Conservation Law Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

Healthy & resilient communities: for 50 years clf has fought to create healthy communities for people across new england. It is how we made our name: returning a clean boston harbor to the people and connecting more of us to reliable public transportation. Creating healthy communities that are resilient in the face of climate impacts means putting people and their well-being at the center of our work. That's why we help to create affordable neighborhood housing developments close to open space, healthy food, and public transit. It's why we push for a strong, local food economy regionwide. And it's why we work to make sure people and communities can bounce back from the extreme weather climate change is already bringing to our neighborhoods. Resilience to extreme heat and flooding, safety from hazards like lead and mold, affordable and stable housing, access to healthy and budget-friendly food - these factors and more affect individual health. Collectively, they can add up to greater burdens community-wide, furthering the structural injustices and inequities facing communities of color and people from lower-income neighborhoods. Clf is working to change that script, building on our core strengths, from legislative advocacy to legal watchdog. It also lets us use newer tools, including innovative impact investment strategies and community-based research that centers resident input and direction. Working with community, business, and philanthropic partners, we are transforming systems, markets, and laws to innovate better solutions to advance human and environmental health and resilience.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 98.8%; rating input score 99
• Program expense ratio: 81.8%; rating input score 82
• Fundraising efficiency: $7.92 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 99.8%; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 95.8%; rating input score 96; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -18.3%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.76; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 7.1%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 13.1% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings