Western Climate Initiative
Western Climate Initiative reported $11.1 million in revenue and $8.0 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $80.45 went to program services, $19.55 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 95.8% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $323,489 (EXEC. DIR.). 23 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 235% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $8.0MFor 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
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $11MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 80.5% | 83.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 19.5% | 10.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 3.3% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | Not reported | $0.03 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 87.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 4.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 95.8% | 3.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $323,489 | $293,532 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 4.03% | 1.74% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 23 | 7 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 43.4 | 18.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 6 of 6 | 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
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseThe organization provides administrative and technical support for the development and implementation of emissions trading programs in the americas. Program support includes developing a registry that tracks both allowances and offset certificates, administering allowance auctions, and conducting market monitoring of allowance auctions and allowance and offset certificate trading. Currently, the jurisdictions using wci,inc. Services include the province of quebec and states of california, new york and washington. The support provided can be expanded to other jurisdictions that join in the…
Highest reported compensation
2025 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXEC. DIR. Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $302,181 | $0 | $21,308 | $323,489 |
| CHIEF TECHNO Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $274,757 | $0 | $2,310 | $277,067 |
| CHIEF PROD. Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $253,124 | $0 | $15,794 | $268,918 |
| STAFF SOFTWA Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $197,125 | $0 | $41,483 | $238,608 |
| STAFF SOFTWA Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $193,835 | $0 | $20,115 | $213,950 |
| ENGINEERING Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $187,800 | $0 | $16,766 | $204,566 |
23 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Western Climate Initiative (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $323K (Part IX, line 5).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · 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–1b6 · 6 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 11aNo
- 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 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 522
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Western Climate Initiative's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Western Climate Initiative, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Western Climate Initiative spent in 2025, $80.45 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
Questions people ask
How much of Western Climate Initiative's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Western Climate Initiative reported that 80.5% of its $8.0 million in expenses went to program services, 19.5% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Western Climate Initiative pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Western Climate Initiative reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $323,489, for the role of EXEC. DIR. (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Western Climate Initiative get its money?
Of $11.1 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 0.0% came from contributions and grants and 95.8% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Western Climate Initiative a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 45-4044016 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, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202611349349307831 · read the filing · XML
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202521299349303367 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202411349349309296 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202311329349305936 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202201339349307835 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202111339349303876 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202001359349302900 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 45-4044016: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.