Nia Tero
Legal name: Nia Tero Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 821949563
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2017–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Aug 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Seattle, WA, US
- Phone
- +1.206.339.1290
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Natural Resources Conservation and Protection
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $32,904,805
- Expenses
- $42,466,297
- Assets
- $80,555,234
- Liabilities
- $5,597,700
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
21 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- PETER SELIGMANN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
Highest reported compensation
- PETER SELIGMANN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $795,577 total reported compensation
- TINA-MARIE WILHELM (CHIEF STRATEGY & EXT. AFFAIRS OFF.): $426,551 total reported compensation
- CHRISTOPHER FILARDI (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $411,180 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To directly support Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship and elevate the role and influence of Indigenous Peoples as essential to ensuring planetary health and habitability.
What it reported doing in 2024
Expand: amplification and scaling: in order to expand recognition and support for indigenous guardianship worldwide, nia tero is pursuing three ongoing bodies of work that integrate both our place-anchored partnerships as well indigenous peoples, as well as aligned organizations, networks and initiatives, outside of those partnerships. First, through grantmaking, convening and direct technical support to indigenous peoples and their chosen allies, we provide support to strengthen policy frameworks, security and self-governance of indigenous peoples. Second, through strategic convening and facilitation, as well as targeted grantmaking and fundraising, we are working to increase direct financing for indigenous guardianship. And lastly, through compelling (continued on schedule o) storytelling and communications, we support the elevation of voice, ways and means of indigenous peoples to increase awareness of indigenous guardianship and inspire change.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 92% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 63% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 92
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 32
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 86%; rating input score 86
- Fundraising efficiency: $28.99 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Fail
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Pass
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 24th 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: -29.1%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.9; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.8%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 28.7% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -11.8% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 4 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 86% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $36.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $796K · 21 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.3M reported
- Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 34 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 25 filed related-organization links
- 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.