THE WETLANDS INSTITUTE Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE WETLANDS INSTITUTE

EIN 23-7046783 · Health Care (E)

What they do

THE MISSION of THE WETLANDS INSTITUTE is to PROMOTE APPRECIATION, UNDERSTANDING and STEWARDSHIP of WETLAND and COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS THROUGH PROGRAMS IN RESEARCH, CONSERVATION and EDUCATION.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $73.00 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2025The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders17 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

32.50%of revenue went to mission work73.0% of expenses · Program services

3.59%of revenue went to fundraising8.1% of expenses

$44.52spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

8.43%of revenue went to management and office costs18.9% of expenses

$4.18in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

87.2%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $206,569 for LENORE TEDESCO (EXECUTIVE DI). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2025

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$6,688,462

Mission workProgram services$2,173,78432.50% of revenue73.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$563,9838.43% of revenue18.9% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$240,2363.59% of revenue8.1% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$3,710,45955.48% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$2,978,00344.52% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2025CurrentExpense mix: 73.0% mission · 18.9% management · 8.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 44.52% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 72.9% mission · 15.1% management · 12.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 82.91% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 75.8% mission · 16.6% management · 7.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.50% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 78.9% mission · 17.5% management · 3.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.08% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 78.5% mission · 17.9% management · 3.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 72.13% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 78.7% mission · 18.1% management · 3.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 74.67% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 76.8% mission · 16.8% management · 6.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 56.49% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 76.2% mission · 14.3% management · 9.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 57.70% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$6,688,462

Expenses$2,978,003

Annual surplus $3,710,459 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$2,173,784 · 73.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$563,983 · 18.9% of expenses

Fundraising$240,236 · 8.1% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$6,688,462

Expenses$2,978,003

Assets$12,452,055

Income$7,617,321

Contributions$5,834,060

Mission work (program services)$2,173,784

Fundraising$240,236

Management and general$563,983

Stocks and bonds$6,382,087

Accounting fees$17,650

Investing fees$40,573

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2025

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

LENORE TEDESCOEXECUTIVE DI · 40 hrs/week $206,569

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (17)

LENORE TEDESCOEXECUTIVE DI

LITTENBERG LINDATRUSTEE

WHITE III FRANCIS JTRUSTEE

WERMUTH WILLSECRETARY

WELSH AMYTRUSTEE

TULLIS JOHNTRUSTEE

THOMAS LIZTRUSTEE

MORRIS JEANTRUSTEE

MILLAR JOHNTRUSTEE

MCALLISTER MARGARETTRUSTEE

ANNIE BULICHNEYCHAIR

HAYS DEBORAHVICE CHAIR

HANKOWSKY BILLTRUSTEE

FLYNN JOHNTRUSTEE

DONOHUE JAMESTRUSTEE

CLAY TIMOTHYTRUSTEE

BURKE RAYMONDTREASURER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1969
Location: 1075 STONE HARBOR BLVD, STONE HARBOR, NJ 082471424
County: Cape May
In care of: BURKE RAYMOND
Primary officer: BURKE RAYMOND, TREASURER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(609) 368-1211

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: FITZPATRICK BONGIOVANNI & KELLY PC
NTEE classification: Health Care (E)
IRS tax category: Health Care