Great River Passage Conservancy
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Working in partnership with the City of Saint Paul's Great River Passage Initiative, the Great River Passage Conservancy leads advocacy and private fundraising efforts for capital projects and programs along Saint Paul's 17 miles of the Mississippi River. By advancing major projects along the Mississippi River and supporting unique programming opportunities that allow people to experience the river in new ways, Great River Passage Conservancy fosters environmental stewardship, community health and economic development. Our mission is to raise resources that support the community's vision for connecting Saint Paul's two greatest assets: Its people and the Mississippi River.
- Income
- $444,881
- Spending
- $360,583
- Spent on programs
- 79%
- Reserves
- 4.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 88%
- Employees
- 2
- Volunteers
- 14
- Highest pay
- $154,688, executive director
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 57% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 7% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 19% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 60% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1579% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 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 71% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 12 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 (1)
- $284,486 spent. In 2024, we encouraged people to explore the river through new events, deepened our partnerships with community leaders, and advanced transformational projects that will connect more people to the Mississippi River in meaningful ways. RIVER LEARNING CENTER - A major milestone in bringing the River Learning Center to life was the selection of architecture firm VJAA and landscape architects TEN x TEN to lead the next phase of design. These local firms have national expertise in riverfront projects and are deeply committed to environmental stewardship, making them ideal partners. Joining them is Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design, which will continue to facilitate engagement with Native American tribal leaders and organizations, ensuring Indigenous perspectives remain central to the project's development. Together, this team will refine the concept plan, integrate community input, and advance the design toward final construction documents by December 2025, bringing us one big step closer to creating a dynamic new gateway to the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, we are piloting events to activate the site and explore future programming opportunities. Our Winter Play Day drew over 400 attendees in January, and partner-led programs like Park After Dark, History Cruises, and Mystery on the Mississippi have helped us collaborate with future River Learning Center partners to test a range of program types and scales. These efforts not only activate the site but prepare us to work well together before the Center officially opens. RIVER BALCONY - We are leading the effort to unite downtown partners under the Saint Paul Riverfront vision, aligning projects like the River Balcony and RiversEdge to guide development, funding, and programming. A new website, saintpaulriverfront.com, launched as a hub for exploring the projects transforming the riverfront. Working in partnership with the City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County, and downtown stakeholders like the Science Museum of Minnesota, MN Wild, and Downtown Alliance, we are advancing a cohesive vision for the downtown riverfront. One of the key steps is completing the Downtown Riverwalk, a pedestrian loop connecting downtown Saint Paul to the Mississippi Riverfront. The two-mile loop will feature interpretive locations focusing on a range of subjects, including cultural history, geology, river commerce, and ecology. The successful Riverwalk funding campaign in 2024 will see it come to fruition in 2025. A central feature of the Riverwalk will be a reimagining of the railroad underpasses at Sibley and Jackson streets. Today, these passageways are dark, uninviting, and often perceived as unsafe, deterring pedestrians and cyclists from accessing the riverfront. To turn the underpasses into vibrant, welcoming gateways to the Mississippi River, we are transforming these spaces through public art installations. As these larger-scale and longer-term projects progress, we aim to bring people to the river along the way. Last summer, we hosted events like Patio Thursdays, History Walking Tours, and JazzClectic on the River. EAST SIDE RIVER DISTRICT - Restoration and community activation efforts continue across this 1,000-acre district, particularly at Pig's Eye Regional Park. In partnership with the city and University of Minnesota scientists, we are planning bioremediation projects to explore how plants can accelerate cleanup and restore a healthy landscape. We launched this initiative with a November webinar that introduced the public to these efforts and previewed upcoming ecological experiments. This spring, we will begin experiments, including two demonstrations of a biochar filtration system. Community events are being planned for this fall to share progress and engage the public in the restoration efforts. We continue to collaborate with partners like the DNR, Army Corps, Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, Urban Roots, and Friends of Pigs Eye, while also working closely with the Pig's Eye Dump Task Force, an MPCA-led multi-agency task force charged with developing a plan to clean up and restore Pig's Eye Dump. Their cleanup and restoration plan will be completed in February 2026, with "future public use" being the most important factor in the state's decision to fully remediate the site.
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 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 August 2019.
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.