Grist Magazine
Also known as Grist Magazine
Grist Magazine reported $10.4 million in revenue and $10.2 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $73.00 went to program services, $13.63 to management and general costs and $13.37 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 95.5% of the total. Government grants made up 9.7%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $323,152 (CEO). 29 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 196% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $10MFor context, the median across 371 covered environment charities: $85.82 programs, $10.80 management, $3.38 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $10MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 73.0% | 83.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 13.6% | 10.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 13.4% | 3.3% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.14 | $0.03 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 95.5% | 87.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 9.7% | 4.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 3.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $323,152 | $293,532 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 3.18% | 1.74% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 29 | 7 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 11.6 | 18.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 17 of 18 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expensePublishing climate and sustainability news and commentary: Grist published more than 800 articles on climate and sustainability topics during the fiscal year, ranging from short news items to in-depth interviews and features. The organization reached an average of 2.6m readers per month, including website visitors, email subscribers, and offsite (primarily social-media) audiences
Fostering civic engagement: Grist's goal is to create a vibrant community of people who support sustainability; make sustainable choices and encourage their communities to do the same; and encourage readers to use social media and other tools to activate their personal networks and to create lasting change
Train a new generation of journalists: By providing hands-on journalism experience as well as exposure to leading environmental thinkers, the Grist Fellowship Program trains early-career journalists to become effective environmental communicators. Grist hosts groups of five fellows for six-month terms. Fellows participate in research and story generation, crafting investigative stories and ground breaking multimedia projects
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO Director/trustee, officer, 45.00 hrs/week | $310,275 | $0 | $12,877 | $323,152 |
| COO Key employee, 45.00 hrs/week | $229,416 | $0 | $31,886 | $261,302 |
| Executive Editor, Strategic Initiatives Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $188,242 | $0 | $16,634 | $204,876 |
| Editor in Chief Key employee, 45.00 hrs/week | $173,026 | $0 | $31,779 | $204,805 |
| Director of Finance & Admin Officer, 45.00 hrs/week | $165,808 | $0 | $24,499 | $190,307 |
| Director of Development Key employee, 45.00 hrs/week | $167,845 | $0 | $15,818 | $183,663 |
| Director of Innovation and Growth Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $146,708 | $0 | $14,972 | $161,680 |
| Editor at Large Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $133,667 | $0 | $14,451 | $148,118 |
29 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Grist Magazine (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.2M (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b18 · 17 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 568
- Volunteers Part I, line 617
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| RTCamp Inc Website management | $128,000 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 1 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
25 private foundations reported grants to Grist Magazine totaling $5.7M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Grist Magazine's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Grist Magazine, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Grist Magazine spent in FY2025, $73.00 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- West Harlem Environmental ActionNew York, NY · revenue $10M · programs 74.9% · 2024
- Iowa Confluence Water TrailsDes Moines, IA · revenue $10M · programs 74.0% · FY2025
- Lomakatsi Restoration ProjectAshland, OR · revenue $10M · programs 78.4% · FY2025
- Grandfather Mountain Stewardship FoundationLinville, NC · revenue $10M · programs 85.6% · 2024
- United States Endowment for ForestryGreenville, SC · revenue $10M · programs 94.1% · 2024
Questions people ask
How much of Grist Magazine's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, Grist Magazine reported that 73.0% of its $10.2 million in expenses went to program services, 13.6% to management and general and 13.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Grist Magazine pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Grist Magazine reported for one person in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 was $323,152, for the role of CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Grist Magazine get its money?
Of $10.4 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, 95.5% came from contributions and grants (including 9.7% from government grants) and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Grist Magazine a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 06-1664153 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, object 202641699349300229 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, object 202502279349303465 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, object 202402289349302260 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, object 202302279349304800 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, object 202242279349302934 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, object 202102259349302505 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 06-1664153: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.