2026-06-22T10:49:17-07:00 2025-12-31 680260103 REGALIA BERGER & BERGER CPAS 103 TOWN COUNTRY DR STE K DANVILLE CA 94526 990 2025-01-01 364515216 Save the Waves Coalition SAVE 8314266169 849 Almar Ave Suite C 163 Santa Cruz CA 95060 Nik Strong-Cvetich CEO 8314266169 2026-06-22 true Douglas W Regalia P00186389 9253140390 2025 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z Nik Strong-Cvetich 849 Almar Ave Suite C 163 Santa Cruz CA 95060 1368306 false X www.savethewaves.org X 2003 CA 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. 11 11 11 11 0 1063462 1339198 0 14834 19387 667 -308 1078963 1358277 500 31000 0 1044631 1176095 0 169572 482050 524877 1527181 1731972 -448218 -373695 1383856 1084321 174401 238946 1209455 845375 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. false false 564531 30000 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. 424416 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. 324151 1000 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. 1313098 true true false false false false false false false false false false false false true true true false false true true true true false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true 7 0 true 11 true false false false false false false false 0 false false false false false false false X 11 11 false false false false false false false true true false false true true true true true true true true false CA X X X X Susan Coffey 8314266169 849 Almar Ave Suite C 163 Santa Cruz CA 95060 Nik Strong-Cvetich CEO 40.00 0.00 X 138697 0 37522 Susan Coffey Dir Ops and Fin 35.00 0.00 X 95659 0 27840 Lauren Parrino Dir Communications 40.00 0.00 103039 0 17432 Mara Arroyo Rodriguez SrMgr Conservation 40.00 0.00 109490 0 0 Hugo Tagholm Chairman 3.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Annie Vranizan Vice Chair 2.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Rahim Walker Treasurer 2.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Laura F Rodriguez Secretary 2.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Will Henry Board Member 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Christy Chin Board Member 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Scott Atkinson Board Member 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Pat Gonzales-Rogers Board Member 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Greg Jones Board Member 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Richard Margoluis Board Member 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Ian Stewart Board Member 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 446885 82794 3 false true false 0 68956 1270242 9510 1339198 0 19387 19387 0 0 0 0 0 0 9721 10029 -308 -308 0 1358277 -308 19387 X 0 0 31000 31000 0 299718 216093 45341 38284 0 717852 517561 108595 91696 13493 9671 2071 1751 64628 45055 9516 10057 80404 58205 12744 9455 0 0 18822 18822 0 0 0 266922 238536 28386 162 162 5058 4336 617 105 19328 4544 14649 135 0 21910 15699 3117 3094 71753 65277 3638 2838 0 296 221 75 0 0 0 6965 5109 931 925 Events 75345 73986 31 1328 Other misc 17970 16467 844 659 Bank fees 9023 2381 6642 Printing and Publications 4418 3008 1410 6905 5787 1118 1731972 1313098 249302 169572 267184 211631 665580 384968 431907 469686 0 0 0 0 9668 7715 7017 7821 0 0 0 0 0 2500 2500 1383856 1084321 58946 77371 115455 161575 174401 238946 X 270640 272512 938815 572863 1209455 845375 1383856 1084321 X -373695 9615 X X false true X true false X 1213744 1181327 2573219 1063462 1339198 7370950 0 0 1213744 1181327 2573219 1063462 1339198 7370950 2945643 4425307 209 14834 19387 34430 0 336 336 7405716 84364 0.59760 0.68280 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED Conditional advance 129259 Payroll liability 32316 161575 X 1390521 12600 19644 32244 1358277 1358277 1754601 12600 10029 22629 1731972 1731972 Part X : FIN48 Footnote Income TaxesFinancial statement presentation follows the recommendations of ASC 740, Income Taxes. Under ASC 740, Save The Waves is required to report information regarding its exposure to various tax positions taken by Save The Waves and requires a two-step process that separates recognition from measurement. The first step is determining whether a tax position has met the recognition threshold; the second step is measuring a tax position that meets the recognition threshold. Management believes that Save The Waves has adequately evaluated its current tax positions and has concluded that as of December 31, 2025, Save The Waves does not have any uncertain tax positions for which a reserve or an accrual for a tax liability would be necessary.Save The Waves has received notification from the Internal Revenue Service and the State of California that it qualifies for tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and Section 23701d of the California Revenue and Taxation Code. The exemptions are subject to periodic review by the federal and state taxing authorities and management is confident that Save The Waves continues to satisfy all federal and state statutes in order to qualify for continued tax exemption status. Save The Waves may periodically receive unrelated business income (such as program advertising income) requiring Save The Waves to file separate tax returns under federal and state statutes. Under such conditions, Save The Waves calculates and accrues the applicable taxes. Part XI, Line 2d: Other revenue amounts included in F/S but not included on form 990 Change in unamortized discount $9615 Cost of Goods Sold $10029 Part XII, Line 2d: Other expenses and losses per audited F/S Cost of goods sold $10029 true Europe 0 2 Program Services Programmatic Ind. Contractors 21000 South America 0 1 Grants to recipients Programmatic subgrant 10000 South America 0 2 Program services Programmatic Ind. Contractors 19511 North America 0 2 Program services Programmatic Ind. Contractors 23000 Central America 0 2 Program Services Programmatic Ind Contractor 58661 Central America 0 0 Program Services Programmatic Expense & Travel 13515 Central America 0 2 Grants to Recipients Programmatic Subgrant 20000 North America 0 0 Program Services Programmatic Expense & Travel 17700 East Asia & Pacific 0 1 Grants to Recipients Programmatic subgrant 1000 East Asia & Pacific 0 1 Program Services Programmatic Ind. Contractors 35294 13 13 219681 219681 Central America Program subgrant 20000 Wire South America Program Subgrant 10000 Wire 1 1 Programmatic subgrant East Asia & Pacific 1 1000 wire false false false false false false Part I, Line 2 - Grantmakers Explanation For Monitoring Use of Funds Outside US Save The Waves holds regular meetings with the grantees. Periodic reporting by the grantees with detail of activities and financial reports is required. An option to audit the grantee is included in all grant agreements. Part I, Line 3f - Method of Accounting The accrual basis of accounting is followed for all grant and program disbursements. Part II, Line 1 - Method of Accounting The accrual basis of accounting is followed for all grant and program disbursements. Part III, Line 1 - Estimated Number of Recipients 1 false false false false false false false false false Nik Strong-Cvetich CEO 138697 4163 33359 176219 Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b Form 990 is prepared by an outside tax professional. The form is then reviewed by the organization's management. After a full review, the final version of the tax return is provided to all members of the organization's voting body. A representative of management authorizes the final form 990 which is then e-filed with the internal revenue service. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c Members of the Board of Directors review all potential conflicts of interest periodically. Top management and all Board members are required to disclose potential conflicts and any related party affiliations. The organization seeks full transparency on all relationships. Any potential conflicts (in fact or appearance) are discussed openly and resolved in accordance with the organization's policies and procedures. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15a Members of the board of directors review the compensation of all high-level personnel periodically in accordance with IRS rules and regulations. Efforts are made to secure compensation data from industry sources in order to determine competitiveness and appropriateness of salaries. Every effort is made to ensure that the process is thorough and transparent in accordance with IRS guidelines and the organization's policies and procedures. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15b Compensation of other personnel and highly compensated employees is reviewed periodically by members of management. Efforts are made to secure compensation data from industry sources in order to determine competitiveness and appropriateness of salaries and all related benefits. All decisions are then documented in personnel files. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 18 Tax returns are available for download from several websites and by request from the organization's office in Santa Cruz, California. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 All of the organization's governing documents, financial statements, and other legal filings are maintained in a secure environment and held available for inspection by tax authorities and the general public. Tax returns are posted annually to our website and to www.guidestar.org (where they are available for viewing as electronic copies) and are also available by request from the organization's office. Form 990, Part XI, Line 9 Change in discount on multi-year pledges = $9615 Form 990, Part XII, Line 2c Under the California Nonprofit Integrity Act, an exempt organization with annual revenue of $2 million or more is required to have an Audit Committee to select an audit Firm, review the audit, and approve the audit of its annual financial statements. Although Save The Waves is not subject to this requirement, the organization follows "Best Practices and subjects itself to an annual independent financial audit. The audited financial statements are prepared by a qualified and licensed independent audit firm. The audit report is reviewed and approved by the organization's management and the Board of Directors. Part XII Financial Statements and Reporting The net deficit shown in this years 990 is due to a multi-year accounting recognition rule. A three-year, $1,500,000 unrestricted grant was awarded in 2023. While the revenue was recognized in full in Year 1 in accordance with GAAP, the expenses associated with this grant have been recorded when the associated costs were incurred over the three-year grant period. This has created timing differences and mismatch of revenues and expenses. For this reason, expenditures exceeded revenues for the two most recent fiscal years. The organization is financially stable, and the operating deficit is not a reflection of cash flow problems or programmatic overages. Had the three-year grant been recognized under the cash basis method of accounting, net operating results would have shown revenues in excess of expenses of $126,305 for the year ended December 2025 and $51,782 for the year ended December 2024.