Woodwell Climate Research Center Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Policy Relevant Research: Scientific excellence is the foundation for all of Woodwell Climate Research Center's activities, and distinguishes WCRC from other NGOs in the environmental sector. Through a holistic, multidisciplinary, applied, and team-focused approach, we seek to create breakthrough understanding of climate change impacts and solutions, for the purpose of informing sound environmental policies from the local to global scale. WCRC's research is focused on the land-climate connection - how changes in land use effect the climate system; how the changing climate is altering systems on land such as forests, ecosystems and agriculture; and what land-management strategies can harness the power of nature to slow climate change. Most of this research is conducted in the arctic and the tropics-critical regions where natural systems contain disproportionate shares of the planet's biodiversity and stored carbon, but where deforestation, agriculture, fire, and climatic warming place these assets at great risk.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 76.3%; rating input score 76
• Fundraising efficiency: $8.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Fail
  • Conducts field audits: Fail
  • May suspend future funding: Fail
  • Requires financial reports: Pass
  • Conducts site visits: Fail
  • Requires grant agreements: Pass
  • May require repayment: Fail
• Grant itemization coverage: 99.7%; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -43.7%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.6; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 10.3%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 15.1% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings