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Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors Northwest

EIN 20-3710367 · Portland, OR

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceGood86 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

ECOLOGY IN CLASSROOMS & OUTDOORS (ECO) CONNECTS KIDS TO NATURE THROUGH EXPLORATION OF THE LOCAL ECOLOGY. ECO ENGAGES STUDENTS IN CONSERVATION EDUCATION TO CREATE A DEEPER APPRECIATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

Income
$553,776
Spending
$483,160
Spent on programs
70%
Reserves
35.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 38%
Employees
7
Volunteers
20
Highest pay
$117,787, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 85% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 35.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 2% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 13% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 23% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    70% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 21 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Good: 86 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    8 of 8 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 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 (1)
  1. $339,982 spent. IN 2025, ECOLOGY IN CLASSROOMS & OUTDOORS (ECO) DELIVERED COMPREHENSIVE ECOLOGY AND STEM EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH IN-PERSON ECO LESSONS, AVES COMPARTIDAS DUAL-LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING, PLACE-BASED UNITS, AND ONLINE CURRICULUM. ECO EDUCATORS REACHED 4,080 STUDENTS AT 15 SCHOOLS ACROSS SIX SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGH HANDS-ON ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION, SCHOOLYARD EXPERIENCES, AND SERVICE-LEARNING FIELD TRIPS. DURING ECO PROGRAMMING, STUDENTS FROM 136 CLASSROOMS SPENT OVER 9,000 HOURS LEARNING ABOUT AND ENGAGING WITH NATURE.CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O. OUR IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING BRINGS ECOLOGY TO LIFE AND PROVIDES EXPERIENTIAL AND MULTISENSORY LESSONS TAILORED TO THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF EACH COMMUNITY. LESSONS ARE ALIGNED WITH THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS, THE OREGON ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY PLAN, AND STEAM TEACHING TARGETS. OUR ONLINE PLATFORM, TEACH.ECOLOGYOUTDOORS.ORG, PROVIDES ACCESS TO FREE LESSONS AS WELL AS OUR PLACE-BASED UNITS, WORKSHEETS, VIDEOS, AND ADDITIONAL CURRICULUM RESOURCES, EXPANDING OUR REACH TO EDUCATORS IN BOTH URBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES.THIS PAST YEAR, ECO'S 15 PLACE-BASED UNIT CURRICULUM KITS UNDERWENT A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND REFORMATTING PROCESS TO IMPROVE LESSON QUALITY, CLARITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY. THESE UPDATED UNITS CONTINUE TO INTEGRATE SCIENCE CONCEPTS ACROSS CORE SUBJECTS AND WERE DISTRIBUTED TO PARTNERS ACROSS OREGON, EQUIPPING K-5 EDUCATORS WITH THE TOOLS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS IN HANDS-ON SCIENCE LEARNING AND STRENGTHEN CONNECTIONS TO THEIR LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS. THE AVES COMPARTIDAS PROGRAM PROVIDES BILINGUAL, CULTURALLY RELEVANT EDUCATION FOR SPANISH-IMMERSION CLASSROOMS, ENGAGING STUDENTS IN LESSONS ON ECOLOGY AND STEWARDSHIP. ECO'S SECONDARY PROGRAMMING FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOCUSES ON SERVICE-LEARNING AND CAREER EXPLORATION, BUILDING AN UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS, RENEWABLE ENERGY, AND BIODIVERSITY THROUGH STANDARDS-ALIGNED, SOLUTIONS-FOCUSED LESSONS.ECO'S WORK IS STRENGTHENED THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE REGION, WORKING TO EXPAND ACCESS TO HANDS-ON, INTERACTIVE, AND OUTDOOR LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since January 2007.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. 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.

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