Ric Obarrys Dolphin Project Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
For Education, Safety, Protection, Recovery, and Prevention From Cruelty for All Cetaceans Especially Dolphins
- Income
- $557,738
- Spending
- $499,533
- Spent on programs
- 90%
- Reserves
- 5.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 98%
- Employees
- 4
- Volunteers
- 24
- Highest pay
- $59,100, president
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
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 56% of charities in its peer group (animals, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 10% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 25% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1590% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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
Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 87% of charities in its peer group (animals, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 254 of 5 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
6 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 (4)
- $450,797 spent. JAPANDuring the annual six-month dolphin drive season in Taiji, wild dolphins are driven into the cove. Some are live-captured for the global dolphin entertainment industry, while others are cruelly slaughtered and sold as meat.Since 2003, Dolphin Project has been the only independent body to act as an observer monitoring the hunts in Taiji. While we are not permitted to intervene, our role is to document the hunts, track captures and slaughters, and broadcast the events in real time to the world. With each new viewer, we are shifting public perception about captivity. We also continue to support Japanese-based activists who have maintained pressure on authorities to end the hunts.Thanks to a favorable ruling on May 17 from Japans High Court, after a nearly three-year-long legal battle against Taijithe site of the brutal dolphin slaughters and captures (chronicled in the Academy Awardwinning documentary The Cove)we obtained thousands of pages of documentation pertaining to the sales, exportation, and inventories of live dolphins. For decades there has been a concentrated effort to conceal not only the drive hunts, but also information on where live-captured dolphins were sent, how many die during the training process, and much more.During the 2023/24 dolphin drive season in Taiji, far fewer dolphins were slaughtered for meat or taken for a life in captivity than in any other year since Dolphin Project began monitoring the hunts in 2003. We view this as a positive sign and hope that the numbers continue to decline during the 2024/25 season.
- INDONESIAUmah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release, and Retirement CenterDolphin Project, in conjunction with our local partnersthe Central Jakarta Forestry Department and Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN)built the Umah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release, and Retirement Center in Banyuwedang Bay, West Bali, the first-ever permanent dolphin rehabilitation, release, and retirement facility for formerly performing dolphins.In July of this year, just over 10 months since three confiscated dolphins were offered their freedom, Rambo, the last remaining dolphin residing near the release site, chose to depart. In the weeks prior to his departure, he was seen swimming with a pod of wild bottlenose dolphins. All signs point to his having joined a pod and living the life he was meant to lead.(Last September, the gate at the Umah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release, and Retirement Center was opened, offering freedom to Rocky, Rambo, and Johnnythe three dolphins who had been in our care for nearly three years. It was a soft release, meaning they could choose to leave the area or stay near the center. Rambo chose to stay.)While our main focus at Umah Lumba is dolphin rescue and rehabilitation, Dolphin Project is proud to provide medical aid and rehabilitation for a variety of species. Expanding on our community initiatives, we engaged in several outreach activities in Bali, including:Ongoing maintenance at the Umah Lumba Center.Operating the Umah Lumba Education Center (in the nearby village), educating school-aged children on nature, animal welfare, marine life, and dolphin conservation, as well as offering core academic classes in a fun and engaging environment. This free school served 69 students this year.Planting 6,500 mangrove seedlings.Responding to six stranding cases, all of which were unfortunately fatal.Hosting several groups, including: the first-ever Sea Turtle Alliance medical workshop for veterinarians from Indonesia and the Philippines; the tour agency Vegan Travels, to learn about dolphin protection; a group from George Mason University, to study dolphin rehabilitation and release; and 20 students who helped plant mangroves and learned about dolphin conservation.Operating a no-cost veterinary clinic providing care for local pets.Conducting marine mammal stranding training in Karimun Jawa, attended by government officials, local fishermen, and community members.Rescuing and rehabilitating long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) from a variety of situations.Providing medical aid and rehabilitation for sea turtles, including endangered and critically endangered species. Despite protections, Indonesia still suffers from an illegal trade in live sea turtles for meat and cultural purposes. Many turtles are also injured by boat propellers and jet skis. This year, 107 rescued sea turtles were cared for and safely released back to the ocean.
- EUROPEThe campaign to support local activists in Europe is ongoing. We are working with a German NGO to make Germany dolphinarium-free. About 30 years ago we began protesting the Hagenbeck Zoo, when Germany had roughly a dozen captive dolphin facilities. Today, only two remain: one in Duisburg and one in Nuremberg. We intend to shut them down.Victory in Belgium! Dolphin Project first began protesting dolphin captivity in Antwerp in 1999, alongside Belgian dolphin freedom activists. When the dolphin theater at the Antwerp Zoo closed later that year, Boudewijn Seapark became the countrys last remaining dolphinarium. On November 17, Flemish Minister for Animal Welfare Ben Weyts announced that Flanders will enforce a permanent ban on dolphinariums. Boudewijn Seapark, where seven bottlenose dolphins remain confined in a concrete theater, must close no later than 2037. This victory shows that protest works.Helene OBarry continues to monitor the orcas and dolphins at Loro Parque in Tenerife, Spain. Dolphin Project strongly urges TUI to put ethics over profits and stop selling tickets to Loro Parque and other facilities that exploit orcas and dolphins as tourist attractions. As the worlds largest tourism business, TUI has a responsibility to lead by example, which is why we are targeting them.Dolphin Project has also narrowed its search for the first EU-based dolphin rehabilitation and retirement center for formerly performing dolphins. We are currently evaluating potential sites in Greece, Italy, France, and Portugal, and we hope to break ground in 2025.________________________________________
- SOLOMON ISLANDSDolphin Project is actively developing community programs in conjunction with an agreement to end dolphin exploitation. By offering economic and social benefits that reduce reliance on dolphin-derived income, we aim to stop dolphin hunting and trafficking while improving access to social services. We also monitor and record the annual dolphin drive hunts and maintain a database of the number of dolphins killed each year.UNITED STATESNO MORE DOLPHINS AT DISNEY!After collaborating with local activist Izzy Megilley on our Save the Disney Dolphins campaign and collecting nearly 30,000 signatures urging Disney to retire the dolphins at EPCOT, the park announced in October that all live dolphins will be removed. Disney cited a commitment to prioritizing the well-being of the animals. While we advocated for a proper retirement for the dolphins, we are pleased that Disney is now a dolphin-free attraction.MIAMI SEAQUARIUMFor decades, Dolphin Project has vigorously campaigned against the Miami Seaquariums use of captive dolphins. Since August 2023, when the worlds most famous captive orca, Lolita, died, over 120 dolphins have died at the facility. Between 2021 and 2023, three inspection reports by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cited serious problems at the facility, allegedly including drastic food restriction, poor water flow, and placing incompatible animals togetherresulting in injuries and deaths. After obtaining more than 23,000 petition signatures asking Miami-Dade County to terminate the Seaquariums lease, on March 7 the office of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava issued a Notice of Termination of Lease letter to the parent company, The Dolphin Company. On October 2, however, a county judge denied Miami-Dades motion for eviction and ordered both sides into mediation. The fight is far from over.CARNIVAL CRUISE LINESCarnival Cruise Lines glamorizes swim-with-dolphin programs as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Dolphin Project launched a campaign asking Carnival to terminate its partnerships with captive dolphin facilities and instead promote local, ethical ecotourism activities as part of their on-shore excursions.ABANDONED DOLPHINS RESCUED NASSAU, BAHAMASIn early May, Dolphin Project was alerted to an abandoned captive dolphin facility on Balmoral Island, Nassau. Closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourist attraction never reopened and dolphins were left in limbo. Days later, we were invited to inspect the dolphins and the facility firsthand. Dolphin Project urged the Bahamian government to implement immediate life-saving interventions for the five surviving dolphins.On May 10, the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources confirmed that all five dolphins were removed from the premises and transferred to Atlantis animal care facility for observation and medical treatment.EMPTY THE TANKSOn May 1112, activists in 64 locations worldwide peacefully advocated for dolphins during Dolphin Projects 12th annual Empty the Tanks event. On June 8, coinciding with World Ocean Day, we hosted a global beach cleanup. On September 1, we launched Dolphin Defender Month, with demonstrations against the Taiji dolphin hunts and the captive dolphin trade.DOLPHIN PROJECT: 54 YEARS AND GOING STRONG!April 22 marked Dolphin Projects 54th anniversary. As part of our birthday fundraiser, volunteers and Dolphin Project staff participated in a whale watch on April 2021 with Captain Daves Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari in Dana Point, California. For two days, people from around the world witnessed dolphins and whales swimming wild and free in their natural habitat. A fabulous time was had by all, and crucial operating funds were raised for Dolphin Project.
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 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 2024.
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 July 2015.
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.