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Solana Center for Environmental Innovation

EIN 33-0009949 · Encinitas, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong93 out of 100GovernanceGood85 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

SOLANA CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATIONS MISSION IS TO EMPOWER INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH EDUCATION, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND RESEARCH.

Income
$1.6 million
Spending
$1.4 million
Spent on programs
78%
Reserves
8.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 83%
Employees
27
Volunteers
288
Highest pay
$111,018, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 8.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 14% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 11% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 18% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    78% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 11 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 31% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    4 of 6 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

    0 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 June 30, 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. $620,596 spent. ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE CONSULTING: OUR EXPERTISE IN ORGANIC WASTE, COMPOSTING, SINGLE-USE PLASTICS, AND STORMWATER POLLUTION, COMBINED WITH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF RELATED STATE ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS, HAS ENABLED US TO CREATE EFFECTIVE AND ACCESSIBLE SOLUTIONS FOR LOCAL SAN DIEGO COUNTY JURISDICTIONS. THESE SOLUTIONS HELP LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND BUSINESSES ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND COMPLY WITH STATE AND LOCAL LAWS. WE OFFER VIRTUAL STATEWIDE SB1383 TRAININGS AS WELL AS EXTENSIVE OUTREACH CAMPAIGNS, TECHNICAL CONSULTING, & SECTOR-SPECIFIC RESOURCES & SURVEYS. WE PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND INSPECTIONS TO 381 BUSINESSES AND 31 FOOD RECOVERY ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS 12 JURISDICTIONS. WE ALSO EDUCATED 597 BUSINESSES ON SB 1383 REGULATIONS EITHER IN PERSON (ON-SITE VISIT) OR ELECTRONICALLY (EMAIL COMMUNICATION). LASTLY, BUSINESSES THAT RECEIVED CONSULTATION FROM SOLANA CENTER COLLECTIVELY DONATED OVER 8M POUNDS OF EDIBLE FOOD TO COMMUNITIES IN NEED.
  2. $320,989 spent. EDUCATION: SOLANA CENTER, A SAN DIEGO COUNTY-WIDE RESOURCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, FOCUSED ON COMPOSTING, WATERSHED MANAGEMENT, RECYCLING, AND ZERO WASTE, REACHED OVER 12,500 SAN DIEGANS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL EVENTS, SCHOOL WORKSHOPS, AND BUSINESS INSTRUCTION. OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM TRAINED 52 MASTER COMPOSTERS AND 777 NEW COMPOSTERS AT WORKSHOPS, WEBINARS, AND FIVE-WEEK COURSES AND ANSWERED MORE THAN 712 COMPOST AND ZERO-WASTE RELATED QUESTIONS OVER THE PHONE, BY EMAIL, AND AT THE OFFICE. SOLANA CENTER EXTENDED OUR EDUCATION AND INFORMATION THROUGH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS, WEBSITE, BLOG, SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, AND MEDIA COVERAGE, REACHING MORE THAN 20,000 SAN DIEGO AREA RESIDENTS.
  3. $149,606 spent. CLIMATE SOLUTIONS: WE OFFER PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS TO REDUCE THEIR CLIMATE FOOTPRINT, INCLUDING; WASTE REDUCTION EDUCATION; GREEN LIVING TOURS OF OUR HEADQUARTERS; E/U-WASTE - 2,159 DROP-OFFS FROM RESIDENTS OF ELECTRONIC WASTE, LIGHT BULBS, & BATTERIES, KEPT 9,757 ITEMS FROM THE LANDFILL; RAIN BARRELS - SOLD 478 RAIN BARRELS, COLLECTING 89,000 GALLONS OF RAINWATER; GREEN CONVENE DINNERWARE LOAN PROGRAM RENTED 850 PLACE SETTINGS AT 28 EVENTS, DIVERTING 343 LBS. OF LANDFILL WASTE; TEXTILE WASTE EDUCATION EVENT THAT OFFERED TEXTILE REPAIR AND REPURPOSING OPTIONS, AS WELL AS A CLOTHING SWAP COLLECTED 718 POUNDS OF TEXTILES & DIVERTED 99% FROM LANDFILL.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 June 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 September 1984.

    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.