Oneill Sea Odyssey
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Org's Mission: (i) to promote awareness of the Monterey Bay eco-systems and its adjoining areas; (ii) to conduct educational field trips; (iii) to instill in youth and adults a desire to perform community service to improve and preserve the ecology of the ocean environment.
- Income
- $1.0 million
- Spending
- $1.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 80%
- Reserves
- 24.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 75%
- Employees
- 17
- Volunteers
- 22
- Highest pay
- $156,678, exec. director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 75 out of 100. Higher than 45% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 24.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 12% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 22% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 17% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1580% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 60% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 259 of 10 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
15 of 15Its accounts were audited 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 June 30, 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 (1)
- $993,396 spent. The corporation is formed for the following purposes: (i) to generally promote and foster local, national and international awareness of the eco-systems of the Monterey Bay and its adjoining areas; (ii) to promote, organize, manage and conduct educational field trips to promote such awareness; (iii) to encourage and instill in youth and adults a desire to perform community service aimed at improving and preserving the ecology of the ocean environment.During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, in order to keep an accurate count of each presentation offered, OSO staff recorded each scheduled class given on a google spreadsheet. Some teachers only participated in one, one-hour distance learning program, while other teachers participated in multiple one-hour distance learning programs. For the sake of recording our work accurately, one program is equal to one class of students. The total number of students is counted by keeping track of the number of students participating in each one-hour distance learning program. Some students received only one hour of instruction, while others received up to 10 hours of instruction from OSO staff. Total count of students tallied in this way was participating in separate programs. Form 990, Part III, Line 4aIncluded under Program expenses is the following:Total Program Costs $993,396
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 June 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 January 1998.
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.