ChemFORWARD Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
333998122
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
San Franscisco, CA, USA
Phone
9194527157
Rating
55
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Chemistry, Chemical Engineering

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,364,039
Expenses
$5,336
Assets
$2,487,308
Liabilities
$1,128,605

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

Leadership & pay

2 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Stacy Glass (President & CEO)

People named in this filing

  • Stacy Glass (President & CEO)
  • Bruce Green (Treasurer)

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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

ChemFORWARD unites businesses, governments, and NGOs who share a common vision: A world where all chemicals are vetted before use so that no more hazardous chemicals enter circulation, and existing hazardous chemicals can be systematically drawn down and replaced with verified safer alternatives, and ultimately sustainable chemistry.

What it reported doing in 2025

CHEMFORWARD'S MISSION IS TO BE THE MOST TRUSTED SOURCE FOR ACTIONABLE CHEMICAL HAZARD INFORMATION THAT EMPOWERS SUPPLIERS, MANUFACTURERS, AND BRANDS ACROSS ALL SECTORS TO CREATE PRODUCTS THAT ARE SAFE FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. THE MISSION IS REALIZED BY COLLABORATING WITH THE VALUE CHAIN TO PROVIDE COST EFFICIENT ACCESS TO VERIFIED, ACTIONABLE CHEMICAL HAZARD INFORMATION THAT ENABLES BETTER CHEMISTRY IN PRODUCT DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING. IN THE LANDSCAPE OF MATERIAL HEALTH AND SAFER CHEMISTRY INITIATIVES, CHEMFORWARD SUPPORTS ORGANIZATIONS DEVELOPING CHEMICAL GUIDELINES (RETAILERS, BRANDS, NGOS, CERTIFIERS) THAT PROVIDE TRUSTED EVIDENCE BASED SAFER PRODUCTS. The Chemical Hazard Data Trust exisits to manage, maintain, and grow a centralized repository of comprehensive chemical hazard data accessible by subscription, API, custom reports and custom applications. The SAFER programs helps suppliers communicate trusted, third-party, verified claims on their trade name material.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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 voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 31
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 53
  • Sustainability: 87
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 0.4%; rating input score 0
  • Program expense ratio: 93.7%; rating input score 94
  • 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: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 50%; rating input score 50; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: 99.6%; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 466.14; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.45; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

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

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0.4% of revenue deployed · 93.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 2 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 2 people listed
  • Consistency: 15 of 16 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.