Sustainable Renton
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Only 50% 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
We empower neighbors to lead with justice and care for our shared environment by providing opportunities for community engagement in environmental stewardship food justice and sustainable education.
- Income
- $301,034
- Spending
- $277,768
- Spent on programs
- 50%
- Reserves
- 3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $37,081, program manager
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
Fair: 65 out of 100. Higher than 28% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 8% of income.
Spending floor
0 of 1550% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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
Good: 76 out of 100. Higher than 46% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2510 of 10 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no 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
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
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, 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 (4)
- $114,538 spent. Successfully rescued and distributed over 151,000 pounds of wasted food. Onboarded 24 organizations as food recipients for rescued food. Hired key drivers to maintain consistency with food pickup and delivery. Opened a free meal program in March serving over 2200 meals. Hosted emergency pop-up pantries during SNAP cuts serving over 450 individuals. Partnered with Ridwell to claim and distribute other essential items such as hygiene items clothing and pet food to the general public.
- $12,151 spent. Installed a new fence and bat and owl boxes around our community garden. Rented over 38 plots to Renton families increasing food access. Created a 3-5 year development plan for our Food Forest to support a permaculture environment and education on localized food systems for the general public. Harvested over 500lbs of food from the Food Forest and private plots to give back to the Food Justice Program.
- $9,412 spent. Hosted 10 separate upcycled art projects at public festivals. Hosted 5 in-person workshops and 4 Meaningful Movie showings that were free to the public. Initiated 2 new blog series on our website to increase access and engagement for sustainable practices. Expanded our social media outreach by sharing helpful tips and information through our platform During SNAP cuts we created a new Food Resources map for South King County that is live and up to date on our website as well as provided printed copies to key locations around Renton.
- $1,596 spent. Wednesday Night Supper Club
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
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 2025.
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 December 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.