Financial Disclosures

Financial Documents and Disclosures

Citizens’ Climate Education (CCE) is supported by major donors who give $1,000 or more in a given year, regular donations of less than $1,000, and foundations. While the precise proportions vary, for the past three years support has come from approximately 50% major donors, 25% foundations, and 25% regular donations.

CCE’s 2019 budget of $4.7 million is slightly higher than its 2017 budget of $4.5 million. The budget covers staff, conference, and office expenses for an organization that grew from 51,000 registered supporters at the beginning of 2017 to 112,000 as of November 2018.
  • Staff: CCE’s staff expenses support 37 regular staff members and 23 contract employees. Except for a low 14% of combined administrative and fundraising costs, this provides training and empowerment for the organization’s 112,000 supporters, including ongoing program work. The great majority of staff members work remotely, allowing us to minimize office expenses. 
  • Conferences: CCE is committed to enabling as many volunteers to attend its two annual conferences in Washington, D.C. as possible. It has therefore made the conscious decision to run these flagship events at a loss, keeping volunteer expenses to a minimum. In addition, CCE helps to subsidize 13 regional conferences across the United States, providing invaluable venues for local organizing.   
  • Offices: CCE maintains offices in Coronado, California, and in Washington, D.C. The former are quite minimal, while the latter have recently expanded to include a private conference space appropriate for meeting with allied NGOs and other organizations.

In keeping with its non-partisan commitments, CCE will not accept donations from individuals engaged in intensely partisan actions on either side of the political aisle—and has, in fact, respectfully declined donations from such figures in the past. Any exception would have to be matched by an equal donation from a partnered citizen on the other side of the political spectrum, consistent with CCE’s view that concern for the climate should know no partisan boundaries. Furthermore, it is CCE’s policy to decline all donations from the fossil fuel industry. Although CCE is legally permitted to engage in direct lobbying, all lobbying and related spending is the responsibility of its 501(c)(4) sister organization Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

Major past and present foundation supporters include the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the David Rockefeller Fund, the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, and the Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation.

CCE’s commitment to transparency is reflected by its Guidestar Gold status, and by the public accessibility of its form 990s. (Note: Recognition from Charity Navigator requires a longer record of full-form 990s than CCE, which filed using form 990EZ for its first several years, yet possesses; we will be able to apply for Charity Navigator review in 2019).

CCE overhead averages a low 14-16%. This includes all fundraising costs, which varied from 6-8% between 2014 and 2017.

The below documents contain financial information on CCE or you can review CCE’s state non-profit disclosures. More information on our foundation partners, can be found on our Sources of Support page.

2017 Documents

2016 Documents

2015 Documents

2014 Documents

2013 Documents

Contact Us

Development Director Lynate Pettengill: lynateatcitizensclimatedotorg  (lynateatcitizensclimatedotorg)