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Urban Green Lab

EIN 27-1011744 · Nashville, TN

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair57 out of 100GovernanceStrong91 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

URBAN GREEN LAB'S MISSION IS TO TEACH COMMUNITIES HOW TO LIVE SUSTAINABLY BY PROVIDING EDUCATION, TOOLS, AND PROGRAMMING TO NASHVILLE HOUSEHOLDS, WORKPLACES, AND SCHOOLS FOCUSED ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, FOOD WASTE REDUCTION, AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE.

Income
$696,565
Spending
$779,377
Spent on programs
62%
Reserves
3.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 96%
Employees
10
Volunteers
31
Highest pay
$93,150, 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

Fair: 57 out of 100. Higher than 20% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 3.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 14% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 12% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 11% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    62% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 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

Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    16 of 16 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

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • 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 (4)
  1. $173,727 spent. SUSTAINABLE WORKPLACES - OUR WORKPLACES DIVISION WORKS WITH BUSINESSES, NONPROFITS, SCHOOLS, AND GOVERNMENT OFFICES TO IMPLEMENT SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION FOR EMPLOYEES. WE HELP WORKPLACES ORGANIZE GREEN TEAMS, TEACH THEM ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, AND CONNECT THEM TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THEIR BUSINESS THROUGH THE NASHVILLE SUSTAINABILITY ROUNDTABLE, SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTORY AND B TENNESSEE. IN 2025, OUR WORKPLACES DIVISION PRIORITIZED OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY BUILDING. WE HOSTED IN-PERSON EVENTS, SUCH AS ROUNDTABLES, FOR ORGANIZATIONS LOOKING TO FOSTER A CULTURE OF SUSTAINABILITY IN THEIR WORKPLACES, AND SPOKE ON MULTIPLE PANELS ABOUT SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS. WE ALSO LAUNCHED THE SUSTAINABLE NASHVILLE DIRECTORY FEATURING BUSINESSES THAT BALANCE PROFIT WITH CARE FOR THE PLANET. IN 2025, THE WORKPLACES DIVISION ENGAGED 42 ORGANIZATIONS. PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES GAINED ACCESS TO B TENNESSEE CERTIFICATION SUPPORT, PEER TO PEER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, AND THE NASHVILLE SUSTAINABILITY ROUNDTABLE NETWORK.
  2. $123,943 spent. SPECIAL INITIATIVES - OUR SPECIAL INITIATIVES ARE FOCUS AREAS OF SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION THAT URBAN GREEN LAB HAS CHOSEN TO HIGHLIGHT AND INCORPORATE THROUGHOUT THE DIVISIONS. OUR PROGRAMMING TOUCHES ON MANY OF THEM. HOWEVER, WE BELIEVE IT'S ESSENTIAL TO HIGHLIGHT AREAS WHERE RESIDENTS CAN MAKE A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACT AND TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE DAILY DECISIONS THAT AFFECT OUR NEIGHBORS AND THE PLANET. IT'S WHY WE TEACH ABOUT FOOD WASTE AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS, TWO CRITICAL TOPICS FOR NASHVILLE TO BE A GREENER AND MORE JUST CITY FOR EVERYONE. AS PART OF OUR SPECIAL INITIATIVES, URBAN GREEN LAB LAUNCHED SEVERAL INNOVATIVE PROJECTS TO ADVANCE SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE. NOTABLY, OUR VOICES OF RESILIENCE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT HIGHLIGHTED FRONTLINE CLIMATE EXPERIENCES IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. THE WASTE LESSTM MURAL SERIES CREATIVELY RAISES AWARENESS ABOUT FOOD WASTE THROUGH PUBLIC ART. ADDITIONALLY, WE CONVENED THE NASHVILLE SUSTAINABLE SPORTS ALLIANCE, UNITING PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS TO PROMOTE ZERO-WASTE STADIUMS. THESE INITIATIVES REFLECT OUR SYSTEMS-BASED APPROACH TO FOSTERING LASTING, EQUITABLE CLIMATE SOLUTIONS. THE VOICES OF RESILIENCE PROJECT DOCUMENTED 4 COMMUNITY STORIES FROM FRONTLINE CLIMATE COMMUNITIES. THE NASHVILLE SUSTAINABLE SPORTS ALLIANCE LAUNCHED WITH ALL FOUR MAJOR PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS COMMITTED TO ZERO-WASTE STADIUM GOALS. THE WASTE LESS MURAL SERIES REACHED AN ESTIMATED 3,600 COMMUNITY MEMBERS PER WEEKEND AT THE NASHVILLE FARMER'S MARKET.
  3. $106,005 spent. SUSTAINABLE HOUSEHOLDS - THE HOUSEHOLDS DIVISION PROVIDES SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION, TOOLS, AND RESOURCES TO NASHVILLE RESIDENTS THROUGH SUSTAINABLE IN THE CITY AND THE NEWLY LAUNCHED UGL VOLUNTEERS PROGRAM. SUSTAINABLE IN THE CITY IS A MONTHLY WEBINAR, PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ZERO WASTE NASHVILLE, THAT EDUCATES RESIDENTS ON SUSTAINABILITY AND WASTE-RELATED TOPICS. THIS YEAR'S GUESTS DISCUSSED EVERYTHING FROM POLLINATORS TO THE CITY'S CURBSIDE COMPOSTING PILOT. THE UGL VOLUNTEERS PROGRAM PROVIDES NASHVILLIANS WITH THE RESOURCES, TOOLS, AND TRAINING ON SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES TO SHARE WITH FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND NEIGHBORS. THE PROGRAM EQUIPS VOLUNTEERS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE TO FACILITATE MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS ON SUSTAINABILITY. IN 2025, SUSTAINABLE IN THE CITY PODCAST SERIES CONCLUDED WITH FOUR FINAL EPISODES REACHING 120 PARTICIPANTS. THE UGL VOLUNTEERS PROGRAM TRAINED 45 MORE NASHVILLIANS AS SUSTAINABILITY AMBASSADORS. TOPICS COVERED INCLUDED POLLINATORS, CURBSIDE COMPOSTING, AND FOOD WASTE REDUCTION.
  4. $80,889 spent. IN 2025, URBAN GREEN LAB UNDERTOOK A SIGNIFICANT ORGANIZATIONAL RENEWAL FOLLOWING UNEXPECTED FEDERAL GRANT RESCISSIONS. THE ORGANIZATION COMPLETED A COMMUNITY-INFORMED STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS ENGAGING BOARD, STAFF, AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, RESTRUCTURED ITS OPERATING MODEL MID-YEAR IN RESPONSE TO A REVISED BUDGET, AND TRANSITIONED THE ANNUAL CLIMATE WEEK COOK-OFF FROM A PROGRAM ACTIVITY INTO A FULLY REALIZED FUNDRAISING EVENT, STRENGTHENING ITS LONG-TERM FINANCIAL RESILIENCE.

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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since May 2011.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 21, 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.