Colorado Energy and Water Institute
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 825305142
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Denver, CO, USA
- Phone
- 7202432546
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $889,158
- Expenses
- $894,983
- Assets
- $358,862
- Liabilities
- $102,543
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- HELEN MORAN (CONSULTANT): $106,000 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Colorado energy and water institute (dba the institute for western energy (the organization) is established exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code. The organization is formed to bring together a diverse community of north american industry, policy, nonprofit and academic leaders in intentionally intimate settings to engage in meaningful conversations about north america's energy and water future; and to educate individuals about issues concerning energy and water and provide resources to challenges facing the future of energy and water. The organization provides a forum to engage in independent, nonpartisan research, discussion, and collaboration on public policy matters and initiatives concerning energy and water. The organization may engage in other activities as allowed under section 501(c)(3), which are related to or further its primary purpose.
What it reported doing in 2025
Western power players (wpp) is the organization's flagship convening program that brings together a diverse community of energy industry stakeholders including utilities, developers, advocacy organizations, labor unions, government agencies, energy buyers, academic institutions, and consulting firms. In 2025, the organization hosted wpp vii and viii, which focused on western regional market development, transmission planning, and energy.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 64% 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 65
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 25
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 70.4%; rating input score 70
- Program expense ratio: 69.4%; rating input score 69
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Limited
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -0.7%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.4; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11.8%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 23.3% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 19.1% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 70.4% of revenue deployed · 69.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $621K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $106K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.