Taproot Earth
Taproot Earth reported $9.6 million in revenue and $12.2 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $78.90 went to program services, $16.85 to management and general costs and $4.25 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.8% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $225,387 (President). 7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $12MFor 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 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $9.6MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 78.9% | 83.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 16.9% | 10.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 4.3% | 3.3% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.05 | $0.03 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 99.8% | 87.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 4.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 3.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $225,387 | $293,532 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.84% | 1.74% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 17.1 | 18.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 8 of 9 | 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
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseHighest reported compensation
2024 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $210,756 | $0 | $14,631 | $225,387 |
| Executive Dir. Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $217,200 | $0 | $6,925 | $224,125 |
| Senior Advisor Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $179,835 | $0 | $14,559 | $194,394 |
| Chief of Staff Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $182,200 | $0 | $5,805 | $188,005 |
| Senior Fellow Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $146,809 | $0 | $11,473 | $158,282 |
| Senior Program Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $123,200 | $0 | $11,750 | $134,950 |
| Creative Director Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $127,200 | $0 | $3,902 | $131,102 |
7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Taproot Earth (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $428K (Part IX, line 5).
3 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2024 · 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–1b9 · 8 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13No
- Document retention policy Part VI 14No
- 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 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 534
- Volunteers Part I, line 630
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Soze Productions branding and marketing | $1,576,580 |
| AB Partners global climate reparation | $538,192 |
| Advisors for Change accounting, financial | $258,000 |
| COTA Collective fundraising | $121,000 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 4 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
20 private foundations reported grants to Taproot Earth totaling $7.0M 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 Taproot Earth's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Taproot Earth, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Taproot Earth spent in 2024, $78.90 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Lancaster Farmland TrustStrasburg, PA · revenue $9.5M · programs 95.5% · 2025
- Michigan SavesLansing, MI · revenue $9.6M · programs 86.4% · 2025
- Climate Justice AllianceBerkeley, CA · revenue $9.1M · programs 92.2% · FY2025
- Trees for the FutureSilver Spring, MD · revenue $9.9M · programs 73.8% · 2025
- BlueGreen Alliance FoundationMinneapolis, MN · revenue $8.4M · programs 83.6% · 2025
Questions people ask
How much of Taproot Earth's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Taproot Earth reported that 78.9% of its $12.2 million in expenses went to program services, 16.9% to management and general and 4.3% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Taproot Earth pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Taproot Earth reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $225,387, for the role of President (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Taproot Earth get its money?
Of $9.6 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 99.8% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Taproot Earth a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 87-1961840 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 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202502639349300705 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202422559349301867 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202313139349303301 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 87-1961840: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.