Clean Wisconsin Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
391413448
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Madison, WI, USA
Phone
6082517020
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Pollution Abatement and Control Services

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,017,740
Expenses
$3,804,486
Assets
$6,556,390
Liabilities
$695,611

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARK REDSTEN (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • DAVID TIPSON (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARK REDSTEN (PRESIDENT & CEO): $168,736 total reported compensation
  • DAVID TIPSON (VICE PRESIDENT): $150,414 total reported compensation
  • KATHRYN NEKOLA (GENERAL COUNSEL): $143,059 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 protect and preserve Wisconsin's clean air, water, and natural heritage.

What it reported doing in 2025

Energy - working to increase the state's investment in energy efficient and renewable energy sources, thus reducing global warming gas emissions, by moving Wisconsin forward with the clean energy jobs act, increasing energy efficiency in Wisconsin, reducing Wisconsin's contribution to global warming, protecting Wisconsin from unsafe nuclear power plants and toxic waste, increasing renewable energy in Wisconsin, and stopping alliant energy's proposed coal plant. Today's innovative technologies combined with abundant Wisconsin resources, like wind and agriculture byproducts, offer an opportunity to create new jobs and economic activity with clean, efficient, and safe energy sources.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 87
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.7%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 83%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $19.76 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

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: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 25th 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: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 24.2%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.72; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21.7%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63.7% of revenue deployed · 83% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 17 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $3.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $169K · 22 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $126K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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.
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 58/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.