLUDES HANDS-ON LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND DIGITAL EXPERIENCES, DESIGNED FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: WITH SUPPORT FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AND PRIVATE DONORS, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE NEARLY 500 KITS TO STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS IN 20 DIFFERENT U.S. STATES. WE ALSO HAVE CREATED MULTIPLE "VIRTUAL DIVE" EXPERIENCES USING VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY (VR/AR) TECHNOLOGY THAT HAVE BEEN VIEWED MILLIONS OF TIMES THROUGH ONLINE PLATFORMS AND IN-PERSON EVENTS. THESE EDUCATIONAL "DIVES" INCLUDE IMMERSE, AR REEF, EXPLORE, AND EXPEDITION PALAU.
  2. $9,620 spent. RESEARCH THE HYDROUS CONDUCTS RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY FOR MARINE EDUCATION WITH RESEARCH PARTNERS LIKE THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY VIRTUAL HUMAN INTERACTION LAB, THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG AND FUNDERS LIKE THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, AND META.ACCOMPLISHMENTS: KEITH ET AL. (2026) ENHANCING MOTIVATION TO LEARN MARINE ECOLOGY AND INCREASE OCEAN LITERACY THROUGH VIRTUAL REALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION. ECOSPHERE 17:3. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1002/ECS2.70565 . FAUVILLE, G., PIMENTEL, D., & WOOLSEY, E. (2025). OCEAN XR: A DEEP DIVE INTO EXTENDED REALITY FOR MARINE EDUCATION AND OCEAN LITERACY. OCEAN AND SOCIETY, 2, ARTICLE 10714. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.17645/OAS.10714. HAMILTON, J.F., KELLEY, B.Z., MONISMITH, S.G., KOSE, J.R. (2025) ON THE USE OF SIMPLIFIED GEOMETRIES TO REPRESENT TURBULENT FLOW OVER CORAL REEFS. JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS: 1004, A11. MCGIVNEY, E., QUEIROZ A.C.M., MILLER, M.R., SUNNY LIU, BEAMS, B., HAN, E., WOOLSEY, E.S., FRAZIER, K., PETERSON, X., HANCOCK, J., BAILENSON, J. (2024) COMPLEXITY OF AGENCY IN VR LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: EXPLORING ASSOCIATION WITH INTERACTIVITY, LEARNING OUTCOMES, AND AFFECT. IMMERSIVE LEARNING RESEARCH NETWORK 2024 PROCEEDINGS.
  3. $16,698 spent. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENTWE LEAD IN-PERSON LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND VIRTUAL DIVES BY SYNCHRONIZING VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSETS AT FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING INSTITUTIONS LIKE SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES, LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS. WE ALSO DELIVER TALKS AND WORKSHOPS AT EVENTS AND CONFERENCES, AS WELL AS PUBLISH OUR RESEARCH FINDINGS IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SPEECHES AND EVENTS. THE HYDROUS DELIVERS IN-PERSON LEARNING ACTIVITIES, TALKS, WORKSHOPS, AND VIRTUAL DIVES AT FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING INSTITUTIONS LIKE SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES, LIBRARIES, CONFERENCES AND MUSEUMS. ORPHEUS ISLAND: FIELDWORK WAS CONDUCTED AT ORPHEUS ISLAND ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF IN AUSTRALIA TO COLLECT UNDERWATER FOOTAGE FOR HYDROUS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING AS WELL AS FOR DR. WOOLSEYS TOUR WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE. FGCU: A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS AND PRESENTATIONS DELIVERED AT FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITYS THE WATER SCHOOL.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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 October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.