Skip to the page content
Your donations
Passes our checks

Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action

EIN 27-4379516 · Cupertino, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak24 out of 100GovernanceFair50 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • Only 14% of its spending went to programs.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

SVYCA empowers teens and young adults to combat climate change immediately through impactful education and policy initiatives. Our youth work in focused climate action teams to ensure important climate policies and measures receive support at every level, including local, regional, and statewide. Youth at SVYCA gain in-depth knowledge about climate policy, build relationships with key climate stakeholders such as elected officials and climate tech leaders, and gain exposure to climate career pathways across multiple industries and disciplines.

Income
$245,334
Spending
$399,076
Spent on programs
14%
Reserves
0.8 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 94%
Employees
0
Volunteers
9
Highest pay
$103,388, ed

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

Weak: 24 out of 100. Higher than 3% of charities in its peer group (environment, under $250k).

  • Reserves

    4 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 0.8 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 63% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 38% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    0 of 15

    14% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 36 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

Fair: 50 out of 100. Higher than 18% of charities in its peer group (environment, under $250k).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    9 of 9 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    0 of 15

    Reports no written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • 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 (3)
  1. $31,560 spent. SVYCA proposed to work on a number of SCCYCI goals related to Focus Area 2 and 4: Focus Area 2 Goal: Support youth leadership development by recruiting and training high school students on climate solutions and leadership skills. Focus Area 2 Goal: Develop and build out annual events and partnership programs that SVYCA leads and supports. These programs focus on youth leadership development and climate action. Focus Area 4 Goal: Develop and build out annual events and partnership programs that SVYCA leads and supports. These programs focus on green career pathways.
  2. $2,843 spent. The purpose of the Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action 2025 Youth Leadership Summit is to unite youth behind learning about and taking actions to combat climate change while building collective resiliency and awareness around sustainability. This summit invites high school and college students, as well as young adults to a day of interactive workshops as well as informative speaker programs that stretch across a vast array of urgent environmental topics, such as fast fashion, green career paths, climate science, and effective climate and sustainability solutions etc. Through the Youth Leadership Summit, youth in Silicon Valley will become empowered, learn about best practices, and develop skills to efficiently and effectively bring positive environmental change to their communities.
  3. $22,436 spent. 1) Climate Literacy School Assemblies 2) After School Educator Trainings 3) 10-minute video (with video editing needed) in advisory periods 4) Multilingual videos 5) Social Media Ads

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 December 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.