| (i) Name of supported organization | (ii) EIN | (iii) Type of organization (described on lines 1- 10 above (see instructions)) | (iv) Is the organization listed in your governing document? | (v) Amount of monetary support (see instructions) | (vi) Amount of other support (see instructions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | |||||
|
Total |
0 | |||||
| Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) | (a) 2021 | (b) 2022 | (c) 2023 | (d) 2024 | (e) 2025 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grant.") .. | 308,913 | 550,598 | 303,502 | 478,305 | 429,676 | 2,070,994 |
| 2 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf .... | 0 | |||||
| 3 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge.. | 0 | |||||
| 4 | Total. Add lines 1 through 3 | 308,913 | 550,598 | 303,502 | 478,305 | 429,676 | 2,070,994 |
| 5 | The portion of total contributions by each person (other than a governmental unit or publicly supported organization) included on line 1 that exceeds 2% of the amount shown on line 11, column (f) .. | 749,200 | |||||
| 6 | Public support. Subtract line 5 from line 4. | 1,321,794 | |||||
| Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) | (a) 2021 | (b) 2022 | (c) 2023 | (d) 2024 | (e) 2025 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Amounts from line 4.. | 308,913 | 550,598 | 303,502 | 478,305 | 429,676 | 2,070,994 |
| 8 | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources... | 21 | 5,735 | 11,750 | 77,439 | 224,630 | 319,575 |
| 9 | Net income from unrelated business activities, whether or not the business is regularly carried on.. | ||||||
| 10 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.).. | 975 | 5,160 | 10,950 | 18,241 | 1,439 | 36,765 |
| 11 | Total support. Add lines 7 through 10 | 2,427,334 | |||||
| Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) | (a) 2021 | (b) 2022 | (c) 2023 | (d) 2024 | (e) 2025 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grants.") | ||||||
| 2 | Gross receipts from admissions, merchandise sold or services performed, or facilities furnished in any activity that is related to the organization's tax-exempt purpose | ||||||
| 3 | Gross receipts from activities that are not an unrelated trade or business under section 513 ..... | ||||||
| 4 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf... | ||||||
| 5 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge | ||||||
| 6 | Total. Add lines 1 through 5 | ||||||
| 7a | Amounts included on lines 1, 2, and 3 received from disqualified persons | ||||||
| b | Amounts included on lines 2 and 3 received from other than disqualified persons that exceed the greater of $5,000 or 1% of the amount on line 13 for the year. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 7a and 7b.. | ||||||
| 8 | Public support. (Subtract line 7c from line 6.) | 0 | |||||
| Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) | (a) 2021 | (b) 2022 | (c) 2023 | (d) 2024 | (e) 2025 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Amounts from line 6 | ||||||
| 10a | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources | ||||||
| b | Unrelated business taxable income (less section 511 taxes) from businesses acquired after June 30, 1975 | ||||||
| c | Add lines 10a and 10b | ||||||
| 11 | Net income from unrelated business activities not included on line 10b, whether or not the business is regularly carried on. | ||||||
| 12 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.) .. | ||||||
| 13 | Total support. (Add lines 9, 10c, 11, and 12.).. | ||||||
| Section A - Adjusted Net Income | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
||||
| 1 | Net short-term capital gain | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Other gross income (see instructions) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Add lines 1 through 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Depreciation and depletion | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Portion of operating expenses paid or incurred for production or collection of gross income or for management, conservation, or maintenance of property held for production of income (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Other expenses (see instructions) | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Adjusted Net Income (subtract lines 5, 6 and 7 from line 4) | 8 | ||||
| Section B - Minimum Asset Amount | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
||||
| 1 | Aggregate fair market value of all non-exempt-use assets (see instructions for short tax year or assets held for part of year): | 1 | ||||
| a | Average monthly value of securities | 1a | ||||
| b | Average monthly cash balances | 1b | ||||
| c | Fair market value of other non-exempt-use assets | 1c | ||||
| d | Total (add lines 1a, 1b, and 1c) | 1d | ||||
| e |
Discount claimed for blockage or other factors (explain in detail in Part VI): |
|||||
| 2 | Acquisition indebtedness applicable to non-exempt use assets | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Subtract line 2 from line 1d | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Cash deemed held for exempt use. Enter 0.015 of line 3 (for greater amount, see instructions). | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Net value of non-exempt-use assets (subtract line 4 from line 3) | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Multiply line 5 by 0.035 | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Minimum Asset Amount (add line 7 to line 6) | 8 | ||||
| Section C - Distributable Amount | Current Year | |||||
| 1 | Adjusted net income for prior year (from Section A, line 8, Column A) | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Enter 85% of line 1 | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Minimum asset amount for prior year (from Section B, line 8, Column A) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Enter greater of line 2 or line 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Income tax imposed in prior year | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Distributable Amount. Subtract line 5 from line 4, unless subject to emergency temporary reduction (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| Section D - Distributions | Current Year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Amounts paid to supported organizations to accomplish exempt purposes | 1 | |
|
2
Amounts paid to perform activity that directly furthers exempt purposes of supported organizations, in excess of income from activity |
2 | |
| 3 Administrative expenses paid to accomplish exempt purposes of supported organizations | 3 | |
| 4 Amounts paid to acquire exempt-use assets | 4 | |
| 5 Qualified set-aside amounts (prior IRS approval required - provide details in Part VI) | 5 | |
| 6Total annual distributions. Add lines 1 through 5. | 6 | |
|
7
Distributions to attentive supported organizations to which the organization is responsive (provide details in Part VI). See instructions |
7 | |
| 8 Distributable amount for 2025 from Section C, line 6 | 8 | |
| 9 Line 7 amount divided by Line 8 amount | 9 | |
| Section E - Distribution Allocations (see instructions) |
(i) Excess Distributions |
(ii) Underdistributions Pre-2025 |
(iii) Distributable Amount for 2025 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Distributable amount for 2025 from Section C, line 6 | ||||
|
2
Underdistributions, if any, for years prior to 2025 (reasonable cause required-- explain in Part VI).
See instructions. |
||||
| 3 Excess distributions carryover, if any, to 2025: | ||||
| a From 2020....... | ||||
| b From 2021....... | ||||
| c From 2022....... | ||||
| d From 2023....... | ||||
| e From 2024....... | ||||
| fTotal of lines 3a through e | ||||
| g Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| h Applied to 2025 distributable amount | ||||
|
i
Carryover from 2020 not applied (see instructions) |
||||
| j Remainder. Subtract lines 3g, 3h, and 3i from line 3f. | ||||
| 4Distributions for 2025 from Section D, line 6: | ||||
| $ | ||||
| a Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| b Applied to 2025 distributable amount | ||||
| c Remainder. Subtract lines 4a and 4b from line 4. | ||||
|
5
Remaining underdistributions for years prior to 2025, if any. Subtract lines 3g and 4a from line 2. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
||||
|
6
Remaining underdistributions for 2025. Subtract lines 3h and 4b from line 1. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
||||
|
7 Excess distributions carryover to 2026. Add lines 3j and 4c. |
||||
| 8 Breakdown of line 7: | ||||
| a Excess from 2021..... | ||||
| b Excess from 2022..... | ||||
| c Excess from 2023..... | ||||
| d Excess from 2024..... | ||||
| e Excess from 2025..... | ||||
| Facts And Circumstances Test |
|---|
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Other Addl Info | Part II, Line 1 - Unusual Grants - 2023 - $500,000 and $106,885 - 2024 - $1,000,000 - 2025 - $1,000,000 |
| Pt II Ln 10 | Other Income Part II, Line 10 Description: Other Income 2021: 975. 2022: 5160. 2023: 10950. 2024: 18241. 2025: 1439. |
| Software ID: | 25022686 |
| Software Version: |
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Pt VI, Line 2 | James R. Spotila and John Spotila (Board Members) have a family relationship. Margaret Kruesi and James Spotila (Board Members) are married. |
| Pt VI, Line 11b | All voting members of the Governing Board receive a copy of Form 990 before it is filed. The 990 is then reviewed by the President, the Treasurer, and Audit Committee and the administrative assistant. |
| Pt VI, Line 19 | The Organization makes its governing documents and financial statements available to the public upon request during regular business hours. |
| Pt VI, Line 12c | The Organization annually requests information from officers, directors, and key employees concerning interests that could give rise to financial conflicts. |
| Other | Other: The Leatherback Trust IRS Form 990 Statement - Part III, Line 1: The Leatherback Trust (TLT) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation with offices in Fort Wayne, IN and San Jose, Costa Rica as well as field stations at Playa Grande and Playa Cabuyal, Costa Rica. Its mission is to protect the endangered leatherback turtle, other endangered sea turtles, and freshwater turtles from extinction through a variety of creative means. TLT was instrumental in the establishment and consolidation of Parque Marino Nacional Las Baulas (Las Baulas National Park) on Playa Grande, Playa Ventanas and Playa Langosta, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The Park protects the most important nesting beaches for the leatherback turtle in Central America. TLT participates in the acquisition of properties that are within the Park, in defending the integrity of the Park, and in stopping development and other activities that threaten the integrity of the Park and the survival of the leatherback turtle. TLT has developed a close working relationship with the Park Administration and the Natural Areas System (SINAC) of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MINAE), in order to protect the turtles and their nests from illegal activities and to enforce Park Regulations. Protection in the national park has improved considerably in the last few years. TLT also works with these other Costa Rican government agencies: Tempisque Conservation Area (ACT), Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), Servicio Nacional de Aguas Subterraneas, Riego y Avenamiento (SENARA), and Asociacion del Acueducto de Agua (ASADA). TLT also worked with the following Costa Rican NGOs: Instituto de Monteverde, Centro Cientifico Tropical de Puntarenas, Kuemar, Instituto de Oceanologia. Protecting the endangered leatherback in complicated and time-consuming. It involves carefully patrolling the most critical 3 miles of beach during the nesting season, which lasts from approximately October 15 through March 15. It involves measuring and tagging every nesting turtle, counting every egg laid, and removing to a guarded hatchery eggs from nests that are below the high-water line on the beach. It involves guarding every hatchling from predators, on their way into the Pacific Ocean. It involves measuring the temperature of nests during the 55-65 days it takes the eggs to hatch and making every effort to protect the nests from predators. It involves educating the Guanacaste community about the value of the turtles, their nests, and the life cycle of the East Pacific leatherback turtle, which has existed for over 100 million years. TLT has worked with the citizens of Guanacaste to align their economic interests with the preservation of Las Baulas National Park and the leatherback turtle. Although the number of nesting leatherbacks on Playa Grande has declined precipitously, it remains a primary or index beach for eastern Pacific leatherbacks. Four females nested there in 2024-2025, with an additional two leatherbacks nesting on the nearby secondary beach, Nombre de Jesus. Secondary nesting beaches, including our project further north on Playa Cabuyal, where we have collected data for 14 consecutive years, may be increasing in importance for leatherback nesting. The beach monitoring of The Leatherback Trust and the formation of the national park at Playa Grande during the 1990s stopped the poaching of leatherback eggs there. Over the next 20-25 years, tens of thousands of leatherback hatchlings returned successfully to the ocean, and we are now seeing young leatherback females return to these nesting beaches. Of the four females who nested in 2024-2025, three were new turtles, one was a re-migrant. Our data from temperature monitoring of the beach spans more than 30 years, and we have published scientific papers on the effects of global warming on sea turtle nesting. The past season had the lowest temperatures on record which favored production of males. The past season also brought extreme beach erosion following storms during the fall and early winter 2024. Keilor Corderos research on erosion on Playa Grande shows a loss of sand where leatherbacks formally nested in the south. Because we maintain a hatchery on the beach at Playa Grande, we were able to move leatherback nests, usually left in-situ on the beach, to our hatchery in 2025. They hatched successfully and would otherwise have been lost. TLT acquires significant goods and services locally and conducts English language and other education efforts in local communities. Our Community Outreach Manager worked with Las Baulas Park officials to develop a survey tool that meets Costa Ricas Blue Flag ecological standards for measuring trash in Las Baulas National Park and the beach now has Blue Flag Certification as does our field station. TLT co-sponsors the Baulas Festival in the Park with the neighboring community of Matapalo. As a result of support to local communities, poaching of eggs from nests within the Park has ended. Former poachers became ecotourism guides. TLT supports local pottery and other crafts throughout Guanacaste, funds research at several beaches outside of Playa Grande and Playa Ventanas and works in numerous other ways to build strong educational, economic and other relationships with the citizens of Costa Rica. TLT has expanded communications to Spanish speakers through translation of materials for a Spanish website www.leatherback.org/es, mirroring the original website in English. TLTs Dr. Bibi Santdrian Tomillo has developed a program of research and conservation on Playa Cabuyal north of Playa Grande. It is an important green turtle nesting beach and also hosts nesting leatherback turtles. TLT works with the Municipality of Liberia to help protect the beach for turtles and people. Research has indicated that the nearby waters host an important array of marine species and the land around Playa Cabuyal hosts numerous endangered species including jaguars. TLT continues to support a conservation project at El Jobo in northwest Costa Rica. TLT has also supported research on olive ridley turtles at Playa Ostional, a famous arribada beach and on eastern Pacific green turtles on beaches near Playa Grande. TLT has supported conservation of loggerhead turtles in Greece and leatherback and loggerhead turtles in South Africa and leatherback turtles in Vanuatu and New Zealand. It is now expanding its efforts in freshwater turtle conservation and continues research and conservation of turtles in the Philadelphia area. In 2013, TLT accepted a donation of 35 acres of land near Playa Grande that encompasses an important area of local dry forest down to the mangroves of the Tamarindo Estuary. TLT is developing a nature protection and education program for that land, now called the Murren Reserve that has a network of trails used for educational field trips of local students and students from the US. TLT maintains the Goldring-Gund Marine Biology Research Station at Playa Grande, which houses up to 24 researchers and volunteers safely in rustic but comfortable conditions. Several doctorates and masters degrees have been awarded for research at Playa Grande and other nearby beaches, and others are in progress, on topics including: the effects of nest temperature on the sex of turtles; the internesting paths of leatherback and other sea turtles; and the foraging areas of leatherback and other sea turtles. TLT hosted these US educational institutions at Goldring-Gund Station in 2025: Gatton Academy, Western Kentucky University, Bullis Charter School, and Purdue University at Fort Wayne. The Goldring-Gund Station is open to students year-round, so that high school and college students can conduct other research and learn conservation techniques involving other species when the leatherback turtle is not nesting. The protection of endangered species requires community outreach, and the formation of coalitions with other organizations. An active outreach program in Guanacaste, run by TLTs outreach manager, educates and mobilizes people, young and old, to care about and protect sea turtles. TLT also is a leader in a Costa Rica effort called Front for the Ocean, which advocates for protection of marine resources in Costa Rica. TLT has fostered communities throughout Guanacaste and Costa Rica enjoying the advantages of ecotourism. TLT works with the following ecotourism operators: WB Surf Camp, Tamarindo and Matapalo (ASOCAVE) tour guides, and Caravan Tours to include education on sea turtle conservation in their activities. TLT has supported improvements to the MINAE headquarters in Playa Grande. TLT also engages volunteer teams for local beach cleanups. TLT works with volunteers from CIEE, Veritas University and Have Fun Do Good to conduct beach cleanups at Playa Grande and Playa Ventanas. TLT also hires local residents of Matapalo to help in protection of the beach hatchery and in beach clean-up efforts. TLT supports legal efforts that have resulte |
| Software ID: | 25022686 |
| Software Version: |