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Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust

EIN 47-1978379 · Santa Cruz, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong93 out of 100GovernanceStrong91 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO ENSURE SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES, RESILIENT COMMUNITIES AND A HEALTHY OCEAN FOR YEARS TO COME.

Income
$639,323
Spending
$553,696
Spent on programs
62%
Reserves
33.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 78%
Employees
3
Volunteers
15
Highest pay
$150,105, executive director

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: 93 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (animals, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 33.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 10% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 13% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 3% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    62% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 19 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: 91 out of 100. Higher than 87% of charities in its peer group (animals, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    8 of 9 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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 (5)
  1. $88,399 spent. INCEASING ACCESS TO, AVAILABILITY OF, AND DEMAND FOR LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD: MBFT LED OUTREACH PROGRAMS AIMED AT RAISING AWARENESS AND DEMAND FOR LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD. THROUGH DIGITAL STORYTELLING, VIDEOS, BLOGS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND PRESENTATIONS, MBFT CONNECTED CONSUMERS WITH MONTEREY BAY SEAFOOD AND OUR FISHING COMMUNITY. WE EDUCATED CONSUMERS ABOUT SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES, HELPED THEM IDENTIFY AND PREPARE SEASONAL SEAFOOD, AND DIRECTED THEM TO BUSINESSES THAT SELL LOCAL SEAFOOD THROUGH OUR LOCAL CATCH GUIDE. STATS: 40 STORIES PUBLISHED FEATURING LOCAL SEAFOOD AND THE FISHING COMMUNITY; 100% INCREASE IN WEB TRAFFIC WITH 77K UNIQUE VISITORS; 23K VIEWS OF THE LOCAL CATCH GUIDE.
  2. $86,066 spent. SUSTAINING LOCAL FAMILIES AND FISHERIES: WE CONTINUED OUR MONTEREY BAY COMMUNITY SEAFOOD PROGRAM TO PROVIDE HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLY HARVESTED SEAFOOD TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN NEED OF FOOD ASSISTANCE, ALONG WITH MORE THAN $82K IN ECONOMIC SUPPORT TO OUR LOCAL FISHERMEN, FOOD WORKERS, AND SEAFOOD BUSINESSES. AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS PROGRAM, SECOND HARVEST OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY HAS MADE A COMMITMENT TO SOURCE LOCAL SEAFOOD YEAR-ROUND. WE ARE CONTINUING OUR CONNECTIONS IN THE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM NETWORK AND HOLD A SEAT ON THE CENTRAL COAST RESILIENT FOOD SYSTEMS CO-OP AS ONE OF TWO REPRESENTATIVES OF SEAFOOD. STATS: $82K RAISED TO PURCHASE 9K POUNDS OF LOCAL SEAFOOD; 24.2K SEAFOOD MEALS DONATED; 28 FISHERMEN AND 35 FOOD WORKERS SUPPORTED.
  3. $64,356 spent. STRENGTHENING THE VIABILITY OF COMMERCIAL FISHING BUSINESSES IN MONTEREY: WE PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TOOLS, AND RESOURCES TO STRENGTHEN FISHING BUSINESSES AND HELP FISHERMEN NAVIGATE REGULATIONS. WE CONTINUED OUR QUOTA LEASING PROGRAM, PROTECTING LOCAL ACCESS TO SUSTAINABLE GROUNDFISH FISHING RIGHTS, AND SAVING FISHERMEN THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN LEASE FEES. THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH CALIFORNIA FARMLINK, WE INCREASED FISHERMEN'S ACCESS TO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND LOANS AND EXPLORED SUCCESSION PLANNING FOR RETIRING FISHERMEN AND NEW ENTRANTS. WE ADVOCATED TO STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATORS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND THE NEED TO SUPPORT FISHING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE. STATS: 10 FISHERMEN RECEIVED DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; 178K POUNDS OF GROUNDFISH WAS LEASED LOCALLY; 2.4K VIEWS OF WEB RESOURCES FOR FISHING BUSINESSES.
  4. $51,635 spent. SUPPORTING STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT: WE FACILITATED AND PROMOTED DIALOGUE AND COLLABORATION AMONG FISHERMEN, CONSERVATIONISTS, SCIENTISTS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND LEGISLATORS. WE PROVIDED RESOURCES THROUGH OUR MONTHLY BUOY BULLETIN NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE, AND MEETINGS, AND CONTINUED TO SUPPORT FISHERMEN'S EDUCATION THROUGH THE MARINE RESOURCE EDUCATION PROGRAM (MREP). STATS: 82 MEMBERS OF THE FISHING COMMUNITY DIRECTLY PARTICIPATED IN OUR PROGRAMS; 627 STAKEHOLDERS RECEIVED RESOURCES VIA THE MONTHLY BUOY BULLETIN NEWSLETTER
  5. $52,394 spent. FUTURE OF BLUE IS A COMMUNITY-BASED EFFORT INITIATIVE THAT AIMS TO UNLOCK THE IMMENSE POTENTIAL OF MONTEREY BAY'S MARINE ECOSYSTEM AND HUMAN COMMUNITIES, CREATING A THRIVING, RESILIENT, AND INNOVATIVE REGIONAL BLUE ECONOMY BY 2030. AS STEWARDS OF THIS REMARKABLE ECOSYSTEM, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE FUTURE OF MONTEREY BAY DEPENDS ON REVITALIZING OUR WORKING WATERFRONTS WHILE PRESERVING THE REGION'S RICH SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND ECOLOGICAL HERITAGE.

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

  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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since January 2015.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 2026.

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