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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: April 2026 Expires: April 2028

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards
(888) 728-3229
6 Herndon Avenue
Annapolis, MD, 21403
https://cbf.org/
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Chesapeake Bay Foundation meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to save the Bay and its waterways by educating, uniting, and inspiring people to take action."

Year, State Incorporated:
1966, MD

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) programs are designed to restore the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. CBF's environmental and protection restoration department's primary objective is to improve the health of the Bay as measured by CBF's Bay Health Index, including reducing pollution and creating better-managed fisheries. According to the organization, restoration work involves developing and recommending priorities for CBF's policy efforts, engaging its members, and implementing restoration elements of its strategic plan. CPF's education department is responsible for leading students, teachers, and adults across the region in hands-on, on-the-water, environmental education experiences about the Bay. The organization's communications department aims to market CBF and its policy agenda, educate and engage the public, and mobilize support for the Bay's restoration efforts. Some ($2,030,953 or 7%) of CBF's program activities is carried out in conjunction with fundraising appeals.

For the year ended June 30, 2025, Chesapeake Bay Foundation's program expenses were:

Environmental protection and restoration $17,562,866
Environmental education $8,720,433
Strategic communications $3,740,154
Total Program Expenses $30,023,453

Chief Executive
Hilary Harp Falk, President and Chief Executive Officer

Compensation*
$390,590

Chair of the Board
Ann Pelham

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Retired, Former Publisher, Legal Times

Board Size
31

Paid Staff Size
212

*2023 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Cause-related marketing (affinity credit cards, consumer product sales, etc.), Membership appeals, Workplace Giving

CBF incurred joint costs of $3,121,126 for informational materials and activities that included fundraising materials. Of those costs $2,030,953 was allocated to program expenses and $1,090,173 was allocated to fundraising expenses.

Fundraising costs were 16% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $27,616,566, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Chesapeake Bay Foundation's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025.

Source of Funds
Grants and gifts $21,299,963
Membership contributions $6,083,573
Investment distribution $4,063,942
Investment income and distributions, net $3,029,376
Other income $1,353,660
Education contracts and tuition $578,596
In-kind contributions $233,030
Gain on sale of property and equipment $300
Total Income $36,642,440

Programs: 80% Fundraising: 12% Administrative: 8%

Total Income $36,642,440
Total expenses: $37,590,311
  Program expenses $30,023,453
  Fundraising expenses $4,470,775
  Administrative expenses $3,096,083
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $-947,871
Beginning Net Assets $123,142,275
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $122,194,404
Total Liabilities $5,745,753
Total Assets $127,940,157

Note: According to the CBF's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025, the organization received in-kind contributions totaling $233,030 in the form of other services ($90,473), staff time ($53,318), goods ($46,638), and advertising ($42,601).

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance