Cloud Forest Institute
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 770480093
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2011–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2010
- Location
- Boonville, CA, USA
- Phone
- 7073805059
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Natural Resources Conservation and Protection
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $159,494
- Expenses
- $154,352
- Assets
- $100,346
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Govinda Dalton (President)
People named in this filing
- Charles Payne (Director)
- Jenny Burnstad (Treasurer)
- Govinda Dalton (President)
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
Cloud Forest Institute is an educational and scientific non profit corporation. CFI encourages bioregional endeavors to re-establish balance within ecological systems by way of environmental education, forest reciprocity and resilient community development
What it reported doing in 2025
Cultural Bridges Educational Tour to Ecuador. In July 2025, Cloud Forest Institute launched the first-ever Cultural Bridges Program with Bridge Charter Academy (BCA)-a 19-day, place-based learning experience that brought Oregon high school students into the heart of Ecuador's Chocó Andino. This was a powerful experience to build relationships within new communities in new ecosystems. Students took part in daily cultural immersion, field-based science, Spanish language intensives, and community-led service learning in Mindo and nearby communities. They observed bird banding and wildlife at Un Poco del Chocó reserve, learned from Indigenous and local leaders about stewardship and tradition, and joined hands-on projects ranging from habitat restoration to literacy support. Evenings often ended with informal reflection time-storytelling, shared meals, and conversations that helped students process what they were experiencing and who they were becoming. A major strength of the program was the pre-departure online course, which gave students a foundation in Ecuador's ecology, culture, and history. By the time they visited archaeological sites, met with educators, traveled from Quito to Indigenous communities near Otavalo, and explored museums and natural areas, they were ready to ask thoughtful questions and engage with genuine curiosity. They weren't just tourists-they were students earning Oregon high school credit through meaningful, place-based learning. The 2025 cohort returned home with new skills, new confidence, and friendships that will outlast the trip itself. For CFI, this summer affirmed the joy of building programs rooted in community partnership, cultural humility, and real-world learning. It also laid the groundwork for expanding Cultural Bridges into a full semester-abroad program in the years ahead.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 91% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 81% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 68
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 48
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 67.1%; rating input score 67
- Program expense ratio: 69.4%; rating input score 69
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 3.2%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.65; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -2.5% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 67.1% of revenue deployed · 69.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 2 filed program accomplishments · $107K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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 — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 40/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 45/100.