Boat Company

The Boat Company is a nonprofit “eco-luxury” cruise line operating in Southeast Alaska, primarily within the Tongass National Forest. The primary purpose of the group is to educate tourists and to generate revenue for environmental conservation in the region. 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Issue Areas: Environmental Policy
Website: theboatcompany.org
President:

Hunter McIntosh

Location: Ponte Vedra, FL View on map
Tax ID: 92-0074462
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $3,015,609 Revenue: $7,696,387 Expenses: $7,511,772

Contents

    The Boat Company claims to be the only nonprofit cruise company in the world. A cabin for a seven-day cruise on one of The Boat Company’s ships starts at $11,900 as of September 2024, according to CruiseCritic. 2 3

    Background

    The Boat Company is a nonprofit “eco-luxury” cruise company that operates in Alaska. The group offers cruises that sail through the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska, and it claims to be the only nonprofit cruise line in the world.  1

    Part of the mission of The Boat Company is environmental conservation. To that end, the company claims to take part in environmental conservation advocacy in the U.S. Congress, as well as environmental education for tourists as part of the cruise program. 4

    The McIntosh Foundation is a closely related organization. 5 The McIntosh Foundation is a private foundation focused on environmental issues, education, and religious activities. The foundation’s net assets were over $41 million in 2023. The foundation was established by William McIntosh. According to Inside Philanthropy, “[t]hose without a personal connection to the family will either need to network or look elsewhere for support.” 6 7

    The Boat Company partners with Orvis, Visit Sitka Alaska, and Travel Juneau. 1

    Activities

    The main activity of The Boat Company is providing “eco-luxury” cruises through the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. The company operates two ships, typically conducting week-long tours through Southeast Alaska. A cabin for the cruise starts at $11,900, with the cost being $18,000 for a single-occupancy cabin, according to a 2024 report by CruiseCritic. 1 3

    According to The Boat Company, the organization has funded “every major environmental lawsuit to protect the Tongass for the past 40 years—either from our organization or in partnership with other foundations.” Additionally, the group claims to have invested over $30 million in conservation efforts in Alaska. 8

    Other revenue sources include seasonal sponsorships, such as naming rights to a skiff for $5,000 or a kayak for $300. 8

    Funding

    In 2023, The Boat Company reported $6,465,520 in revenue, $6,830,770 in expenses, and $3,037,029 in total assets. 9

    The McIntosh Foundation contributed $1.5 million in 2021, $1.5 million in 2020, $500,000 in 2019, $506,992 in 2018, $500,000 in 2017, $500,000 in 2016, and $258,000 in 2015. 10

    In 2017, the Community Foundation For Palm Beach and Martin Counties gave $42,220 and $25,000 in 2015 to The Boat Company. 11

    People

    Hunter McIntosh is the president and executive director of The Boat Company. McIntosh has been a trustee of the McIntosh Foundation since 1992, and a trustee at ClientEarth since 2016. Michael McIntosh, the father of Hunter McIntosh, founded The Boat Company with his wife. 12 13

    Amber McIntosh is a senior vice president of The Boat Company. 14

    Michael McIntosh was the founder of The Boat Company, as well as the founder of ClientEarth. He served on the board of the Earth Justice Legal Defense Fund, as well as being the director of the McIntosh Foundation. 15

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $3,015,609 $7,696,387 $7,511,772 View
    2023 $3,037,029 $6,465,520 $6,830,770 View
    2022 $3,159,684 $6,583,013 $5,847,985 View
    2021 $2,873,656 $3,351,629 $2,450,350 View
    2020 $1,854,668 $1,043,453 $2,696,246 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 55

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Hunter H McIntoshPresident$302,437
    Winsome D McIntoshVice President$290,120
    George GerkenVP of Operations$264,263
    Scott B WipffEngineer$138,340
    James E JeffersonCaptain$137,117
    Amber McIntoshSenior VP$129,167
    Henry B Lewis-WipffEngineer$128,948
    Edward R Titcomb IIITreasurer$5,000
    Liz Sutherland-RineyVice President$5,000
    Thu Pham JeffersonSecretary$5,000

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $7,086,901
    • Number of Grants: 45
    • Number of Funders: 23

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $1,772,4562025 Mcintosh FoundationEnvironmental
    $1,500,0002021 Mcintosh FoundationEnvironmental
    $750,0002024 Mcintosh FoundationEnvironmental
    $10,0002025 National Philanthropic TrustEDUCATION
    $10,0002024 The Greenberg FoundationSUPPORT OF CHARITABLE MISSION
    $2,0002024 Rodman FoundationGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $1,0002021 Minneapolis Foundationgeneral operating support
    $1,0002020 Minneapolis Foundationgeneral operating support
    $5002022 Minneapolis Foundationgeneral operating support

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $45,000
    • Number of Grants: 3
    • Number of Recipients: 3

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $25,0002020 The Discovery School of Jacksonville IncEnvironmental education
    $10,0002023 Guide Relief ProgramEducation
    $10,0002020 Seminole Boosters IncEducation

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “About.” The Boat Company. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://theboatcompany.org/about/#mission-anchor.
    2. [1] “About.” The Boat Company. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://theboatcompany.org/about/#mission-anchor.
    3. All about an Alaska cruise with the Boat Company. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/the-boat-company-in-alaska-what-its-like.
    4. “ About.” The Boat Company. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://theboatcompany.org/about/#mission-anchor.
    5. “The Boat Company,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Schedule R.
    6. “McIntosh Foundation,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990 PF) 2023. Page 2 Part III.
    7. Staff, IP. “McIntosh Foundation.” Inside Philanthropy, December 3, 2024. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant-places/illinois-grants/mcintosh-foundation.
    8.  “Foundation.” The Boat Company. Accessed May 18, 2025. https://theboatcompany.org/foundation/#impact-anchor.
    9. “The Boat Company,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Page 1 Part I Lines 12, 18, and 20.
    10. “McIntosh Foundation,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990 PF) 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Page 11 Part XIV.
    11.  “Community Foundation For Palm Beach and Martin Counties,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2015 and 2017. Schedule I.
    12. “Hunter McIntosh.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 18, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterhartfordmcintosh/.
    13. “About.” The Boat Company. Accessed May 18, 2025. https://theboatcompany.org/about.
    14. [1] “About.” The Boat Company. Accessed May 18, 2025. https://theboatcompany.org/about.
    15. Writer, Staff. “Michael Allan McIntosh, Founder of Clientearth and the Boat Co., Dies.” Palm Beach Daily News, September 24, 2016. https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/story/news/local/2016/09/24/michael-allan-mcintosh-founder-clientearth/9655194007/.