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Nonprofiteer
← WOODWELL CLIMATE RESEARCH CENTER

Form 990 for tax year 2023

Filed by WOODWELL CLIMATE RESEARCH CENTER.

Totals

Total revenue
$32,588,148
Total expenses
$31,029,018
Contributions and grants received
$26,619,062
Grants paid
$5,332,974
Program service revenue
$4,445,652
Investment income
$1,523,434
Other revenue
$0
Total assets, end of year
$66,446,312
Total liabilities, end of year
$4,167,187
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$62,279,125
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$21,809,237
Management and general expenses
$7,205,229
Fundraising expenses
$2,014,552
Program service expenses (Part III)
$21,809,237

Program services were 70.3% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1e · Government grants (contributions)

    $3,280,230

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $23,338,832

  • 2a · Program service revenue: Contract revenue

    total $4,445,652 · related or exempt $4,445,652

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $1,384,772 · excluded $1,384,772

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $377,432

  • 7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

    securities $189,094 · other assets $49,676

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities $188,338 · other assets -$49,676

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total $138,662 · excluded $138,662

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $4,815,202 · program services $4,815,202

  • 3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

    total $517,772 · program services $517,772

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $1,695,969 · program services $1,203,845 · management and general $357,843 · fundraising $134,281

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $11,599,696 · program services $8,233,784 · management and general $2,447,493 · fundraising $918,419

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $886,328 · program services $629,140 · management and general $187,012 · fundraising $70,176

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $1,782,438 · program services $1,265,224 · management and general $376,088 · fundraising $141,126

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $1,064,327 · program services $755,489 · management and general $224,569 · fundraising $84,269

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $164,206 · program services $80,652 · management and general $83,554

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $1,140,303 · program services $46,610 · management and general $1,057,793 · fundraising $35,900

  • 11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

    total $172,444 · fundraising $172,444

  • 11f · Fees: investment management

    total $65,830 · management and general $65,830

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $535,391 · program services $535,391

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $76,897 · program services $30,828 · management and general $39,128 · fundraising $6,941

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $535,221 · program services $202,384 · management and general $249,118 · fundraising $83,719

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $578,499 · program services $231,918 · management and general $294,363 · fundraising $52,218

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $371,709 · program services $25,317 · management and general $344,748 · fundraising $1,644

  • 17 · Travel

    total $1,689,083 · program services $1,326,463 · management and general $221,994 · fundraising $140,626

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $672,241 · program services $307,396 · management and general $297,176 · fundraising $67,669

  • 20 · Interest

    total $33,119 · management and general $33,119

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $659,537 · program services $72,422 · management and general $586,431 · fundraising $684

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $82,058 · program services $32,897 · management and general $41,754 · fundraising $7,407

  • 24a · Other expenses: Common costs

    total $1,486,596 · program services $1,092,351 · management and general $297,216 · fundraising $97,029

  • 24b · Other expenses: Research supplies

    total $404,152 · program services $404,152

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $8,605,129 · end of year $2,847,411

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $22,153,318 · end of year $26,932,781

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $14,726,498 · end of year $15,153,941

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $2,041,251 · end of year $1,896,724

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $238,606 · end of year $370,584

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $16,148,217

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $10,406,099

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $5,532,742 · end of year $5,742,118

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $9,968,619 · end of year $13,166,802

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $337,313 · end of year $335,951

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $2,662,833 · end of year $3,298,927

  • 20 · Tax-exempt bond liabilities

    beginning of year $947,276 · end of year $826,788

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $74,492 · end of year $41,472

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $15,131,549 · end of year $18,913,816

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $44,787,326 · end of year $43,365,309

Mission and programs · 2023

Mission

Woodwell Climate Research Center conducts science for solutions at the nexus of climate, people and nature. We partner with leaders and communities for just, meaningful impact to address the climate crisis.

Activities or mission (Part I)

See Schedule O

  • Policy Relevant Research: Scientific excellence is the foundation for all of Woodwell Climate Research Center's activities, and distinguishes WCRC from other NGOs in the environmental sector. Through a holistic, multidisciplinary, applied, and team-focused approach, we seek to create breakthrough understanding of climate change impacts and solutions, for the purpose of informing sound environmental policies from the local to global scale. WCRC's research is focused on the land-climate connection - how changes in land use effect the climate system; how the changing climate is altering systems on land such as forests, ecosystems and agriculture; and what land-management strategies can harness the power of nature to slow climate change. Most of this research is conducted in the arctic and the tropics-critical regions where natural systems contain disproportionate shares of the planet's biodiversity and stored carbon, but where deforestation, agriculture, fire, and climatic warming place these assets at great risk.

    Expenses $16,851,630 · Grants $5,320,898 · Revenue $1,345,852

  • Policy Engagement, Education & Communication: Woodwell Climate Research Center has a long and rich history of impacting climate policy processes at multiple levels, and sharing our scientific understanding of climate change with the world through cutting-edge communication and education programs. WCRC builds partnerships with local and national governments, non-governmental and private-sector organizations to implement and measure progress towards national commitments to the Paris agreement. To leave an educational legacy, WCRC offers hands-on experiential programs to train a new generation of climate science leaders. WCRC fosters immersive educational programs that encourage students to link field research with big-picture solutions in the challenging and fast-changing environments where we work.

    Expenses $3,050,440 · Revenue $1,799,800

  • Center Funded Science: This category of expenditures represents Woodwell Climate Research Center's commitment to stimulating innovation, investing in future science leaders and investing in our scientific staff by funding projects of our own choosing. Center funded science aims to supplement/extend existing projects, or seed-fund projects that have the potential to have outsized impact in science and policy or which have good potential for return on investment by enabling external funding.

    Expenses $1,907,167 · Grants $12,076 · Revenue $1,300,000

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • Jerry Brown

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Christina Deconcini

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    3
  • Michael J Fanger

    Treasurer

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • C Gail Greenwald

    Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    8
  • Andre L Guimarraes

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Thomas J Hynes III

    Vice Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    3
  • Joseph Kennedy III

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Roger A Kranenburg

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • John L Le Coq

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    3
  • Robert B Litterman

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Wilhelm M Merck

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Joseph J Mueller

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    3
  • Georgia Chafee Nassikas

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    3
  • Glenn T Prickett

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Kilaparti Ramakriashna

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Daniel A Reifsynder

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Joseph R Robinson

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Ihsan K Speede

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Izabella M Teixeira

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Stephanie N Tomasky

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Cyrus N Wadia

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Sanjay J Wagle

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Philip Duffy

    Past President & Executive Director

    Total calculated
    $512,861
    From this org
    $446,683
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $66,178
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $443,635
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $3,048
    Deferred
    $38,019
    Nontaxable benefits
    $28,159
    Filer's total
    $512,861
  • Robert Max Holmes

    President & Chief Executive Officer

    Total calculated
    $492,597
    From this org
    $446,801
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $45,796
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $385,769
    Bonus
    $60,000
    Other
    $1,032
    Deferred
    $43,637
    Nontaxable benefits
    $2,159
    Filer's total
    $492,597
  • Corrie Martin

    COO

    Total calculated
    $337,100
    From this org
    $315,225
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $21,875
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $289,673
    Bonus
    $25,000
    Other
    $552
    Deferred
    $20,323
    Nontaxable benefits
    $1,552
    Filer's total
    $337,100
  • Wayne Walker

    Chief Scientific Officer PI

    Total calculated
    $298,243
    From this org
    $229,107
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $69,136
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $216,747
    Bonus
    $12,000
    Other
    $360
    Deferred
    $23,866
    Nontaxable benefits
    $45,270
    Filer's total
    $298,243
  • John Arsenault

    VP of Finance

    Total calculated
    $51,821
    From this org
    $49,588
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $2,233
    Hours/week
    40
  • Christopher Neill

    Senior Scientist, PI

    Total calculated
    $251,511
    From this org
    $214,549
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $36,962
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $206,783
    Bonus
    $6,182
    Other
    $1,584
    Deferred
    $21,509
    Nontaxable benefits
    $15,453
    Filer's total
    $251,511
  • Christopher Schwalm

    Senior Scientist & Risk Program Director PI

    Total calculated
    $263,568
    From this org
    $200,038
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $63,530
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $193,486
    Bonus
    $6,000
    Other
    $552
    Deferred
    $20,877
    Nontaxable benefits
    $42,653
    Filer's total
    $263,568
  • Michael Coe

    Senior Scientist & Tropics Program Director PI

    Total calculated
    $243,538
    From this org
    $193,911
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $49,627
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $187,050
    Bonus
    $5,829
    Other
    $1,032
    Deferred
    $20,280
    Nontaxable benefits
    $29,347
    Filer's total
    $243,538
  • Linda Deegan

    Senior Scientist, PI

    Total calculated
    $253,101
    From this org
    $216,013
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $37,088
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $206,783
    Bonus
    $6,182
    Other
    $3,048
    Deferred
    $21,509
    Nontaxable benefits
    $15,579
    Filer's total
    $253,101
  • Susan Natali

    Senior Scientist PI

    Total calculated
    $237,886
    From this org
    $191,580
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $46,306
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $185,342
    Bonus
    $5,686
    Other
    $552
    Deferred
    $19,783
    Nontaxable benefits
    $26,523
    Filer's total
    $237,886

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

  • 3 · Form 990 of other organizations
  • 3 · Written employment contract
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments

Answered no

  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

The filer's explanations (Part III)

Part I, Line 7
At times the Organization provides employees with additional performance-based compensation. At the discretion of the President/CEO, the bonus provided in 2023 for all staff was provided to recognize excellent work by those individuals over the prior fiscal year. The amount provided as bonuses was generally 3% of base compensation for all employees, determined to be appropriate by the CEO, with exceptions made in some cases where additional compensation was deemed warranted. The President/CEO's employment contract provides for a merit based bonus if approved by the Board of Directors. The Board determines incentive goals each year and then annually determines whether sufficient progress toward those goals has been made. In 2023 the Board approved a bonus to the President/CEO in the amount indicated based on successful attainment of those incentive goals.

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2023
Filed
7 March 2025
IRS schema version
2023v6.0
Source object
202510669349300116

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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