Solar Roots

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
371618472
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2024
Location
Berkeley, CA, USA
Phone
5109107732
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Energy Resources Conservation and Development

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,210
Expenses
$5,425
Assets
$26,513
Liabilities
$2,255

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SEIGI KARASAKI (President)

People named in this filing

  • Bruce Gardiner (PROGRAM DIR)
  • ERIC SVAHN (BOARD MEMBER)
  • Pamela Boyle (CFO)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

1. Provide training in renewable energy sources for low-income communities.2. Provide fuel-efficient cook-stoves and training in maintenance of equipment.3. Create volunteer programs in conjunction with US universities involved in green technology to provide opportunities for students to work in community based activities.

What it reported doing in 2024

Provided and installed LED battery recharging stations to multiple villages in Burma. Staged training sessions on solar cell installations, solar water heaters, and rice husk community stove building in Burma. Developed training site in Burma. Installed solar water heaters at orphanages, assisted in electrical upgrades for orphanage. Assist organizations with food deficiency in communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
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 a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 58.1%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 66.5%; rating input score 66

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 12.6%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.89; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -12.5% per year; rating input score 0; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -10.4% per year; rating input score 0; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 58.1% of revenue deployed · 66.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 58/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.