International Cryosphere Climate Initiative

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
272065612
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Pawlet, VT, USA
Phone
8024880991
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Physical & Earth Sciences,

Reported finances

Revenue
$467,813
Expenses
$543,985
Assets
$136,817
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Pamela Pearson (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Pamela Pearson (President): $31,628 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

ICCI serves as a network between scientists policymakers and people affected by climate change in the Cryosphere such as the Arctic Antarctic Himalayas; and downstream and low-lying nations.

What it reported doing in 2024

State of the Cryosphere Report Cryosphere Pavilion at COP29: At COP29 ICCI coordinated the fifth Cryosphere Pavilion this year in collaboration with AMI Co-Chairs Chile and Iceland. The Pavilion hosted a robust series of 80+ side events over the course of two weeks supported eight early career scientist volunteers and a cadre of senior cryosphere scientists many IPCC who engaged with governments media and civil society throughout the COP. The Pavilion exhibit was viewed by at least 45,000 COP delegates and hosted the release of the 2024 State of the Cryosphere Report which has become a benchmark for cryosphere science and policy. As one indication of the respect now garnered by the Report ICCIs Director participates in regular private briefing sessions with the UN Secretary-General alongside IPCC leaders and the report gained substantive public attention and policy engagement. ICCI and or AMI were referenced in roughly 150 news publications from Baku including print TV and radio. Livestreamed recordings of side events reached thousands during the two-week period.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 82% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 95
  • Transparency & Controls: 55
  • Accountability: 60
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 95%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: $32.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -16.3%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.25; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.8%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -4.5% per year; rating input score 0; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.5% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -3.3% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 95% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 3 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $517K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $32K · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.