Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by ADVANCED CONSERVATION STRATEGIES.

Totals

Total revenue: $823,503
Total expenses: $846,596
Contributions and grants received: $806,739
Grants paid: $0
Program service revenue: $0
Investment income: $16,764
Other revenue: $0
Total assets, end of year: $502,671
Total liabilities, end of year: $0
Net assets or fund balances, end of year: $502,671
Program services expenses (Part IX): $764,521
Management and general expenses: $82,075
Fundraising expenses: $0
Program service expenses (Part III): $764,521

Program services were 90.3% 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.

1a · Federated campaigns

$0
1b · Membership dues

$0
1c · Fundraising events

$0
1d · Related organizations

$0
1e · Government grants (contributions)

$0
1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

$806,739
1g · Noncash contributions included above

$0
2f · All other program service revenue

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
3 · Investment income

total $16,764 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $16,764
4 · Income from investment of tax-exempt bond proceeds

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
5 · Royalties

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
6a · Gross rents

real property $0 · personal property $0
6b · Less rental expenses

real property $0 · personal property $0
6c · Rental income or loss

real property $0 · personal property $0
6d · Net rental income or loss

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

securities $0 · other assets $0
7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

securities $0 · other assets $0
7c · Gain or loss

securities $0 · other assets $0
7d · Net gain or loss

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
8a · Fundraising events: gross income

$0
8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

$0
8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

$0
8c · Net income from fundraising events

total $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
9a · Gaming: gross income

$0
9b · Gaming: direct expenses

$0
9c · Net income from gaming

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
10a · Gross sales of inventory

$0
10b · Cost of goods sold

$0
10c · Net income from sales of inventory

total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0
11e · Other revenue, total

$0

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

total $0 · program services $0
2 · Grants to domestic individuals

total $0 · program services $0
3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

total $0 · program services $0
4 · Benefits paid to or for members

total $0 · program services $0
5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

total $170,039 · program services $153,545 · management and general $16,494 · fundraising $0
6 · Compensation of disqualified persons

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
7 · Other salaries and wages

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
8 · Pension plan contributions

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
9 · Other employee benefits

total $887 · program services $801 · management and general $86 · fundraising $0
10 · Payroll taxes

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
11a · Fees: management

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
11b · Fees: legal

total $86 · program services $78 · management and general $8 · fundraising $0
11c · Fees: accounting

total $370 · program services $334 · management and general $36 · fundraising $0
11d · Fees: lobbying

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

total $0 · fundraising $0
11f · Fees: investment management

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
11g · Fees: other

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
12 · Advertising and promotion

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
13 · Office expenses

total $30,504 · program services $27,545 · management and general $2,959 · fundraising $0
14 · Information technology

total $7,669 · program services $6,925 · management and general $744 · fundraising $0
15 · Royalties

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
16 · Occupancy

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
17 · Travel

total $169,225 · program services $152,810 · management and general $16,415 · fundraising $0
18 · Travel or entertainment for public officials

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

total $28,987 · program services $26,175 · management and general $2,812 · fundraising $0
20 · Interest

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
21 · Payments to affiliates

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
23 · Insurance

total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0
24a · Other expenses: Program Service Fees & Expenses

total $438,829 · program services $396,308 · management and general $42,521 · fundraising $0

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

beginning of year $8,051 · end of year $13,198
2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

beginning of year $517,713 · end of year $489,473
3 · Pledges and grants receivable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
4 · Accounts receivable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
5 · Loans and receivables from officers and key people

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
6 · Loans and receivables from disqualified persons

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
7 · Other notes and loans receivable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
8 · Inventories for sale or use

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

$0
10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

$0
10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

beginning of year $0
12 · Investments: other securities

beginning of year $0
13 · Investments: program-related

beginning of year $0
14 · Intangible assets

beginning of year $0
15 · Other assets

beginning of year $0
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
18 · Grants payable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
19 · Deferred revenue

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
20 · Tax-exempt bond liabilities

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
21 · Escrow or custodial account liability

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
22 · Loans and payables to officers and key people

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
23 · Secured mortgages and notes payable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
24 · Unsecured notes and loans payable

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
25 · Other liabilities

beginning of year $0
29 · Capital stock, trust principal or current funds

beginning of year $525,764 · end of year $502,671
30 · Paid-in or capital surplus, or land, building or equipment fund

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0
31 · Retained earnings, endowment or other funds

beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

We combine science and human-centered design to create new ways of approaching environmental problem solving. We conduct synthetic science to inform environmental conservation and sustainability decision-making. We collaborate with foundations and others to monitor, evaluate, and learn from existing environmental efforts and programs.

Activities or mission (Part I)

WE TRY TO MAKE LIVES AND THE ENVIRONMENT BETTER WITH SCIENCE AND DESIGN. WE FOCUS ON INCENTIVES, OUTCOMES, AND SUSTAINABILITY. - OUR FOUNDATION IS SCIENCE, YET WE WORK AND COLLABORATE OUTSIDE OF SCIENCE TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS AND VENTURES. WE TRY HARD TO WORK ACROSS SECTORS TO INTEGRATE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE, FINANCE, HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN, MARKETS, NATURAL SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS. - MUCH OF OUR WORK INVOLVES PROGRAM DESIGN, SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE, AND EVALUATION.

IMPROVING FISHERIES SUSTAINABILITY IN CHILE AND PERU: SYSTEMS-LEVEL RESEARCH TO ASSESS, SYNTHESIZE, AND DESIGN INTERVENTION PLANS FOR PRIORITY FISHERIES TO IMPROVE THEIR SUSTAINABILITY.

Expenses $246,111
Reducing Illegal Fishing - Research to understand the extent and drivers of illegal fishing in Chile. Support a collaboration to develop and implement methodologies to provide low-cost monitoring data on vessels to reduce illegal activities.

Expenses $216,703
Marine Protected Area Management Effectiveness in Western Indian Ocean - Leading the design and implementation of a new funding program in the Western Indian Ocean to support improving management effectiveness of marine protected areas.

Expenses $139,831
OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES - (1) Coastal Solutions Fellows Program Evaluation - Led a mid-term evaluation for Cornell University's Coastal Solutions Fellows Program. (2) Testing New Rodenticide in Urban Environments - Testing new methods for rodent control in urban environments on Google campuses in California. (3) Maya Forest Trust Conservation Plan - Design and implement applied social science to characterize the stakeholders living near the Maya Forest National Park in Belize. (4) Discretionary Spending - Explored and developed new potential collaborations and funding proposals, as well as supported interns. (5) Plataforma Costera - Design and support an online platform whose goal is to provide a central location for knowledge dissemination and collaboration for the Chileans working on coastal sustainability issues. (6) Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) for Packard Foundation - Led various MEL activities for the David & Lucile Packard Foundation's Shorebird and Chile Oceans programs. (7) Conservation Value and Risk Assessment - Leading assessments for the bioscience company Colossal to provide species-specific guidance around de-extinction to maximize conservation impact while minimizing and mitigating potential harm.

Expenses $161,876

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

C JOSH DONLAN III PhD

DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT

Total calculated

$170,039

From this org

$170,039

From related orgs

$0

Other

$0

Hours/week

40

Schedule J breakdown matched by us

Base

$170,039

Bonus

$0

Other

$0

Deferred

$0

Nontaxable benefits

$0

Filer's total

$170,039
Richard M DonlanRICHARD M DONLAN

DIRECTOR

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

5
HARRY GREENE PhD

DIRECTOR

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

5
Karl W LohwaterKARL W LOHWATER

DIRECTOR AND SECRETARY

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

5
BERNIE TERSHY PhD

DIRECTOR

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

5

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

3 · Form 990 of other organizations
3 · Compensation survey or study
3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee

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

The filer's explanations (Part III)

Schedule J, Part I, Line 3: Schedule J - Part III - The Directors consider comparability data in setting the compensation of the President.

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: 2024
Filed: 13 November 2025
IRS schema version: 2024v5.0
Source object: 202503209349302145

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