International Cryosphere Climate Initiative
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
ICCI serves as a network between scientists policymakers and people affected by climate change in the Cryosphere such as the Arctic Antarctic Himalayas; and downstream and low-lying nations.
- Income
- $467,813
- Spending
- $543,985
- Spent on programs
- 95%
- Reserves
- 3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 82%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $31,628, 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
Good: 70 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (science, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 16% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 198% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1595% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 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
Good: 72 out of 100. Higher than 51% of charities in its peer group (science, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
18 of 252 of 3 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
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
6 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 (6)
- $143,679 spent. AMI UNFCCC: ICCI serves as the Secretariat to the Ambition on Melting Ice AMI High-level Group focused on preventing the worsening of downstream and coastal impacts from cryosphere ice loss in polar and mountain regions through urgent ambitious emission reductions. Joined by Germany and Palau at COP29 in Baku AMI now consists of 25 governments and works also with Indigenous groups though the UNFCCC Indigenous Peoples Platform. As AMI Secretariat ICCI organizes biannual meetings of climate negotiators for 2024 in May Baku and October Frankfurt and supported AMI governments at the Bonn intersessional meetings; as well at COP29 in Baku. ICCI coordinated a joint AMI statement and press conference in the final days of negotiations to help hold the line on the lower 1.5C Paris Agreement limit with reference to the global consequences of cryospheric collapse for each fraction of a degree temperature rise.
- $114,406 spent. State of the Cryosphere Report Cryosphere Pavilion at COP29: At COP29 ICCI coordinated the fifth Cryosphere Pavilion this year in collaboration with AMI Co-Chairs Chile and Iceland. The Pavilion hosted a robust series of 80+ side events over the course of two weeks supported eight early career scientist volunteers and a cadre of senior cryosphere scientists many IPCC who engaged with governments media and civil society throughout the COP. The Pavilion exhibit was viewed by at least 45,000 COP delegates and hosted the release of the 2024 State of the Cryosphere Report which has become a benchmark for cryosphere science and policy. As one indication of the respect now garnered by the Report ICCIs Director participates in regular private briefing sessions with the UN Secretary-General alongside IPCC leaders and the report gained substantive public attention and policy engagement. ICCI and or AMI were referenced in roughly 150 news publications from Baku including print TV and radio. Livestreamed recordings of side events reached thousands during the two-week period.
- $90,472 spent. Polar Programs Arctic and Antarctica: ICCI continued its engagement in the Arctic Council Antarctic Treaty and related polar forums. It led a science communications workshop during the spring Polar Symposium in Monaco supported the two-week Antarctic Treaty meetings focusing on climate and sea-level rise impacts as part of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition delegation ASOC and participated in the SCAR Open Science Conference in Chile. ICCI gave a series of presentations on the immediacy of sea-level rise threats to over fifty representatives of low-lying and small island developing at the Bonn UNFCCC inter-sessionals and supported the interdisciplinary PROVIDE project with Climate Analytics which has generated online public dashboards mapping global warming impacts such as sea-level rise and glacier loss. ICCI also continued an ongoing partnership with the Arctic Abisko Field Station in Sweden to further public education there.
- $58,486 spent. Fire-free Agriculture Development Assistance: Fire-free agricultural practices reduce wildfire risk ensure healthier soils and better crop yields as well as bringing health and water supply benefits. ICCI has long supported farmers to make this transition also to prevent deposition of black carbon on nearby glaciers and snow which speeds melting and water resource loss. This three-year community demonstration project in Ecuador providing farmers with small-scale equipment seeds and above all technical support and training proved so successful that the USDA and USAID approved an expansion for 2025 including a component aimed at Green Climate Fund extended support. ICCI also held a nationwide Fire-free Agriculture workshop for the technical team of Ecuadors Ministry of Agriculture in December that was also livestreamed showcasing the projects overall achievements and drawing over 230 participants from nine countries and thirty organizations.
- $76,806 spent. Cryosphere Educational Outreach and Communications: ICCI expanded its communications efforts through new educational materials increasingly frequent press releases and media interviews throughout the year. These included cross-platform social media posts on X BlueSky and LinkedIn; and a growing series of YouTube videos explaining the importance of Earths snow and ice regions for public health ecosystems and global economies. The 2024 State of the Cryosphere Report received strong engagement from international news outlets following its launch at COP29 in Azerbaijan. ICCIs commentaries on the loss of Venezuelas last glacier and vulnerability of Saudi oil tanker ports to sea-level rise from glaciers and ice sheets gained quick traction reaching BBC The Guardian Scientific American The Washington Post and many national-scale media outlets globally.
- $33,000 spent. International Year of Glaciers Preservation IYGP Mountains: ICCI led the Policy and Finance Task Force under WMO and UNESCO planning for the 2025 International Year of Glaciers Preservation engaging with high-level policy makers,; and served as Deputy of the Communications Task Force communicating the urgency of mitigation and challenges posed by increased glacier melt. ICCI participated in a multi-day Houston sea-level rise conference spoke at the ministerial-level Nepal Mountain Dialogue and engaged in cryosphere-focused sessions at the annual ADB meetings in Georgia where ICCIs Director participated in an hour-long televised CNBC panel exploring glacier melt as well as led a session of the UNFCCC Mountain Dialogue on adaptation at the Bonn Intersessionals. ICCI also organized an educational field excursion tracking meltwater flow from the Caucuses during AMI meetings in Baku Azerbaijan.
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 April 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.