GRID Alternatives

Legal name: Grid Alternatives Affiliates & Subsidiaries

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
814042787
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Phone
1-303-968-1510
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Energy Resources Conservation and Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$45,983,870
Expenses
$52,915,329
Assets
$38,109,389
Liabilities
$36,072,406

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

76 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ERICA MACKIE (PRESIDENT - GRID SAN DIEGO)
  • KACEY LIZON THRU 1224 (PRESIDENT - GRID N. VALLEY)
  • GEORGE PUDDEPHATT (PRESIDENT - GRID INLAND EMPIRE)
  • JOSEPH KARP THRU 0824 (PRESIDENT - GRID BAY AREA)
  • DAI OWEN BEG 0824 (PRESIDENT - GRID BAY AREA)
  • SARAH KEANE THRU 0824 (PRESIDENT - GRID CO)

Highest reported compensation

  • TIMOTHY SEARS (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $261,554 total reported compensation
  • ERICA MACKIE (PRESIDENT - GRID SAN DIEGO): $205,366 total reported compensation
  • JAIME ALONSO (EXECUTIVE DIR - GRID INLAND EMPIRE): $179,570 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Build community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy.

What it reported doing in 2024

Grid is the nation's largest nonprofit installer of clean energy technologies, grid develops and implements renewable energy projects that serve economic and environmental justice communities. Grid creates and installs solar projects that serve low-income households and communities, and is enabling these communities to access a variety of clean mobility and battery storage incentive programs. Through our unique, people-first model, we are putting money back into families' pockets, reducing the energy cost burden for housing providers, and jumpstarting clean energy careers. We partner with affordable housing organizations, job training groups, government agencies, municipalities, utilities, tribes and local communities to make clean energy a win for everyone. (see schedule o)grid 's program accomplishments include: no-cost solar installations, hand-on solar training, technical assistance and solar installation for multifamily affordable housing providers, community/shared solar project development and implementation, low income solar policy leadership, low income program design and implementation, energy access projects in u.s. Tribal communities, and connecting low-income communities with electric vehicle programs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 69% 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.
  • 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: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 99
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 98.4%; rating input score 98
  • Program expense ratio: 85.5%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 97.9%; rating input score 98; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -15.1%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.72; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.95; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 98.4% of revenue deployed · 85.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 46 of 47 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $45.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $262K · 76 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.3M reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 15 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 35/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.