Charities United States Environment Living Coast Discovery Center
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Living Coast Discovery Center

We inspire the community to connect with and care for our coastal environment. Our vision is a thriving natural coast through engaged conservation. Our mission is served through …

Environment Chula Vista, CA EIN 330750177 · IRS Sign up to see website
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89
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
89/100 · methodology

About Living Coast Discovery Center

Discover wildlife on San Diego Bay! The Living Coast is a nonprofit zoo & aquarium located in Chula Vista, CA. 10 minutes south of Downtown.

Founded
Headquarters
Chula Vista, CA
Foundation type
Supporting organization (509(a)(3))
NTEE code
C123
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 1997

Mission

We inspire the community to connect with and care for our coastal environment. Our vision is a thriving natural coast through engaged conservation. Our mission is served through programs such as the living lab field trip, immersing students in outdoor exploration and their natural surroundings on the sd bay national wildlife refuge.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
🌿 Environment · NTEE C123
Cause tags

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar environment in United States
Program spending This charity: 0%
Peer average: 0%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 6.26%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 89
Peer average: 89

Red flags

· All clear
IRS revocation history
Open investigations
Governance scandals
Related-party deals
Excessive exec comp

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Living Coast Discovery Center is a registered environment nonprofit based in Chula Vista, CA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 2002 and has been operating for 24 years. Its EIN is 330750177. It has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 89/100 (Strong transparency), indicating well-documented governance, financials, and contact details. The organization reports $2M in annual revenue. 30 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Living Coast Discovery Center has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 89/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 89 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for environment charities in United States is 89/100.

Living Coast Discovery Center is located in Chula Vista, CA, United States. The organization was established in 2002 and has been active for 24 years.

Based on official tax filings, Living Coast Discovery Center has $2M in annual revenue. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Living Coast Discovery Center is classified as a Environment organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Supporting organization (509(a)(3)). It has $2M in annual revenue. The organization has 30 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Living Coast Discovery Center. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

Living Coast Discovery Center has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 89/100 (Strong transparency) and no red flags have been detected, which suggests it is a well-documented organization. It is regulated by the IRS. You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research purposes and does not endorse any organization. Always do your own due diligence.

Discover wildlife on San Diego Bay! The Living Coast is a nonprofit zoo & aquarium located in Chula Vista, CA. 10 minutes south of Downtown. Living Coast Discovery Center is classified as a environment organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 2002.

Among environment charities registered in United States: Living Coast Discovery Center's GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 89/100 is in line with the peer average of 89/100. Its annual revenue of $2M is comparable to the peer average of $2M.

Yes, donations to Living Coast Discovery Center are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Living Coast Discovery Center is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 330750177, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Verified against 4 official sources, last refreshed .

Annual revenue
$1M-$10M
0% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2025) why this matters
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Filing history

6 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2025): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2025, FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Leadership

BE
Benedict Vallejos
Executive Director

Officers & trustees (11)

Source: Public filings

BE
Benedict V•••••••
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
BO
Bob K•••••••••
Chairman
BO
Bob K••••••
Vice Chair
CH
Christopher L••••
Chairman
KE
Kendall H•••
Vice Chair
KY
Kyle S•••••
Director
LO
Lori T••••
Interim Exec Directo
RI
Risa B••••
Director
SA
Sam C••••••
Treasurer
SA
Sara G•••••
Secretary
SU
Susan F•••••
Director
Full names, contact details & compensation

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$2.1M revenue
FY2025
IRS_990
Form filed
$2.2M revenue
FY2024
IRS_990
Form filed
$2.6M revenue
FY2023
IRS_990
Form filed
$3.4M revenue
FY2022
IRS_990
Form filed
$2.3M revenue
FY2021
IRS_990
Form filed
$1.8M revenue
FY2020
IRS_990

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Peer charities

Other environment in United States, by integrity assessment

Charity Score Revenue Program %
Living Coast Discovery Center This page 89 $2.1 million -
Friends of Casco Bay 89 $1.3 million -
Drive Clean Colorado 89 $1.3 million -
Chesapeake Climate Action Network 89 $4.0 million -
Jackson Hole Land Trust 89 $7.9 million -
Citizens for Pennsylvanias Future 89 $3.2 million -
Huron River Watershed Council 89 $5.1 million -
Climate Action Reserve 89 $5.8 million -
Alaska Conservation Foundation 89 $8.0 million -

Sources and verification

Refreshed

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2025 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 30 disclosed in the public registry.
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
May 27, 2026
Profile completeness
90%

What we don't know

Honest gaps - our score reflects transparency, not impact

Programs & projects
No named programs listed by the charity
Operating reach
Countries where programs run not specified

Methodology

GiveRadar combines public registry filings, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and news archives into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Quick facts about Living Coast Discovery Center

What is Living Coast Discovery Center?
Living Coast Discovery Center is a environment supporting organization (509(a)(3)) based in Chula Vista, United States. Discover wildlife on San Diego Bay! The Living Coast is a nonprofit zoo & aquarium located in Chula Vista, CA. 10 minutes south of Downtown.
When was Living Coast Discovery Center founded?
Living Coast Discovery Center was founded in 2002.
Who leads Living Coast Discovery Center?
Benedict Vallejos serves as Executive Director.
Where is Living Coast Discovery Center located?
Headquartered in Chula Vista, United States.
What is Living Coast Discovery Center's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately $1M-$10M. 0% of expenses go to program services.
Is Living Coast Discovery Center trustworthy?
Living Coast Discovery Center has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 89 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Living Coast Discovery Center's registration number?
IRS EIN: 330750177.
What is Living Coast Discovery Center's website?
http://www.thelivingcoast.org