Energize Delaware
Legal name: Sustainable Energy Utility Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 263963904
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Dover, DE, USA
- Phone
- 302-883-3048
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Energy Resources Conservation and Development
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $48,748,802
- Expenses
- $35,292,334
- Assets
- $162,588,182
- Liabilities
- $54,489,278
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- DREW SLATER (EXECUTIVE DI): $135,000 total reported compensation
- SUZANNE SEBASTIAN (EMPLOYEE): $110,711 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 serve the sustainable energy needs of all delaware energy consumers using all fuels. We operate under the name Energize Delaware and they’re one and the same. We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering programs and resources to help residents and businesses save money through clean energy and efficiency. Many of our sustainable energy solutions are available at little or no cost. The DESEU was created in 2007 by the state of Delaware to foster a sustainable energy future. We were the first in the U.S. to launch a model like this, and today, it’s inspiring communities around the world. In 2019, we rebranded as Energize Delaware to bring all programs under one recognizable, trusted name — one that reflects the energy, innovation, and forward momentum behind everything w.
What it reported doing in 2024
To offer renewable and energy-efficient programs that help delawareans reduce their carbon footprint.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 81% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 83% 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Liabilities are high compared with assets.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 71
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 81
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71%; rating input score 71
- Program expense ratio: 95.1%; rating input score 95
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 27.6%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.61; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.34; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0.7%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 13.4% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 71% of revenue deployed · 95.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $33.6M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $135K · 12 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $2.7M reported
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 35 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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 — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.