Environmental Working Group
Environmental Working Group reported $16.4 million in revenue and $19.3 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $80.33 went to program services, $10.05 to management and general costs and $9.62 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 80.6% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $434,346 (CHAIR & PRESIDENT). 46 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 46% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $19MFor 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 $16MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 80.3% | 83.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 10.1% | 10.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 9.6% | 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 | 80.6% | 87.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 4.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 9.7% | 3.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $434,346 | $293,532 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.25% | 1.74% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 46 | 7 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 9.0 | 18.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 22 of 23 | 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 expenseToxics and human health - ewg believes people should be able to trust that the products they are buying are safe and won't cause harm to their health or their families. Our simple theory is unfortunately not the reality in today's chemical safety regulatory environment. Our science program has two primary objectives: first, to influence consumer behavior by directly informing and motivating a large audience to adopt habits of environmental health, using original research about chemicals of concern found in everyday environments. Second, to influence mass market change by disrupting the food…
Licensing - "ewg verified" is ewg's verification and licensing program that helps consumers identify safer personal care products without having to do research. It is rapidly pushing the market toward the strict ingredient and transparency criteria defined by our team of research scientists. Ewg established standards in the interest of public health and created an ewg verified seal that means a product is free from dangerous chemicals with known negative health impacts, and that product has met ewg's strict, protective standards for these chemicals.an ewg mark for safety and health at point…
Food and agriculture - our conservation program works to protect the source of our food: our soil and water. This includes ongoing projects to protect drinking water from agricultural pollution, and to protect soil from pesticides, erosion and contamination from these same industries. We do this work to protect our natural resources because they are vital and irreplaceable, but also because pollution in our environment inevitably becomes pollution in our bodies. Our goal is to illustrate the connection between the broken U.S. Agricultural system, farm subsidies, the damage being done to our…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHAIR & PRESIDENT Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $374,703 | $0 | $59,643 | $434,346 |
| SENIOR VP GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $285,655 | $0 | $50,078 | $335,733 |
| VP, MISSION & PARTNERSHIPS Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $283,171 | $0 | $41,954 | $325,125 |
| CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $252,808 | $0 | $28,376 | $281,184 |
| VP, MARKETING & COMMUNICATION Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $249,893 | $0 | $28,075 | $277,968 |
| VP INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $228,015 | $0 | $41,240 | $269,255 |
| COMMUNICATIONS & STRAT. CAMPAIGNS Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $220,875 | $0 | $45,983 | $266,858 |
| VP, DEVELOPMENT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $236,300 | $0 | $25,430 | $261,730 |
46 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Environmental Working Group (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.4M (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–1b23 · 22 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 2Yes
- 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 4Yes
- 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 5106
- Volunteers Part I, line 623
Largest outside contractors
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| EX2 SOLUTIONS INC Healthy living app support | $393,761 |
| INTERNATIONAL FULFILLMENT CORPORATION Warehousing and fulfillment services | $324,059 |
| BONTERRA TECH LLC Online donation system | $176,289 |
| SWEATER WEATHER LLC Podcast production | $171,000 |
| ACG ADVOCACY LLC Government affairs consulting | $150,026 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 9 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
84 private foundations reported grants to Environmental Working Group totaling $3.6M 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 Environmental Working Group's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Environmental Working Group, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Environmental Working Group spent in 2025, $80.33 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
Embed on your site
Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Center for Coastal StudiesProvincetown, MA · revenue $16M · programs 77.8% · 2025
- Walker Basin ConservancyReno, NV · revenue $17M · programs 80.9% · FY2025
- 'Sconset TrustSiasconset, MA · revenue $16M · programs 71.2% · 2024
- Apparel Impact InstituteOakland, CA · revenue $17M · programs 76.8% · 2025
- Phipps Conservatory and Botanical GardensPittsburgh, PA · revenue $16M · programs 87.9% · FY2025
All environment charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of Environmental Working Group's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Environmental Working Group reported that 80.3% of its $19.3 million in expenses went to program services, 10.1% to management and general and 9.6% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Environmental Working Group pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Environmental Working Group reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $434,346, for the role of CHAIR & PRESIDENT (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Environmental Working Group get its money?
Of $16.4 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 80.6% came from contributions and grants and 9.7% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Environmental Working Group a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 52-2148600 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 202612179349300141 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202531979349300818 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202402839349302250 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202332709349301213 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202242659349300534 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202113169349302741 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202033149349301223 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 52-2148600: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.