Grist Magazine Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Grist is an independent, non profit media organization dedicated to reporting on climate change.
- Income
- $10.4 million
- Spending
- $10.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 73%
- Reserves
- 8.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 86%
- Employees
- 68
- Volunteers
- 17
- Highest pay
- $323,152, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 86 out of 100. Higher than 67% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 8.6 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 15% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1573% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 14 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2517 of 18 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $6.0 million spent. Publishing climate and sustainability news and commentary: Grist published more than 800 articles on climate and sustainability topics during the fiscal year, ranging from short news items to in-depth interviews and features. The organization reached an average of 2.6m readers per month, including website visitors, email subscribers, and offsite (primarily social-media) audiences.
- $548,945 spent. Fostering civic engagement: Grist's goal is to create a vibrant community of people who support sustainability; make sustainable choices and encourage their communities to do the same; and encourage readers to use social media and other tools to activate their personal networks and to create lasting change.
- $627,999 spent. Train a new generation of journalists: By providing hands-on journalism experience as well as exposure to leading environmental thinkers, the Grist Fellowship Program trains early-career journalists to become effective environmental communicators. Grist hosts groups of five fellows for six-month terms. Fellows participate in research and story generation, crafting investigative stories and ground breaking multimedia projects.
- $278,650 spent. Serving as a resource for other media: Grist informs and influences coverage of climate and energy in major media including The New York Times, Washington Post, ProPublica, the Seattle Times and more, and has served as an expert source for NPR, the BBC, PRX, PBS, and other networks.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since April 2003.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.