Environmental Research Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
300584471
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
San Diego, CA, USA
Phone
6195003090
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Pollution Abatement and Control Services

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,596,630
Expenses
$2,205,216
Assets
$11,860,256
Liabilities
$189,624

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHRIS E HEPTINSTALL (PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHRIS E HEPTINSTALL (PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $267,038 total reported compensation
  • CHARLES POSS (IN-HOUSE COUNSEL): $208,709 total reported compensation
  • DANIELLE WATSON (SECRETARY): $67,774 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To safeguard the public from health hazards that impact families, workers, and the environment

What it reported doing in 2025

Erc safeguards the public from health hazards the impact families, workers, and the environment. Erc is dedicated to reducing the use and misuse of hazardous and toxic chemicals/substances, facilitating a safe work environment for consumers and employees and encouraging corporate responsibility.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 84% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 68
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.6%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 90.9%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.1%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.38; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 24.6%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5.6% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 64.6% of revenue deployed · 90.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $267K · 6 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $267K reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes grants and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.