Totals
- Total revenue
- $1,358,277
- Total expenses
- $1,731,972
- Contributions and grants received
- $1,339,198
- Grants paid
- $31,000
- Program service revenue
- $0
- Investment income
- $19,387
- Other revenue
- -$308
- Total assets, end of year
- $1,084,321
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $238,946
- Net assets or fund balances, end of year
- $845,375
- Program services expenses (Part IX)
- $1,313,098
- Management and general expenses
- $249,302
- Fundraising expenses
- $169,572
- Program service expenses (Part III)
- $1,313,098
Program services were 75.8% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.
Line items
Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.
Revenue
Part VIII, the statement of revenue.
-
1e · Government grants (contributions)
$68,956
-
1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants
$1,270,242
-
1g · Noncash contributions included above
$9,510
-
3 · Investment income
total $19,387 · excluded $19,387
-
4 · Income from investment of tax-exempt bond proceeds
total $0
-
5 · Royalties
total $0
-
6d · Net rental income or loss
total $0
-
7d · Net gain or loss
total $0
-
8c · Net income from fundraising events
total $0
-
9c · Net income from gaming
total $0
-
10a · Gross sales of inventory
$9,721
-
10b · Cost of goods sold
$10,029
-
10c · Net income from sales of inventory
total -$308 · related or exempt -$308
-
11e · Other revenue, total
$0
Functional expenses
Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.
-
1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments
total $0
-
2 · Grants to domestic individuals
total $0
-
3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals
total $31,000 · program services $31,000
-
4 · Benefits paid to or for members
total $0
-
5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
total $299,718 · program services $216,093 · management and general $45,341 · fundraising $38,284
-
6 · Compensation of disqualified persons
total $0
-
7 · Other salaries and wages
total $717,852 · program services $517,561 · management and general $108,595 · fundraising $91,696
-
8 · Pension plan contributions
total $13,493 · program services $9,671 · management and general $2,071 · fundraising $1,751
-
9 · Other employee benefits
total $64,628 · program services $45,055 · management and general $9,516 · fundraising $10,057
-
10 · Payroll taxes
total $80,404 · program services $58,205 · management and general $12,744 · fundraising $9,455
-
11a · Fees: management
total $0
-
11b · Fees: legal
total $0
-
11c · Fees: accounting
total $18,822 · management and general $18,822
-
11d · Fees: lobbying
total $0
-
11e · Fees: professional fundraising services
total $0
-
11f · Fees: investment management
total $0
-
11g · Fees: other
total $266,922 · program services $238,536 · management and general $28,386
-
12 · Advertising and promotion
total $162 · program services $162
-
13 · Office expenses
total $5,058 · program services $4,336 · management and general $617 · fundraising $105
-
14 · Information technology
total $19,328 · program services $4,544 · management and general $14,649 · fundraising $135
-
15 · Royalties
total $0
-
16 · Occupancy
total $21,910 · program services $15,699 · management and general $3,117 · fundraising $3,094
-
17 · Travel
total $71,753 · program services $65,277 · management and general $3,638 · fundraising $2,838
-
18 · Travel or entertainment for public officials
total $0
-
19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings
total $296 · program services $221 · fundraising $75
-
20 · Interest
total $0
-
21 · Payments to affiliates
total $0
-
22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization
total $0
-
23 · Insurance
total $6,965 · program services $5,109 · management and general $931 · fundraising $925
-
24a · Other expenses: Events
total $75,345 · program services $73,986 · management and general $31 · fundraising $1,328
-
24b · Other expenses: Other misc
total $17,970 · program services $16,467 · management and general $844 · fundraising $659
-
24c · Other expenses: Bank fees
total $9,023 · program services $2,381 · fundraising $6,642
-
24d · Other expenses: Printing and Publications
total $4,418 · program services $3,008 · fundraising $1,410
-
24e · All other expenses
total $6,905 · program services $5,787 · fundraising $1,118
Balance sheet
Part X, book values.
-
1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing
beginning of year $267,184 · end of year $211,631
-
2 · Savings and temporary cash investments
beginning of year $665,580 · end of year $384,968
-
3 · Pledges and grants receivable
beginning of year $431,907 · end of year $469,686
-
4 · Accounts receivable
end of year $0
-
5 · Loans and receivables from officers and key people
end of year $0
-
6 · Loans and receivables from disqualified persons
end of year $0
-
7 · Other notes and loans receivable
end of year $0
-
8 · Inventories for sale or use
beginning of year $9,668 · end of year $7,715
-
9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges
beginning of year $7,017 · end of year $7,821
-
10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net
end of year $0
-
11 · Investments: publicly traded securities
end of year $0
-
12 · Investments: other securities
end of year $0
-
13 · Investments: program-related
end of year $0
-
14 · Intangible assets
end of year $0
-
15 · Other assets
beginning of year $2,500 · end of year $2,500
-
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses
beginning of year $58,946 · end of year $77,371
-
25 · Other liabilities
beginning of year $115,455 · end of year $161,575
-
27 · Net assets without donor restrictions
beginning of year $270,640 · end of year $272,512
-
28 · Net assets with donor restrictions
beginning of year $938,815 · end of year $572,863
Mission and programs · 2025
Mission
Note re: FYE Dec 2025 Revenues less expenses of -373,695. See 3rd page of Schedule O for detailed explanation. This deficit was covered under a three-year grant which provided for $500,000 each year, all of which was recognized in a previous year.
Activities or mission (Part I)
Save the Waves protects surf ecosystems around the world, forming coalitions with local communities and utilizing a unique combination of protected areas, stewardship, and grass-roots mobilization.
-
PROTECTED AREAS:Save The Waves advanced stewardship activities across our World Surfing Reserves, protecting surf breaks and engaging volunteers and community members in local conservation initiatives. We supported environmental education programs for youth in El Salvador and completed a first-of-its-kind mangrove documentation study in Costa Rica. We continued Surf Protected Area strategies in California, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Azores, including promoting statewide surf ecosystem protection in California.
Expenses $564,531 · Grants $30,000
-
Campaigns and Outreach:Save The Waves executed campaigns to defend surf ecosystems from development, pollution and threats globally. We released a groundbreaking report documenting the annual economic value from surfing in Santa Cruz and promoted statewide surf ecosystem protection and surf reserve concepts. We expanded the Save The Waves Film Festival to events across multiple countries, reaching thousands of in-person attendees and millions of individuals through digital campaigns.
Expenses $424,416
-
Stewardship and Resilience:Save The Waves conducted workshops and outreach training for local communities across Costa Rica, the Azores, California, and Mexico. We published a comprehensive resource on surf ecosystem conservation best practices in partnership with Conservation International. We advanced a new model of parametric insurance in El Salvador to safeguard surf breaks, mangroves, and community livelihoods from extreme weather events.
Expenses $324,151 · Grants $1,000
As filed on the 2025 return.
Listed in Part VII
-
Nik Strong-Cvetich
CEO
- Total calculated
- $176,219
- From this org
- $138,697
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $37,522
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $138,697
- Bonus
- not reported
- Other
- not reported
- Deferred
- $4,163
- Nontaxable benefits
- $33,359
- Filer's total
- $176,219
-
Susan Coffey
Dir Ops and Fin
- Total calculated
- $123,499
- From this org
- $95,659
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $27,840
- Hours/week
- 35
-
Lauren Parrino
Dir Communications
- Total calculated
- $120,471
- From this org
- $103,039
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $17,432
- Hours/week
- 40
-
Mara Arroyo Rodriguez
SrMgr Conservation
- Total calculated
- $109,490
- From this org
- $109,490
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Hours/week
- 40
-
Hugo Tagholm
Chairman
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 3
-
Annie Vranizan
Vice Chair
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Rahim Walker
Treasurer
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Laura F Rodriguez
Secretary
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Will Henry
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Christy Chin
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Scott Atkinson
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Pat Gonzales-Rogers
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Greg Jones
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Richard Margoluis
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Ian Stewart
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.
Schedule J
Answered yes
None.
Answered no
- 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
- 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
- 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
- 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
- 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
- 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
- 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
- 7 · Other non-fixed payments
- 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception
Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.
Grants on this return
No itemized grants to organizations on this return.
Provenance
- Return type
- form_990
- Tax year
- 2025
- Filed
- 22 June 2026
- IRS schema version
- 2025v4.1
- Source object
- 202641739349300249
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