Climate Policy Initiative Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 264129153
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2022–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-PF 2015
- Location
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- Phone
- 4152300791
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $22,537,930
- Expenses
- $20,637,486
- Assets
- $41,194,403
- Liabilities
- $6,165,841
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
16 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- BARBARA BUCHNER (GMD & ED, CLIMATE FINANCE): $409,410 total reported compensation
- JULIANO ASSUNCAO (ED, BRAZIL POLICY CENTER): $358,935 total reported compensation
- BELLA TONKONOGY (PROGRAM DIR., CLIMATE FINANCE): $227,271 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our mission is to help governments, businesses, and financial institutions drive economic growth while addressing climate change. Our vision is to build a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive global economy.
What it reported doing in 2024
Climate finance - known for tracking sustainable investment trends, identifying innovative business models, and supporting the solutions that can drive a transition to a low carbon, climate resilient economy. Cpi conducts the most comprehensive mapping of climate finance flows available and convenes public and private stakeholders to design and implement innovative financial instruments though the global innovation lab for climate finance. Cpi also works with governments, companies, investors, and foundations around the world to assess, test, and replicate their policies, programs, and investments. The work ensures that resources are spent as effectively as possible. 64 clients were served in 2024.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 86
- Transparency & Controls: 53
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 58
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 83.5%; rating input score 83
- Program expense ratio: 90.8%; rating input score 91
- Fundraising efficiency: $97.92 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- 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: 8.4%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 10.4%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 23.3% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 15.2% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 21.1% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 83.5% of revenue deployed · 90.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $18.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $409K · 16 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.9M reported
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 25 filed money-flow records
- 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.