Current Innovation NFP

What it reported doing in 2024

Current is a Chicago-based water innovation hub that launched in 2016 to help realize the region's potential as the world's water innovation leader. As a cross-sector convenor of local and global water sector stakeholders, Current builds networks, organizes events, helps develop pilot projects, and serves as a conduit for both technology and innovation by monitoring and independently evaluating new ideas and technology in water management, and working with utilities, research institutions, businesses, and innovators to test new solutions. Current works to grow the blue economy by generating research and data to inform strategic priorities, driving collaborations among researchers, entrepreneurs, corporations, investors, utilities, and community partners. We work to keep water in focus as an economic development priority and create strategies to support education, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and investment. We host events and convenings to strengthen our networks.Current accelerates innovation by maintaining a sophisticated understanding of the state of the art in water technology, and identifying and supporting the development of promising technologies that solve persistent and emerging water challenges. We convene the capabilities of our Current Research Consortium to bridge advanced fundamental science and practical, outcome-based applied research. We also pursue research funding opportunities and cross-institutional partnerships to strengthen the research ecosystem, driving more financial resources and expertise to priority problems. Current helps solve pressing water challenges by identifying and independently assessing new technologies and building partnerships to help promising innovations go to scale. We do this by testing technologies and recommending the best solutions for others to try, or for us to pilot, to help improve water quality and management. Current maintains a database of promising water technologies that we have sourced and "de-risked" evaluated for their potential to be implemented at-cost and at-scale. We continue to receive and evaluate these new technologies and serve as a neutral recommendation engine for our major water utilities in the region. Across all of our work, Current demonstrates a commitment to addressing water challenges through solutions that advance an equitable water infrastructure: the technologies we identify and pilot help to ensure that all people have access to safe and clean water, and that water resources are resilient. We also foster the growth of a robust blue economy that provides training and career pathways for all. Finally, our outreach and education programs seek to engage youth communities that have long been absent from important water conversations. It is through these efforts hat we maximize the impact of our work in inventing, testing, and adopting promising new solutions that work for everyone.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 62.8%; rating input score 63
• Program expense ratio: 85.1%; rating input score 85
• Fundraising efficiency: $65.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 20th 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: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 89%; rating input score 89; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 26.4%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.03; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 13%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 29.7% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 31.2% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 22.3% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings