Climbhi Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
ClimbHI seeks to inspire students to finish high school and proceed to post-secondary education or employment by educating them about future career paths and the process necessary to achieve those goals. Established in 2008, ClimbHI, provides people education through the exploration of life's opportunities. We foster learning by partnering and working with businesses, educational institutions, and other governmental, private, profit, and non-profit organizations, entities and individuals that promote and further the purposes of the corporation. The goal is to take ClimbHI's sustainable model nationwide, but the initial focus is on Hawaii with programs including participants from all islands, including Ni'ihau. The programs are conducted by volunteers from the industry, local college/university students, and ClimbHI. Also, leadership for the program comes from the speakers, industry participants, other businesses, volunteers, and the returning high school and college students.
- Income
- $1.4 million
- Spending
- $857,093
- Spent on programs
- 93%
- Reserves
- 7.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 75%
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 605
- Highest pay
- $149,375, president
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
Strong: 93 out of 100.
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 7.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 40% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 216% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1593% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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
Fair: 50 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 256 of 6 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 (3)
- $209,935 spent. LEI program is a workforce development project to inspire Hawai'i's youth to select careers in the Hawai'i visitor industry by providing them with the necessary means to achieve success. From the student's perspective, LEI program represents an opportunity for Leadership, Exploration and Inspiration, and from the hospitality industry's perspective, LEI provides an opportunity to Lead, Expose, and Inspire Hawaii's youth.LEI programs were hosted on four islands, with special considerations for the unique logistics on each island.The 12th annual LEI program took place in April 2024 on four differrent islands (Maui, O'ahu, Kaua'i and Big Island). Participants included 1,000 high school and college students from across the state and over 100 businesses.
- $343,364 spent. The organization started the development of an online platform in 2019 called the ClimbHI Bridge. It connects educators and businesses through streamlined communication that leads to successful outcomes. Once in the portal, there are multiple opportunity types for educators to explore and then send requests to businesses that are available in each category, including: (1) guest speaking /guest teaching, (2) hiring blitz and exposure fair participation, (3) job readiness activities, (4)exposureships - where students learn firsthand about businesses and careers, (5)job shadowing, (6)site visits and other events, (7)internships, (8) credentials, and (9) judging and coaching.ClimbHI Bridge is the largest public-private partnership of its kind in the state, linking educators, students, businesses and organizations to provide workforce development opportunities. There are 240 schools and 440 businesses participating on ClimbHI Bridge. These awardees and hundreds of opportunities providers have helped reach nearly 170,000 students and 5,300 educators statewide.
- $49,420 spent. The ClimbHI Service Excellence Certificate, developed for the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE) Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, has reached 2,998 students statewide since it was launched in early 2020.The Service Excellence Certificate helps graduates be more workforce ready. The curriculum was exclusively developed in partnership with the School of Hotel Administration at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, one of the leading hospitality administration programs in the world. Upon completion of the 9 module, on-demand training, students receive a Service Excellence Certificate of Achievement from Cornell University and ClimbHI. Courses cover skills development, managing customer interactions, and Aloha Spirit Law as outlined in the Hawaii Revised Statutes.Over the 2023-2024 academic year, 760 participating students in grades 9-12 at 17 high schools statewide were sponsored through generous donations from 22 partners totaling nearly $60,040. Approximately $237,040 has been raised for program participants in the past 3 years.
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 September 2011.
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.
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.