Gridworks Organization

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
274910811
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2019
Location
Alameda, CA, USA
Phone
4167058009
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Energy Resources Conservation and Development

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,553,593
Expenses
$2,336,735
Assets
$1,480,627
Liabilities
$88,537

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • MATTHEW TISDALE (Executive Dir.): $259,520 total reported compensation
  • CATHERINE BOIES (DIRECTOR): $157,500 total reported compensation
  • KATHERINE GRIFFITH (DIRECTOR): $156,549 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Americas energy demands are growingdriven by electrification, technological advancement, and the increasing impacts of extreme weather. Meeting this moment requires the collaboration of policymakers, energy providers, utilities, tribes, advocates and communities to achieve a more resilient grid that can withstand todays challenges and meet tomorrows demands.Gridworks supports this collaboration with deep expertise and trusted facilitation. Focused on the Western U.S., we help partners share knowledge, navigate complexity, and reach informed decisions aimed at modernizing Americas aging power grid. From rural communities with outdated energy infrastructure to households facing blackouts due to heat, wildfires, and extreme weather events, the people most affected by todays grid challenges are central to our mission.Since our early successes in California more than a decade ago, Gridworks has scaled our work to the states of Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. We have al

What it reported doing in 2024

Gridworks Organization (Gridworks) is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation formed in January 2011. Gridworks brings stakeholders from across the Western United States together to achieve their decarbonization goals. Gridworks facilitates and fosters connections between decarbonization advocates, energy providers and utility operators, enabling them to collectively determine the best approach to achieving decarbonization. Together with these stakeholders, Gridworks works to advance policy and help states undertake a just transition toward sustainability. Gridworks also provides expert advice and guidance to policymakers as they make this important shift.We lead collaboration to build a stronger, more modern energy grid. Americas energy demands are growingdriven by electrification, technological advancement, and the increasing impacts of extreme weather. Meeting this moment requires the collaboration of policymakers, energy providers, utilities, tribes, advocates and communities to achieve a more resilient grid that can withstand todays challenges and meet tomorrows demands.Gridworks supports this collaboration with deep expertise and trusted facilitation. Focused on the Western U.S., we help partners share knowledge, navigate complexity, and reach informed decisions aimed at modernizing Americas aging power grid. From rural communities with outdated energy infrastructure to households facing blackouts due to heat, wildfires, and extreme weather events, the people most affected by todays grid challenges are central to our mission.Since our early successes in California more than a decade ago, Gridworks has scaled our work to the states of Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. We have also expanded to foster cooperation across state lines through regional initiatives. Through our state-specific work and regional initiatives, we help partners move from strategy to action to achieve a strong, more modern energy grid.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 63% 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 54.3%; rating input score 54
  • Program expense ratio: 59.8%; rating input score 60
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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: 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: 8.5%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.63; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 39.8%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.4% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 54.3% of revenue deployed · 59.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $260K · 12 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $488K reported
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 54/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 35/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 23/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.