Celebrating 30 years of helping you give wisely
America's most independent,
assertive charity watchdog
Top Rated

Earthworks

CharityWatch report issued
October 2021

Top-Rated Charity
A-
CharityWatch Grade
Our independent grade based
on a number of factors.
 
79%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$10
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

Earthworks
1612 K Street, NW
Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006

Other Names

None

Tax Status

501(c)3

Stated Mission

To protect communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of irresponsible mineral and energy development while seeking sustainable solutions.

View similar charities
Charity  
350.org  
African Wildlife Foundation  
Alaska Conservation Foundation  
Amazon Conservation Team  
American Bird Conservancy  
American Farmland Trust  
American Forests  
American Rivers  
Appalachian Mountain Club  
Arbor Day Foundation  
Center for Biological Diversity  
Chesapeake Bay Foundation  
Conservation Fund  
Conservation International Foundation  
Cousteau Society  
Defenders of Wildlife  
Ducks Unlimited  
Earth Island Institute  
Earthjustice  
Environmental Defense Action Fund  
Environmental Defense Fund  
Environmental Working Group  
Friends of the Earth  
Gaia-Movement Living Earth Green World Action USA  
Global Green USA  
Green America  
Greenpeace  
Greenpeace Fund  
Izaak Walton League of America (National Office)  
Keep America Beautiful (National Office)  
League of Conservation Voters  
League of Conservation Voters Education Fund  
National Audubon Society  
National Forest Foundation  
National Park Foundation (NPF)  
National Park Trust  
National Parks Conservation Association  
National Wildlife Federation  
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)  
Nature Conservancy  
NRDC Action Fund  
Ocean Conservancy  
Oceana  
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy  
Rainforest Action Network  
Rainforest Alliance  
Resources for the Future  
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation  
Save the Redwoods League  
Sierra Club  
Sierra Club Foundation  
Solar Cookers International (SCI)  
Southern Environmental Law Center  
Student Conservation Association  
The Wilderness Society  
Trout Unlimited (National Office)  
Trust for Public Land  
Union of Concerned Scientists  
Water.org  
Waterkeeper Alliance  
WildAid  
World Resources Institute  
World Wildlife Fund  
Yosemite Conservancy  
Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 12/31/2020

Program Percentage: 79%

The percentage of Earthworks's cash budget it spends on programs relative to overhead (fundraising, management, and general expenses).

$4,300,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $10

How many dollars Earthworks spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$4,300,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
Earthworks IRS Form 990 52-1557765
Earthworks Audited Financial Statements 52-1557765
Entity: Earthworks
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 52-1557765
Entity: Earthworks
Document Type: Audited Financial Statements
Tax ID: 52-1557765

Governance & Transparency

CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
This charity is Top-Rated
What does it mean to be Top-Rated?
 
Earthworks
meets governance benchmarks.
 
Earthworks
meets transparency benchmarks.
Transparency
Provides Financial Information
Audit Accessibility
Governance: Policies
Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy
Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts
Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy
Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy
Governance: Financials
Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS
Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant
Governance: Board of Directors
Reports at least 5 voting board members
51% or more of voting board members reported as independent
Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy

  Name Title Compensation
1 Jennifer Krill Executive Director $160,779
2 Bruce Baizel Energy Director $152,612
3 Payal Sampat Mining Director $146,279
1
Name: Jennifer Krill
Title: Executive Director
Compensation: $160,779
2
Name: Bruce Baizel
Title: Energy Director
Compensation: $152,612
3
Name: Payal Sampat
Title: Mining Director
Compensation: $146,279

CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.

According to the Earthworks audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 14, Related Party):

"Earthworks Action Fund, a Section 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, is a legally-separate, tax-exempt organization established by Earthworks in December 2017. Earthworks Action Fund is an affiliated but separate organization from Earthworks. As a 501(c)(4) organization, Earthworks Action Fund engages in various advocacy and political activities for which Earthworks, a 501(c)(3) organization, faces certain legal limitations or restrictions.

"Earthworks provides various administrative services for Earthworks Action Fund, including office space, personnel, use of equipment, and other overhead costs. Total expenses paid by Earthworks and charged to Earthworks Action Fund were $36,066 and $21,927 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively..."


[Note: CharityWatch does not rate Earthworks Action Fund at this time due to its small size. Should CharityWatch provide a rating for Earthworks Action Fund in the future, it will be rated separately from Earthworks because CharityWatch separates the ratings for 501(c)(3) & 501(c)(4) organizations, even when they are included together in a consolidated audit, due to their differing treatments under the IRS tax code. For more information on this topic, please see our sections on Types of Non-Profits, Tax Status, and Treatment of Related Organizations, which can be found on the Our Process page. For more information about things to consider when donating to organizations that have related public charity and social welfare entities, read "Sorting Out Nonprofit Pairs" in the Articles & Alerts section, below.]

According to the Earthworks audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 4, Concentrations, Revenue Risk):

"For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, a substantial portion of Earthworks' revenue was generated from one donor in each year. The contribution totaled 10% and 20% of Earthworks' total revenue and support for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. A potential reduction or changes in funding from these donors in the future could significantly impact Earthworks' ability to carry out its current program activities."

According to the Earthworks audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 9, Paycheck Protection Program Loan):

"On April 17, 2020, Earthworks was granted a loan from a financial institution, in the amount of $244,122, pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)... The PPP is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll through the COVID-19 pandemic, for which Earthworks qualified. After the loans are granted, the Small Business Administration (SBA) will forgive loans if all employee retention criteria are met, and the funds are used for eligible expenses...

"The loan was granted to Earthworks on April 17, 2020 in the amount of $244,122, with terms including a 1.00% fixed interest rate. The loan was scheduled to mature on April 17, 2022.

"During 2020, Earthworks expected to meet the PPP loan's eligibility criteria, and concluded that the PPP loan represents, in substance, a grant that is expected to be forgiven and accounts for the PPP loan...as a conditional grant. This conditional grant is not recognized until the conditions are substantially met or explicitly waived. Earthworks initially recorded the cash inflow from the PPP loan as a refundable advance. At December 31, 2020, Earthworks recognized the full amount of $244,122 as conditional grant revenue.

"Subsequent to year end on February 26, 2021, the SBA approved full forgiveness of the loan, and remitted the forgiveness amount to the financial institution, including applicable interest accruals."

According to the Earthworks audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 17, COVID-19 Pandemic):

"The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States and around the world has caused business disruption due to mandatory lockdowns implemented in most states in order to slow down the spread of the virus. Earthworks' management has been monitoring the situation and implementing certain changes in its operations and upcoming events in order to mitigate the impact of this pandemic. While the disruption is currently expected to be temporary, there is considerable uncertainty around its duration, and the full financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time."