THE WEST MARIN FUND Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE WEST MARIN FUND

EIN 27-4102086 · Community Foundations (T31)

What they do

MISSION: WEST MARIN FUND is A COMMUNITY FOUNDATION THAT INSPIRES GIVING and MOBILIZES RESOURCES to ENHANCE THE LONG-TERM WELLBEING and QUALITY of LIFE for ALL IN COASTAL WEST MARIN.OUR ACTIVITIES:WEST MARIN FUND PROVIDES GRANTS and TRAINING for LOCAL NONPROFITS, and CONVENES KEY STAKEHOLDERS to HELP IDENTIFY and FUND BALANCED SOLUTIONS to CHALLENGES FACING PEOPLE WHO LIVE, WORK and VISIT IN WEST MARIN.THE FUND SERVES THE WEST MARIN COASTAL AREA, FROM MUIR BEACH IN THE SOUTH to DILLON BEACH IN THE NORTH, and THE CONTIGUOUS RANCH LANDS. THE AREA INCLUDES THE 11 UNINCORPORATED VILLAGES of MUIR BEACH, STINSON BEACH, BOLINAS, OLEMA, INVERNESS, INVERNESS PARK, POINT REYES STATION, MARSHALL, DILLON BEACH, NICASIO, and TOMALES.THE FUND is A 501(C)(3) CALIFORNIA PUBLIC BENEFIT NONPROFIT CORPORATION. ALL DONATIONS to THE WEST MARIN FUND ARE FULLY TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $95.70 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 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

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

They name their leaders11 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

99.29%of revenue went to mission work95.7% of expenses · Program services

2.15%of revenue went to fundraising2.1% of expenses

$103.70spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

2.26%of revenue went to management and office costs2.2% of expenses

$1.90in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

94.9%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.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $125,282 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $176,215 for SARAH HOBSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). 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 2024

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$3,387,977

Mission workProgram services$3,363,76599.29% of revenue95.7% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$76,5732.26% of revenue2.2% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$72,9212.15% of revenue2.1% of expenses

Total expenses$3,513,259103.70% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

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

2024CurrentExpense mix: 95.7% mission · 2.2% management · 2.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 103.70% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 94.6% mission · 3.2% management · 2.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.30% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 91.4% mission · 4.7% management · 3.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 72.58% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 89.9% mission · 6.7% management · 3.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 88.55% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 85.8% mission · 10.5% management · 3.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 118.04% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 88.3% mission · 8.7% management · 3.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 67.52% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 87.2% mission · 8.3% management · 4.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 48.93% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 84.0% mission · 8.9% management · 7.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 70.06% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$3,387,977

Expenses$3,513,259

Annual shortfall $125,282 Expenses were higher than revenue 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)$3,363,765 · 95.7% of expenses

Management and office costs$76,573 · 2.2% of expenses

Fundraising$72,921 · 2.1% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$3,387,977

Expenses$3,513,259

Assets$6,676,958

Income$3,387,977

Contributions$3,214,017

Mission work (program services)$3,363,765

Fundraising$72,921

Grants given$8,530,241

Average grant$32,312

Management and general$76,573

Stocks and bonds$6,456,917

Accounting fees$42,454

Investing fees$13,207

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

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

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

SARAH HOBSONEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $176,215Base $168,215 · Other $8,000

VALERIA BRABATA GONZALEZDIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS AND IMPACT · 40 hrs/week $123,866Base $115,788 · Other $8,078

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 (11)

SARAH HOBSONEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

VALERIA BRABATA GONZALEZDIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS AND IMPACT

AMATE PEREZDIRECTOR

ARIANNE DARDIRECTOR

CATHERINE KINGDIRECTOR

DAVID LAWRENCETREASURER

JOHN CASAUDOUMECQFINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR

MARCIA BARINAGASECRETARY

MARIA NIGGLEDIRECTOR

MILLICENT BOGERTCHAIR

SUSAN BYRDAUDIT COMMITTEE CHAIR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2011
Location: PO BOX 1496, POINT REYES STATION, CA 94956
County: Marin
In care of: SUZANNE TAN
Primary officer: SUZANNE TAN, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@westmarinfund.org Phone(415) 663-9733

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: NOVOGRADAC & COMPANY LLP
NTEE classification: Community Foundations (T31)
IRS tax category: Community Foundations
Grant-giving organization: Yes