Strategic Energy Innovations

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
680404081
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
San Rafael, CA, USA
Phone
4155072181
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,470,163
Expenses
$10,784,432
Assets
$4,442,491
Liabilities
$2,676,027

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CYANE DANDRIDGE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • DANA HOKIN (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • CYANE DANDRIDGE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $323,187 total reported compensation
  • STEPHEN MILLER (DEPUTY DIRECTOR): $194,837 total reported compensation
  • SOPHIA ZUG (SENIOR DIRECTOR, PROGRAMS): $171,716 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Sei is committed to its mission to build leaders that drive sustainability solutions. Each part of sei's education and workforce pathway is crucial. Sei partners with schools, communities, and businesses, prioritizing marginalized and under-resourced communities and residents, to develop a leadership pathway from elementary school to early career. Our flagship programs educate and empower students and emerging professionals.

What it reported doing in 2024

Cceo: the climate corps education outside (cceo) program helps students develop a deeper respect for the planet and empowers them to make informed, sustainable choices for the future. The program engages over 11,000 bay area students across 31 public elementary schools, sparking curiosity and learning through school gardens. Cceo's dedicated garden educators worked hard to foster positive relationships with their students and deliver hands-on science and ecoliteracy lessons. Educators also engaged their whole school communities during volunteer work days, earth day events, and more.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 61% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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 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: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 81
  • Sustainability: 14
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 75.4%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -13.9%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.41; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.6; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.9%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.4% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.2% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86% of revenue deployed · 75.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 14 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $8.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $323K · 19 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $717K reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.