Green Building Initiative Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
861119361
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Portland, OR, USA
Phone
5032740448
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Energy Resources Conservation and Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,740,267
Expenses
$9,373,426
Assets
$16,018,683
Liabilities
$2,286,459

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Vicki Worden (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • Vicki Worden (CEO): $573,714 total reported compensation
  • Jenna Middaugh (COO): $277,630 total reported compensation
  • Sara Rademacher (SVP, Programs & Ops): $206,024 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 improve the built environment's impact on climate and society. We deliver education, credentialing, standards, assessments, and certifications developed by an inclusive and collaborative global network.

What it reported doing in 2025

GBI offers two whole building certification programs that evaluate the sustainability, health & wellness, and resilience of commercial and multifamily residential buildings. Green Globes is available for projects in the US and Canada, whereas Ascent is available in the EU, UK, and elsewhere outside the US and Canada.Additionally, GBI's Journey to Net Zero assessment and certification program helps cut carbon and energy use in buildings by giving owners tools to evaluate performance, track progress, and make informed improvements.GBI also supports US government buildings in meeting federal sustainable building requirements through its Guiding Principles Compliance assessment program.To enhance sustainable building education and promote the adoption of best practices, GBI delivers the following credentialing programs: Green Globes Emerging Professional (GGEP), Green Globes Professional (GGP), Green Globes Fellow (GGF), Green Globes Assessor (GGA), Guiding Principles Compliance Professional (GPCP), and Guiding Principles Compliance Fellow (GPCF).GBI is a thought leader on sustainability, health and wellness, resilience, ESG, and Net Zero objectives related to buildings. As such, GBI collaborates with NGOs, governments, corporations, and allied organizations in the pursuit of global environmental objectives.GBI's Board of Directors strives to promote transparency in its governance practices as it does in the development of its rating systems, where GBI follows ANSI-approved procedures for consensus, balance, openness, and due process. To request information or provide input on GBI's governance, rating system development, online tools, or consensus processes, send inquires to [email protected].

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 92% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 68
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 57
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.2%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 78.2%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.7 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 20.2%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.71; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.4%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 18.6% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.5% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.3% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.2% of revenue deployed · 78.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $574K · 22 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.4M reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 4/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.