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Msrw

EIN 83-1936124 · Petoskey, MI

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood85 out of 100GovernanceFair65 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Scientific Research on the migration of birds in the Straits of Mackinac located between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. We also engage in educational and public information associated with this research.

Income
$241,865
Spending
$142,040
Spent on programs
78%
Reserves
40.1 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 100%
Employees
0
Volunteers
50
Highest pay
$38,800, 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

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 69% of charities in its peer group (animals, under $250k).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 40.1 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 41% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 55% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    78% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 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

Fair: 65 out of 100. Higher than 70% of charities in its peer group (animals, under $250k).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    12 of 12 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • 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 (7)
  1. $22,130 spent. Owl Banding and Research. Owls are netted and banded during the spring and fall migration. Data on the owls is recorded and shared with appropriate scientific research groups. In 2025 475 owls were captured and tagged.Northern Saw Whet Owls are the primary species studied but other species are tagged when caught.
  2. $31,721 spent. Hawk Count by species during Spring and Fall migrations. During the Spring and Fall raptors of 20 different species were counted and categorized by day. During the spring and fall migration 75418 raptors were counted and categorized in Mackinaw City and 8070 on Mackinac Island All data was recorded and shared with other scientific organizations. In 2025 MSRW caught and banded 127 raptors representing 8 species The birds were safely released. Red-tailed Hawks that were fitted with transmitters over the last four years continue to be monitored.
  3. $8,582 spent. Water bird migration during 2025 migrants representing 52 different species were counted. The results were tabulated by day and recorded. Data was shared with appropriate scientific research organizations.
  4. $10,399 spent. MSRW provides public information and education through a Raptor Naturalist program at the count sites. The naturalist provides information to the public, verbal and in print, about the birds that are seen overhead and explains the count techniques. In addition, the organization administrator and contractual researchers are available to give talks about the organization's research activities and goals.
  5. $38,532 spent. In 2024, MSRW began a new project to increase the gathering of information on bird migration through the Straits of Mackinac. A project of Birds Canada, the Motus network is "a collaborative global research network that uses automated radio telemetry to track small flying organisms." MSRW is constructing an array of six towers in the Straits and surrounding areas to capture migration information and share it with the public. A grant was awarded to support construction work in 2024 and 2025 and maintain the data collection. Seven towers were completed, including a pass-through project with the Greenwood Foundation in Wolverine, Michigan. These towers join 40 in Michigan and 200 in 34 countries gathering migration information from nanotags on a wide variety of migrants.
  6. A pilot project in the fall of 2025 was begun to band songbirds. there were 127 birds from 32 species that were banded representing 55.75 volunteer hours of netting and banding.
  7. $20 spent. In 2025 Monarch Butterflies were tagged in the fall as they begin their migration to Mexico. The microtags are registered with the national Monarch tracking organization so that there might be tracking of individual butterflies who are found in Mexico. Over 100 butterflies were tagged by volunteers.

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 March 2019.

    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.

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.