Environment Texas Research and Policy Center Inc

Overview

Mission

The corporation is organized exclusively for educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code. The corporation may engage in research, public education, and litigation to protect the environment and the people of Texas, including, but not limited to, the quality of Texas' air, water, and land.

What it reported doing in 2021

Public education and outreach services: recruiting volunteers, distributing educational literature, conducting surveys and discussing issues with the public reaching thousands citizens each year on the following issues: cleaning up our waterways by promoting solutions to contain polluted rain water run-off, banning toxic pesticides used in food production, working to reduce plastic waste by banning single use plastics and promoting 100% renewable energy strategies.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
562591697
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2021
Forms available
Form 990 2021
Headquarters
Austin, TX, USA
Phone
5124790388
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 51
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 78
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 45.3%; rating input score 45
  • Program expense ratio: 65.1%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 30.4%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -20.1% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.7% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -200% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 45.3% of revenue deployed · 65.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $147K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $81K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 annual filings from 2020 to 2021
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 31 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Sylvia Broude (Clerk, Director): $80,784 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2021.