Keep America Beautiful Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL, THE NATION'S LEADING COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT NONPROFIT, INSPIRES AND EDUCATES PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTION TO IMPROVE AND BEAUTIFY THEIR COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT. SEE SCHEDULE O FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
- Income
- $7.7 million
- Spending
- $7.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 76%
- Reserves
- 2.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 91%
- Employees
- 23
- Volunteers
- 1,537
- Highest pay
- $318,516, president & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 71 out of 100. Higher than 40% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.3 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 20% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 10% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1576% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 60% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2521 of 21 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 December 31, 2024, 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)
- $731,235 spent. CLEAN CALIFORNIA - KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL IS THE LEAD SUBCONTRACTOR ON A THREE-YEAR CALTRANS CLEAN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC EDUCATION SUBCONTRACT LED BY SAGENT. KAB, WORKING CLOSELY WITH KEEP CALIFORNIA BEAUTIFUL AND OVER A DOZEN LOCAL CALIFORNIA-BASED KAB AFFILIATES, CONTINUES TO DELIVER A VARIETY OF IMPORTANT OUTCOMES FOR THIS PROJECT. KAB'S QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH EFFORTS, INCLUDING FOCUS GROUPS AND LITTER SURVEYS, HAVE HELPED STRENGTHEN THE MESSAGING AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE STATEWIDE CLEAN CALIFORNIA CAMPAIGN. KAB ALSO CONDUCTS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF LITTER PREVENTION AND MITIGATION THROUGH COORDINATING WITH LOCAL PARTNERS TO HOST A DOZEN COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION CLEANUPS AND 15 LITTER DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS, WHILE ALSO SHARING COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND DISSEMINATING THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUAL CLEANUP KITS TO INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS ACROSS THE STATE. KAB AND KCB ALSO MANAGED TWO YEARS OF A K-12 MULTIMEDIA EDUCATION CONTEST, BACKED BY EDUCATOR OUTREACH STATEWIDE. KAB HAS DEVELOPED AND CONDUCTED OUTREACH FOR A CLEAN CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY DESIGNATION PROGRAM TO REACH 100 COMMUNITIES STATEWIDE. KAB PARTNERED WITH IHEART MEDIA ON A PAID MEDIA CAMPAIGN AMPLIFYING AWARENESS ABOUT AND PARTICIPATION IN THE DESIGNATION PROGRAM AMONG TARGETED AUDIENCES. THE CLEAN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN RUNS THROUGH JUNE 2025, WHILE THE CLEAN CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY DESIGNATION PROGRAM RUNS THROUGH JUNE 2026.
- $1.9 million spent. CIGARETTE LITTER PREVENTION PROGRAM - THE CIGARETTE LITTER PREVENTION PROGRAM (CLPP) IS ONE OF KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL'S SIGNATURE NATIONAL PROGRAMS. IT IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVES FOR REDUCING CIGARETTE BUTT LITTER AND PROVIDING BUTT RECYCLING OPTIONS. SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO, THIS SIGNATURE PROGRAM HAS CONSISTENTLY CUT CIGARETTE BUTT LITTER BY APPROXIMATELY HALF BASED ON LOCAL MEASUREMENTS TAKEN IN THE FIRST FOUR TO SIX MONTHS AFTER PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION. SURVEY RESULTS ALSO DEMONSTRATE THAT AS COMMUNITIES CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR THE PROGRAM THOSE REDUCTIONS ARE SUSTAINED OR EVEN INCREASED OVER TIME. EACH YEAR, KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL AWARDS CLPP GRANTS TO ITS AFFILIATES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS, DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATIONS, PARKS AND RECREATION AREAS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS DEDICATED TO ERADICATING LITTER AND BEAUTIFYING THEIR COMMUNITIES. KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL HAS DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN $3 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING TO SUPPORT LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM IN MORE THAN 1,800 COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE.
- $424,772 spent. GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP - THE KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP IS THE NATION'S LARGEST COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, WHICH TAKES PLACE ANNUALLY DURING SPRING AND CELEBRATED ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2023. IN 2024, THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP BEGAN TO EVOLVE INTO THE "GREATEST AMERICAN CLEANUP FOR THE COUNTRY'S 250TH BIRTHDAY." THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP PROMPTS INDIVIDUALS TO TAKE GREATER RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT BY CONDUCTING GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS THAT ENGAGE VOLUNTEERS, LOCAL BUSINESSES AND CIVIC LEADERS MEETING NEEDS THE COMMUNITIES IDENTIFY. THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP BEGAN AS A LITTER CLEANUP INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO AESTHETICALLY IMPROVE OUR ENVIRONMENT BY CREATING CLEANER PARKS, STREETSCAPES AND PUBLIC SPACES THROUGH LITTER REMOVAL AND ELIMINATION. TO THIS DAY, COMMUNITY CLEANUPS REMAIN AT THE VERY HEART OF THE CAMPAIGN. IN 2024, MORE THAN 42 MILLION POUNDS OF LITTER AND RECYCLABLES WERE COLLECTED BY VOLUNTEERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. THEY CLEANED AND IMPROVED OVER 73,000 PARKS, PUBLIC LANDS, PLAYGROUNDS, AND TRAILS IN MORE THAN 34,000 EVENTS COVERING AN AREA SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK. KAB AFFILIATE VOLUNTEERS ALSO CLEANED OVER 21 THOUSAND MILES OF STREETS, ROADWAYS, AND HIGHWAYS, WHICH EQUATES TO NEARLY HALF THE LENGTH OF THE US INTERSTATE SYSTEM. OUR COMMUNITY GREENING AND BEAUTIFICATION PLANTED MORE THAN 350,000 FLOWERS, PLANTS, SHRUBS AND TREES THAT COOL HEAT ZONES AND CREATE VIBRANT GATEWAYS TO SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS; CREATE COMMUNITY GARDENS THAT HELP FEED THE HUNGRY AND EDUCATE YOUNG GARDENERS. KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL STRIVES TO MOTIVATE MORE AMERICANS TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS AND TAKE SIMPLE, EVERYDAY ACTIONS TO REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE RIGHT THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP. THROUGH PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP AND THE "GREATEST AMERICAN CLEANUP FOR THE COUNTRY'S 250TH BIRTHDAY", KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL TRANSFORMS PUBLIC PLACES INTO BEAUTIFUL SPACES HELPING TO MAKE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ENVIRONMENTALLY HEALTHY, SOCIALLY CONNECTED AND ECONOMICALLY SOUND.
- $2.5 million spent. ALL OTHER PROGRAMS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO OUR LOCAL, STATEWIDE, AND INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATES TO SUPPORT THEIR EFFORTS IN EDUCATING INDIVIDUALS ABOUT LITTER PREVENTION AND WAYS TO REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, AND PROPERLY MANAGE WASTE MATERIALS.RETREET: WORKING TOGETHER, KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL AND RETREET FOCUS ON A NEW KAB STRATEGIC PRIORITY: COMMUNITY RESTORATION AND RESILIENCY. WE BRING COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS TOGETHER TO FORM SMALL TEAMS, TRAIN THEM ON HOW TO EFFECTIVE PLANT NATIVE TREES, AND WORK TO PLANT THESE TREES IN AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY NATURAL DISASTERS. REPLANTING AND RESTORING OUR COMMUNITIES HELP KEEP THEM HEALTHIER AND MORE RESILIENT, LITERALLY GROWING DEEP ROOTS TO ANCHOR AND STABILIZE FLOOD-PRONE AREAS, LESSEN EROSION, AND IMPROVE NATURAL RESILIENCY.NATIONAL CONFERENCE: THE KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL CONFERENCE IS A LEARNING AND SHARING GATHERING OPEN TO OUR 700 AFFILIATES AROUND THE COUNTRY AND BEYOND AS WELL AS THEIR VOLUNTEERS AND STAKEHOLDERS. BEST PRACTICES ARE SHARED, SECTOR INNOVATION IS EXPLORED AND COHORTS FACING SIMILAR CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER TO MAXIMIZE THE VALUE, EFFICIENCY AND EXPERTISE OF THE NETWORK.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 1955.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 21, 2026.
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