American Biogas Council
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 272221142
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2026406595
- Rating confidence
- Limited
- Sector
- Professional Societies, Associations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,869,178
- Expenses
- $5,362,344
- Assets
- $5,448,263
- Liabilities
- $3,938,747
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
44 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- PATRICK SERFASS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
People named in this filing
- BERNARD SHEFF (CHAIRMAN)
- PATRICK SERFASS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- BRYAN SIEVERS (CO VICE CHAIR)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The american biogas council is the voice of the us biogas industry dedicated to maximizing carbon reduction and economic growth using biogas systems. We represent more than 400 companies in all parts of the biogas supply chain who are leading the way to a better future by maximizing all the positive environmental and economic impacts biogas systems offer when they recycle organic material into renewable energy and soil products.
What it reported doing in 2024
American biogas council (abc) is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, in particular: (a) to promote, sponsor and engage in research and analysis in order to establish the need for, and the types of, research, public policy and activities required to advance the development and safe and efficient best use of anaerobic digestion technology for renewable energy and other nonenergy applications b) to promote, sponsor and engage in the development, dissemination and exchange of ideas, information and data, regarding the domestic and foreign manufacturing and use of anaerobic digestion technology for renewable energy and other nonenergy applications (c) to seek, receive, administer and disburse resources, including grants or other contributions, intended to advance the lawful purposes of the corporation (d) to hold meetings and provide a forum for discussion of subjects of interest to its members engaged in the manufacturing and use of anaerobic digestion technology (e) to organize trade shows to display and communicate information about the products and services of the anaerobic digestion industry (f) to maintain active communications between government organizations and producers and users of biomass resources and those engaged in related technology development, and between united states and international firms involved in anaerobic digestion technology (g) to exercise all the powers and authorities conferred on corporations organized under the act that are necessary or useful to effect any of the purposes for which the corporation is organized, subject to any applicable limitations in the laws of the district of columbia or these articles of incorporation.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 93% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.
The verdict
- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 64
- Sustainability: 51
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: Limited
- Program expense ratio: Limited
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 8.6%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.02; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.72; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 28.1% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 30.4% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
- Governance: 38 of 38 board members independent · 1 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 44 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $3.7M reported
- Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.