ClimateWorks Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 262303250
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2016–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- Phone
- 4154330500
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Fund Raising and Fund Distribution
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $350,641,228
- Expenses
- $317,281,654
- Assets
- $533,132,275
- Liabilities
- $91,779,301
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
26 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- HELEN MOUNTFORD (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
- LINDSEY ALLEN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CLUA)
Highest reported compensation
- HELEN MOUNTFORD (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $703,584 total reported compensation
- SHAWN REIFSTECK (MANAGING DIRECTOR): $584,933 total reported compensation
- IRENE KIM (VP, PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERSHIPS): $560,280 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
ClimateWorks Foundation connects funders and implementers to build and scale durable climate solutions. Value beyond the grant** : We hope that grantees benefit from their relationship with ClimateWorks beyond receiving financial support. In addition to funds to support their work, when possible, grantees will also have access to non-monetary support, such as activities and relationships that ClimateWorks facilitates. Living up to these commitments Delivering on our commitments to grantees is an ongoing effort. ClimateWorks continually evaluates and updates our policies and practices based on ongoing learning and feedback. Review insights from ClimateWorks’ 2024 Grantee Perception Report.
What it reported doing in 2024
See schedule o
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 77% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 88
- Transparency & Controls: 78
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 65
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 85.9%; rating input score 86
- Program expense ratio: 93.9%; rating input score 94
- Fundraising efficiency: $94.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Fail
- Conducts field audits: Pass
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Pass
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 39th 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: 9.5%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.68; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 20.2% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 18.9% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 20.1% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 12 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 85.9% of revenue deployed · 93.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $298M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $704K · 26 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $4.5M reported
- Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
- Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 155 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 139 filed related-organization links
- 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.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 4 of 8 not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 57/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 51/100.