Community Environmental Council
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 941728064
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Phone
- 8059630583
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Pollution Abatement and Control Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,427,242
- Expenses
- $4,041,346
- Assets
- $9,633,027
- Liabilities
- $2,788,473
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
20 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SIGRID WRIGHT (CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- JON CLARK (PRESIDENT)
- CHRISTINE DEVRIES (VICE PRESIDENT)
- NADRA EHRMAN (VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- SIGRID WRIGHT (CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $189,438 total reported compensation
- DARLENE SNOW (DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT): $151,685 total reported compensation
- KATHI KING (DIRECTOR OF CLIMATE CHANGE): $133,791 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Cec works to identify, raise awareness about, and solve pressing environmental issues affecting the California central coast. Our energy, transportation, waste and food programs provide regional solutions to climate change.
What it reported doing in 2024
Climate programs: cec builds on-the-ground momentum to reverse the threat of the climate crisis. We transform the systems that fuel it. We safeguard the community from its impacts. We lead, we partner, we act. And every day, we inspire people to create a more resilient California central coast. As the modern environmental movement broadens to better reflect the racial, economic, political, and age diversity of our region, we are building networks of diverse, engaged activists who champion rigorous climate action. By focusing our efforts, together we are making progress to:- reverse the trajectory of climate change by propelling a rapid, equitable transition to zero emissions (see schedule o)and zero waste in the central coasts energy, transportation, food, agriculture, construction, and waste sectors.- repair the disrupted carbon cycle by accelerating and bringing to scale climate-smart agriculture practices that draw down excess carbon from the atmosphere.- protect vulnerable populations from extreme weather and other climate impacts by deploying bold, community-led solutions rooted in climate justice.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 65% 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
STRONG - 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 77
- Transparency & Controls: 84
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 31
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 89.7%; rating input score 90
- Program expense ratio: 73.8%; rating input score 74
- Fundraising efficiency: $6.78 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: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- 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: 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -17.9%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.38; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11.8%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 12.9% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 16% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 89.7% of revenue deployed · 73.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $189K · 20 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $264K reported
- Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.