Home › Community improvement & capacity building
Sustainable Northwest
Sustainable Northwest reported $10.8 million in revenue and $8.3 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $82.75 went to program services, $12.87 to management and general costs and $4.38 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 91.3% of the total. Government grants made up 52.0%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $197,201 (PRESIDENT). 3 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 293% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $8.3MFor context, the median across 480 covered community improvement & capacity building charities: $90.44 programs, $9.34 management, $0.22 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) | 82.7% | 89.0% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 12.9% | 9.2% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 4.4% | 0.2% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.04 | $0.00 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 91.3% | 81.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 52.0% | 15.4% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $197,201 | $292,325 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.37% | 1.48% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 9.2 | 8.9 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 16 of 16 | 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 expenseForest - we believe healthy, resilient forests support thriving communities. We partner with rural and tribal communities to develop locally-led solutions that reduce megafire, protect communities from megafire, help communities recover from megafire, support good fire, improve plant and animal diversity and habitat, produce responsible wood products, and return forests toward historic conditions. For example, we are helping communities in central washington become more resilient to the more frequent megafires happening in their region, and leading the effort to help local communities manage…
Wood markets - we believe we can improve forest and community health by constructing new homes and buildings with sustainable, local materials. Our wood markets team partners with rural, tribal, and urban communities to source the wood needed for new homes and buildings from forestry projects that improve forest and climate health while supporting local economies. Our most recent accomplishment is sourcing wood for a new tech hub in vancouver, washington largely from tribal wood sources, helping tribes advance economic sovereignty and maintain forest health on their lands
Regenerative ranching - we believe healthy food can and should be produced in harmony with nature. Our regenerative ranching program partners with approximately 100 ranchers on 6 million acres across 11 western states. We also recently piloted the largest virtual fencing program in the pacific northwest, helping ranchers in gilliam county, oregon rebuild and recover quickly and economically from a wildfire that destroyed miles of fenceline
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $178,500 | $0 | $18,701 | $197,201 |
| COMMS. & DEV. DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 35.00 hrs/week | $127,236 | $0 | $15,712 | $142,948 |
| DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $118,692 | $0 | $15,786 | $134,478 |
| CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (THRU 03/25) Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $52,312 | $0 | $5,088 | $57,400 |
3 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Sustainable Northwest (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $345K (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–1b16 · 16 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 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 539
- Volunteers Part I, line 620
Largest outside contractors
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| SUN MOUNTAIN LUMBER Hazardous fuels transportation | $828,005 |
| FORESTRY FIRST Hazardous fuels transportation | $495,267 |
| GRAYBACK FORESTRY Ira fls wocre contractor | $416,029 |
| VIBRANT PLANET PUBLIC BENEFIT Wood market csc | $313,805 |
| MASTERCARD Credit card processing | $213,248 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 8 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
14 private foundations reported grants to Sustainable Northwest totaling $1.0M 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 Sustainable Northwest's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Sustainable Northwest, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Sustainable Northwest spent in 2025, $82.75 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
Embed on your site
Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Waco Entrepreneurial Ecosystem CollaborativeWaco, TX · revenue $11M · programs 94.9% · 2024
- Tri-County Community CouncilBonifay, FL · revenue $11M · programs 91.3% · FY2025
- Locus Impact FundChristiansburg, VA · revenue $11M · programs 80.0% · 2024
- Memphis River Parks PartnershipMemphis, TN · revenue $11M · programs 83.9% · FY2025
- Managed Health ResourcesSomerville, MA · revenue $11M · programs 96.9% · 2024
All community improvement & capacity building charities · Largest charities in Oregon
Questions people ask
How much of Sustainable Northwest's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Sustainable Northwest reported that 82.7% of its $8.3 million in expenses went to program services, 12.9% to management and general and 4.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Sustainable Northwest pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Sustainable Northwest reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $197,201, for the role of PRESIDENT (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Sustainable Northwest get its money?
Of $10.8 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 91.3% came from contributions and grants (including 52.0% from government grants) and 7.8% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Sustainable Northwest a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 93-1152222 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 202622169349301212 · read the filing · XML
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202543099349300444 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202433209349308683 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202303199349321885 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202203159349304745 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202113169349312841 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202023219349309167 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 93-1152222: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.