Cascade Backcountry Alliance

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
352780403
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2024
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
4155174584
Rating
47
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,933
Expenses
$1,204
Assets
$45,372

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Corinne Handelman (President)
  • Will Russack (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • Corinne Handelman (President)
  • Will Russack (Vice President)
  • Tony Cannistra (Sectretary)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to protect and improve access for winter backcountry users in the Pacific Northwest. Cascade Backcountry Alliance has routinely advocated on behalf of backcountry users in the Pacific Northwest by putting out information on ski area parking changes maintaining a blog and partnering with Forest Service partners on a variety of projects to ensure and expand backcountry access within the region.

What it reported doing in 2025

Cascade Backcountry Alliance continues to partner with Forest Service Partners to push for increased access in critical areas. An example of this is discussions around how to sustainably and reliably open the PCT North Trailhead in the winter for backcountry recreation users given the high demand and limited parking at Snoqualmie pass.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 21
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 12.5%; rating input score 12
  • Program expense ratio: 37.4%; rating input score 37

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 82.6%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 37.68; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 12.5% of revenue deployed · 37.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 2 filed program accomplishments · $450 in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 12/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 37/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.