Acadia Center

What it reported doing in 2025

Climate Policy and Solutions: Every program and project at Acadia Center touches on climate policy and solutions. Climate Policy represents a dedicated set of activities specifically focused on addressing opportunities for states and the region to achieve overarching climate targets, which require deep, economy-wide decarbonization and phaseout of the use of fossil fuels. Program area activities include engaging with states on comprehensive climate planning studies, modeling, and energy system strategies. This work advances long-term, "big picture thinking," which is needed to ensure that comprehensive and cohesive strategies for decarbonizing entire economies are considered. Climate Policy includes work in Acadia Center's CLEAN-E Analysis team. It embraces three project areas that are essential to the achievement of near- and long-term climate targets at a state and regional level: 1) CLEAN-E/Analysis; 2) Fossil Fuel Phase-Out, and 3) State and Regional Climate Policies, which includes work on programs that set binding caps on emissions (e.g., RGGI, cap-and-invest). In addition, Acadia Center has released "Rapid Response" materials addressing claims made about the costs of clean energy. We issue topical Explainers and related public information on clean energy policy, events and technologies.Climate, Energy, and Equity Analysis (CLEAN-E): Acadia Center develops analytic materials and independent, thought-leading recommendations across various clean energy and climate issues. Work products created by our Climate, Energy, and Equity Analysis program include 1) comprehensive, proactive reports, 2) analytically focused comments to government agencies and filings with regulatory bodies, and 3) rapid response offense/defense analysis. In recent years, we have produced groundbreaking reports about building electrification, the RGGI program, and issues around claims for clean fuels. Work performed in 2025 includes comprehensive assessments of energy affordability and benefits of energy efficiency and clean energy; ways that solar and clean energy saved billions of dollars during periods of high heat; and detailed information on energy burden.Fossil Fuel Phase-Out: To meet climate goals, the region must almost entirely phase out its use of fossil gas, commonly referred to as natural gas and other fossil fuels. Acadia Center seeks to replace fossil gas with clean energy alternatives in electricity production, building heating, and transportation. This conversion necessarily requires the downsizing and decommissioning fossil fuel infrastructure and supply chain networks, such as gas distribution system transition. This project advances proposals to level the playing field for renewables and efficient electric technologies and shrink the reliance on fossil fuels across the region and all program areas. As the electric sector faces an approaching need to develop and deploy dispatchable, emissions-free resources (DEFR) such as long-duration storage, green hydrogen, and other potential resources, Acadia Center is engaging closely on the question of how to address reliability and resource adequacy role currently served by fossil fuels, including reliance on dual-fuel oil/gas and LNG resources for winter reliability. We provided comments and recommendations related to the Everet LNG terminal and participated in discussed in Massachusetts related to the role of natural gas. Our staff intervened in Future of Gas proceedings in various states.State and Regional Climate Policies: Since its inception, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has been a primary focus of Acadia Center helping to shape the design, implementation, and evolution of this important regional program to address power plant emissions. RGGI is undergoing its third program review, and we continue to lead the charge to improve RGGI and address pollution in communities suffering high asthma rates and a legacy of fossil fuel pollution. Acadia Center advocacy focuses on stre

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 88.3%; rating input score 88
• Fundraising efficiency: $5.41 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Fail
  • Conducts field audits: Fail
  • May suspend future funding: Fail
  • Requires financial reports: Fail
  • Conducts site visits: Fail
  • Requires grant agreements: Pass
  • May require repayment: Fail
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Fail
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -170.1%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.02; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 25.8%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings