American Association of Blacks in Energy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
840782569
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2023655843
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Minority Rights

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,420,254
Expenses
$4,739,691
Assets
$1,268,057
Liabilities
$1,859,934

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RALPH CLEVELAND (Former CEO)
  • THOMAS GRAHAM (INTERIM PRESIDENT/CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • CAMILLE J MOORE (SENIOR VP EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC POLICY): $158,713 total reported compensation
  • NATASHA FREEMAN (SENIOR VP OPERTIONS AND EVENTS): $129,992 total reported compensation
  • RALPH CLEVELAND (Former CEO): $87,198 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide direct input into the deliberations and developments of energy policies, regulations, emerging technologies, and environmental issues.

What it reported doing in 2025

Each year, aabe local chapters and the national office collaboratively administer a scholarship program designed to expand educational opportunities, cultivate future energy industry leaders, and support academic excellence among high school students. The program actively promotes scholarship opportunities to eligible students, with selection teams conducting a comprehensive review of applications from candidates who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, leadership potential, and a commitment to community impact. To remain eligible, scholarship recipients must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Following a rigorous and competitive evaluation process, the national scholarship committee awards scholarshps to deserving students from aabe's six regions. To further recognize exceptional accomplishment and a demonstrated interest in the energy industry, aabe presents a premier national scholarship award of $5,000 to the top-ranked recipient. This selected scholar may receive a renewable $5,000 annual award for up to four years, contingent upon continued compliance with all renewal requirements. Scholarship recipients are announced each spring and summer, with funds disbursed directly to accredited colleges or universities upon verification of enrollment.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 83% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 12
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 95.3%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -7.2%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.27; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.47; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.6%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.8% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.3% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 95.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $4.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $159K · 22 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.