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Clasp

EIN 33-1112770 · Washington, DC

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair60 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

CLASP IMPROVES THE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF THE APPLIANCES AND EQUIPMENT WE USE EVERY DAY, ACCELERATING OUR TRANSITION TO A MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD.

Income
$28.9 million
Spending
$26.8 million
Spent on programs
90%
Reserves
1.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 82%
Employees
38
Volunteers
12
Highest pay
$421,472, chief executive officer

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

Fair: 60 out of 100. Higher than 24% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 1.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    5 of 20

    It owes 72% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 7% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 10% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    90% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 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

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    12 of 12 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

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited 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, 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 (5)
  1. $14.1 million spent. CLEAN ENERGY ACCESS: CLASP SUPPORTS PROGRESS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL (SDG) 7 - AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE, SUSTAINABLE AND MODERN ENERGY FOR ALL. CLASP HELPS BUILD HEALTHY MARKETS FOR OFF-GRID SOLAR APPLIANCES AND EQUIPMENT BY DRIVING INNOVATION AND SALES IN EARLY-STAGE PRODUCT MARKETS; SURFACING DATA AND RESEARCH ON PRODUCT PERFORMANCE, MARKET TRENDS, AND CONSUMER PREFERENCES; ESTABLISHING TECHNICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION; BUILDING FINANCING MECHANISMS; AND ALIGNING SECTOR STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE VALUE-CHAIN. CLASP'S ENERGY ACCESS PROGRAMS INCLUDE THE EFFICIENCY FOR ACCESS COALITION, THE GLOBAL LEAP AWARDS, AND VERASOL QUALITY ASSURANCE, AMONG OTHER INITIATIVES.
  2. $7.9 million spent. CLIMATE: CLASP FOCUSES ON EVIDENCE-BASED PATHWAYS TO MITIGATE THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND PROMOTE UPTAKE OF SUPER-EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES. ENERGY-EFFICIENT APPLIANCES ARE ONE OF THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE METHODS FOR MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE. THEY SAVE MONEY FOR GOVERNMENTS AND CONSUMERS, REDUCE PEAK ENERGY DEMAND, AND BOLSTER ECONOMIC AND ENERGY SECURITY. CLASP PARTNERS WITH GOVERNMENTS, INDUSTRY AND OTHER EXPERTS TO CATALYZE MARKETS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES. OUR EXPERTISE INCLUDES:- TECHNOLOGY AND MARKET ASSESSMENTS- ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND PERFORMANCE POLICY ADVICE - CONSUMER PRODUCT LABELING- MARKET TRANSFORMATION PILOTS AND POLICY COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT
  3. $1.1 million spent. RESEARCH: CLASP'S RESEARCH TEAM SPANS CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY ACCESS AND WORKS TO IDENTIFY THE MOST IMPACTFUL AND INNOVATIVE OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE CLIMATE MITIGATION, ADAPTATION, EQUITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND PROTECTION. CLASP'S RESEARCH BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN ANALYSIS AND ACTION - DEVELOPING THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, MARKET MONITORING, CONSUMER RESEARCH, AND MANAGING TOOLS LIKE MESPY, WORLD'S BEST MEPS, AND THE CLASP POLICY RESOURCE CENTER.
  4. $927,235 spent. COMMUNICATION: CLASP COMMUNICATIONS ARE IMPACT-FOCUSED, DATA-BACKED AND REINFORCE THE MESSAGE THAT IMPROVING APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY IS A PROVEN, COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION TO SLASH CLIMATE EMISSIONS AND IMPROVE LIVES. OUR CHANNELS, CAMPAIGNS, AND EVENTS PROMOTE CASE STUDIES, SOUND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS, INNOVATIVE TOOLS, AND GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH TO ADVANCE APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY PLANS THAT DRIVE MEANINGFUL RESULTS. THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM RAISES AWARENESS AND SUPPORTS ALL CLASP WORKSTREAMS.
  5. $249,145 spent. THE ENERGY ACCESS INSTITUTIONS FACILITY ("EAIF OR "THE FACILITY") IS A JOINT DONOR INITIATIVE THAT PROVIDES NON-EARMARKED, FLEXIBLE FUNDING TO MARKET INSTITUTIONS (MI'S) THAT STRENGTHEN MARKET HEALTH AND ACCELERATE GROWTH IN THE DISTRIBUTED RENEWABLE ENERGY (DRE) SECTOR, ENHANCING LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY AND REDUCING FUNDRAISING BURDENS. CLASP WAS DESIGNATED AS THE EAIF MANAGER. 2024 MARKED CLASP'S FIRST FULL YEAR IN THIS ROLE. DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD, CLASP DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN SEK 30.3 MILLION IN SUB-GRANTS TO MI'S INCLUDING TO THE VERASOL QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM, A JOINT PROGRAM OF CLASP AND THE SCHATZ ENERGY RESEARCH CENTER AT CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY. SPECIFICALLY, VERASOL RECEIVED AN ALLOCATION OF USD$ 483,540.77 FROM THE EAIF GRANT, WHICH INCLUDES $249,145 FOR FY 2024 AND $234,395 FOR FY 2025. THIS FUNDING SUPPORTS VERASOL'S INDEPENDENT QUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORK FOR OFF-GRID SOLAR PRODUCTS, SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT. KEY ACTIVITIES INCLUDE THE TESTING, EVALUATION, AND CERTIFICATION OF SOLAR PRODUCTS, DEVELOPMENT OF TEST METHODS AND STANDARDS, AND TECHNICAL AND ANALYTICAL SUPPORT TO GOVERNMENTS, E.G. THE PROVISION OF DATA.

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

  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 November 6, 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 2024.

    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 July 2006.

    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 November 4, 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.