Climate Lead
Climate Lead reported $37.5 million in revenue and $17.5 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $78.16 went to program services, $19.80 to management and general costs and $2.04 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 97.7% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $844,317 (PRESIDENT). 35 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 $18MFor 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 $38MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 78.2% | 83.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 19.8% | 10.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 2.0% | 3.3% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.01 | $0.03 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 97.7% | 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 | $844,317 | $293,532 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 4.82% | 1.74% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 35 | 7 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 29.7 | 18.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 7 of 7 | 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 Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $802,073 | $0 | $42,244 | $844,317 |
| EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $427,012 | $0 | $29,676 | $456,688 |
| MD, GLOBAL CLIMATE STRATEGIES Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $349,528 | $0 | $40,986 | $390,514 |
| MD, FINANCE, OPERATIONS, PEOPLE Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $326,528 | $0 | $37,969 | $364,497 |
| CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $312,512 | $0 | $41,209 | $353,721 |
| DEPUTY MD, PHILANTHROPIC ADVISING Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $308,492 | $0 | $21,627 | $330,119 |
| SENIOR PHILANTHROPY ADVISOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $283,012 | $0 | $28,171 | $311,183 |
| DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR, GCS Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $245,214 | $0 | $31,764 | $276,978 |
35 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Climate Lead (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $2.4M (Part IX, line 5).
2 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–1b7 · 7 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- 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 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 543
- Volunteers Part I, line 67
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| VELOCITY GLOBAL LLC International peo | $1,718,347 |
| MERITAGE GROUP LP Investment managment | $801,953 |
| HYPERAKT DESIGN GROUP INC Consulting | $283,875 |
| RHODIUM GROUP LLC Consulting | $175,000 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 6 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
1 private foundation reported grants to Climate Lead 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 Climate Lead's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Climate Lead, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Climate Lead spent in 2024, $78.16 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- EarthshareWashington, DC · revenue $37M · programs 95.9% · FY2025
- Rewiring AmericaWashington, DC · revenue $38M · programs 75.1% · 2024
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden CorporationBrooklyn, NY · revenue $36M · programs 82.4% · 2024
- West Michigan Horticultural SocietyGrand Rapids, MI · revenue $38M · programs 80.1% · FY2025
- National Marine Sanctuary FoundationSilver Spring, MD · revenue $36M · programs 84.7% · 2024
Questions people ask
How much of Climate Lead's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Climate Lead reported that 78.2% of its $17.5 million in expenses went to program services, 19.8% to management and general and 2.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Climate Lead pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Climate Lead reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $844,317, for the role of PRESIDENT (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Climate Lead get its money?
Of $37.5 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 97.7% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Climate Lead a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 88-4336644 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 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 202503149349303480 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202413199349316591 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 88-4336644: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.