Americans for a Clean Energy Grid Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
821765854
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
7037175592
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Energy Resources Conservation and Development

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,407,109
Expenses
$2,885,401
Assets
$1,532,382
Liabilities
$1,296,740

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • PATRICK HUGHES (PRESIDENT)
  • CHRISTINA HAYES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHRISTINA HAYES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $324,741 total reported compensation
  • BILL PARSONS (CHIEF ADVOCACY OFFICER): $125,998 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Aceg's mission is to educate stakeholders and the public to support policies and regulations favoring the expansion, modernization, and integration of the high-voltage electric transmission grid to achieve a clean energy economy - one that attains the scientifically-validated global objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.

What it reported doing in 2024

Policy engagement: aceg worked to advance transmission siting and permitting reforms by analyzing state and federal transmission permitting policies to find opportunities for improvement, helping stakeholders understand department of interior and other federal agency transmission permitting policies and implementation of federal backstop transmission siting provisions in the investment infrastructure and jobs act (iija) at department of energy (doe) and ferc, coordinating the work of a siting and permitting committee, and helping stakeholders understand transmission planning and permitting functions. Aceg submitted comments on multiple doe programs aimed at facilitating siting and permitting transmission lines. Aceg held meetings with ferc commissioners and staff to discuss aceg's recommendations about how the commission can advance transmission. Aceg submitted comments on ferc's backstop siting rule, doe's coordinated interagency transmission authorizations and permits program, doe's national interest electric transmission corridor designation process, doe's categorical exclusion and council on environmental quality national environmental policy act phase 2, rulemakings, and doe transmission financing programs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% 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.

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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 12
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 91.8%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: $94.03 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -19.9%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.53; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.85; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.6%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 40.8% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 34.6% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 35.6% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 91.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $325K · 12 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $860K reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.