Galveston Bay Foundation Inc

“Form 990 is electronically distributed to the Board of Directors and is reviewed in detail with the finance and audit committee of the board prior to filing. The finance and audit committee reviews both the Form 990 and the independent annual audit and presents reports to the full Board of Directors.”

“All board members and key employees are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest and relationships via an annual disclosure statement and signed written conflict of interest policy. Management ensures that all board members and key employees complete and submit a signed disclosure and policy annually, and reviews the completed forms.”

“Board members reviewed outside data sources, Charity Navigator and the local United Way wages and benefits summary to determine reasonable compensation when the President was hired in 2004 and again when the President received his last salary increase in 2015.”

“Management reviewed multiple external data sources, Charity Navigator, and the local United Way wage and benefits survey to determine reasonable compensation for the CFO. The initial research was conducted by staff, with board members analyzing the data and deliberating to agree upon the CFO's final compensation amount.”

“Annual audited financial statements are available via the organization's website. All other documents are available upon request.”

“OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: GBFs research program focuses on monitoring some of Galveston Bays most valuable coastal resources. Several programs utilize trained citizen scientists to augment professional monitoring data and aid in watershed planning. GBFs Water Monitoring Program mobilizes trained volunteers in conducting monthly water quality sampling at specific locations around Galveston Bay, including a more specialized group who sample for Enterococcus bacteria. In 2018, GBF grew the Water Monitoring Team to 71 active volunteers at 64 locations and collected and analyzed 633 water quality samples and processed 488 bacteria samples. We also created a report highlighting water quality data findings and added bacteria data to Swim Guide, a website and app that informs swimmers of most recent bacteria levels throughout the U.S. and internationally. In partnership with the Environmental Institute of Houston at the University of Houston Clear Lake (EIH-UHCL), we conducted more than 30 boat-based surveys to monitor the bottlenose dolphin population in Galveston Bay. This resulted in the observation of over 150 dolphin sightings/groups with a total of more than 1,750 dolphins. We also trained 18 new citizen-science volunteers as dolphin research assistants and submitted the dolphin research programs first publication to a scientific journal: "Short-term effects of Hurricane Harvey on bottlenose dolphins in the upper Galveston Bay estuary". In addition to our own efforts, GBF also regularly advocates for the allocation of research dollars to the region to ensure the health of Galveston Bay and its users.”