Island Conservation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
PREVENT EXTINCTIONS BY REMOVING INVASIVE SPECIES FROM ISLANDS. BY REWILDING ISLANDS, WE RESTORE AND PROTECT WILDLIFE, COMMUNITIES, AND OCEANS. RESTORING ISLANDS BY REMOVING INVASIVE SPECIES HAS REPEATEDLY PROVEN TO BE A HIGH IMPACT CONSERVATION ACTION.
- Income
- $13.4 million
- Spending
- $12.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 77%
- Reserves
- 4.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 61%
- Employees
- 35
- Volunteers
- 20
- Highest pay
- $253,828, ceo - until 6/30/24
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: 81 out of 100. Higher than 52% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.8 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 25% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 9% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 88% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1577% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 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: 100 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2516 of 16 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 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 (2)
- $8.2 million spent. CONSERVATION OPERATIONS: ISLANDS ARE BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS AND HOPE SPOTS FOR THE PLANET. THEY'RE SPECIAL PLACES WHERE CONSERVATION INTERVENTIONS MAKE AN OUTSIZED IMPACT FOR NATURE, OCEANS, AND PEOPLE. ISLANDS ARE ON THE FRONT LINES OF THREE MAJOR THREATS: CLIMATE CHANGE, EXTINCTION CRISIS, AND FAILING OCEAN HEALTH--BUT THEY ARE ALSO RESILIENT. BY BRINGING BACK BIODIVERSITY, ISLAND CONSERVATION RESTORES THE VITAL NUTRIENT FLOWS THAT NOURISH BOTH LAND AND SEA, A NATURE-BASED SOLUTION THAT PREVENTS EXTINCTIONS, IMPROVES HUMAN LIVELIHOODS, AND BOOSTS CLIMATE RESILIENCE. ISLAND CONSERVATION SUPPORTS LOCAL ISLAND COMMUNITIES' VISION OF A WORLD FILLED WITH VIBRANT, THRIVING ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS. IN SO DOING, WE FOSTER SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, AND HEALTHY ISLAND-OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS ACROSS THE GLOBE.
- $1.2 million spent. CONSERVATION IMPACT AND INNOVATION: TO ASSESS THE MULTIPLE BENEFITS OF ISLAND RESTORATION EFFORTS FOR NATURE, OCEANS, AND PEOPLE, ISLAND CONSERVATION MONITORS, MEASURES, AND MAPS HABITATS BEFORE AND AFTER OUR CONSERVATION INTERVENTION. WE PAIR LAND-BASED METHODS WITH MARINE MONITORING TO PAINT A HOLISTIC PICTURE OF INTERCONNECTED ECOSYSTEMS, AND WE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THESE PROJECT SITES FOR YEARS AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS ARE IMPLEMENTED. SCIENTIFICALLY DOCUMENTING THE RESPONSE OF ISLAND SPECIES AND ECOSYSTEMS ALSO ENABLES US TO ADJUST AND IMPROVE ISLAND RESTORATION STRATEGIES AND TOOLS. WE AIM TO INCREASE THE SCOPE, SCALE, AND PACE OF ISLAND RESTORATION PROJECTS GLOBALLY.
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 September 1997.
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.