Skip to the page content
Your donations
Passes our checks

Colorado Firecamp Inc

EIN 33-1034128 · Salida, CO

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood75 out of 100GovernanceFair58 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Colorado Firecamp's mission is to protect life, preserve communities, and conserve America's wildland resources by training students for suppression of wildfire, mitigation of wildfire risk, and stewardship of forests and grasslands. The development of personal responsibility, leadership and teamwork through reaching vocational goals supports youth, veterans, and the underemployed in achieving certification while finding a sense of purposeful service to community.

Income
$813,759
Spending
$718,888
Spent on programs
87%
Reserves
1 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 61%
Employees
37
Volunteers
0
Highest pay
$61,600, president / fire & forestry coordinator

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2023, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 75 out of 100. Higher than 51% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 1.0 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 12% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 6% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    87% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2023, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Fair: 58 out of 100. Higher than 33% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    5 of 25

    2 of 4 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no 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

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • 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, 2023, 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 (2)
  1. $483,281 spent. 719 students attended training in 2023, a 9% decrease from 787 students in 2022. Despite the overall decline in enrollment, Colorado Firecamp continued to expand entry-level training programs central to its workforce development mission. 232 students attended S-130/190 Basic Firefighter training, the series required for national "red card" certification as a wildland firefighter, and 300 students completed S-212 Wildland Fire Chain Saws training. Colorado Firecamp trained post-9/11 military Veteran Fire Corps crews from Arizona, New Mexico & Colorado, which may have been the organization's final Veterans crews. 30 instructors taught for Colorado Firecamp during the year. Structural firefighter training continued with students participating in courses including Fire Instructor I.
  2. $142,721 spent. Colorado Firecamp transitioned from a single full-time forester position to forestry technician staff funding supporting expanded wildfire mitigation and forest health project implementation in 2023. Additional multi-year grant funding supported the purchase of forestry and wildfire mitigation equipment, strengthening organizational capacity for fuels reduction and workforce development projects. Colorado Firecamp continued its partnership with the Southwest Conservation Corps by supporting contracted chainsaw crews engaged in hazardous fuels reduction, forest health improvement, and community wildfire risk mitigation projects. These efforts supported implementation of local wildfire protection priorities and provided hands-on workforce training opportunities connected to Firecamp's forestry and wildland firefighter training mission.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2023, 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? Worth knowing.

    Status was revoked on May 15, 2019 for not filing returns for three years. The IRS now lists it as tax-exempt again.

    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 2023.

    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 March 2021.

    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.