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Mongabayorg Corporation

EIN 45-3714703 · Menlo Park, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong90 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES RELATING TO TROPICAL FORESTS AND OTHER ECOSYSTEMS, TO WILDLIFE, AND TO THE IMPORTANT ROLE THAT NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS PLAY IN MAINTAINING CRITICAL SERVICES, INCLUDING STABILIZING THE GLOBAL CLIMATE SYSTEM.

Income
$10.0 million
Spending
$7.1 million
Spent on programs
91%
Reserves
12 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 89%
Employees
23
Volunteers
13
Highest pay
$278,709, ceo

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

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 12.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 2% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 29% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 12% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    91% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 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 35% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    12 of 13 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 (1)
  1. $6.5 million spent. JOURNALISM PROGRAMS IN 2024, MONGABAY PUBLISHED OVER 6,500 ARTICLES AND VIDEOS IN SIX LANGUAGES, AUTHORED BY ABOUT 750 INDIVIDUALS. THIS REPORTING ATTRACTED AN AVERAGE OF JUST OVER SIX MILLION VISITORS A MONTH TO OUR WEBSITES. MONGABAY'S TEAM SURPASSED 100 MEMBERS AND WE LAUNCHED MULTIPLE INITIATIVES AFTER YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT TO DELIVER MORE INNOVATIVE AND DIVERSE STORYTELLING, FROM DATA JOURNALISM TO EXPANDED REPORTING AROUND THE WORLD. MONGABAY'S COVERAGE WAS EXTENSIVE, BOTH GEOGRAPHICALLY AND THEMATICALLY. KEY EDITORIAL THEMES INCLUDED TROPICAL FORESTS, WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, THE ENERGY TRANSITION, INDIGENOUS RIGHTS, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDER PROTECTION, MARINE FISHERIES, CORAL REEFS, PLANETARY HEALTH, THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS ADDRESSING BIODIVERSITY LOSS, FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE.NOTABLY, WE DEBUTED THE MONGABAY DATA STUDIO, AN INITIATIVE THAT LEVERAGES DATA-DRIVEN STORYTELLING TO DEEPEN READERS' UNDERSTANDING OF COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. THE DATA STUDIO ALIGNS WITH A BROADER EFFORT TO DIVERSIFY CONTENT FORMATS, INCLUDING THE UNVEILING OF OUR REDESIGNED NEWS SITE IN JULY. THE NEW SITE INTEGRATES FEATURES LIKE ENHANCED SEARCH CAPABILITIES, THEMATIC SPECIAL ISSUES AND MULTIMEDIA OFFERINGS. THESE CAPACITIES ENABLED MONGABAY TO PUBLISH A SPECIAL ISSUE ON ILLEGAL AIRSTRIPS IN THE PERUVIAN AMAZON THAT USED AI TO VISUALLY SEARCH THROUGH SATELLITE IMAGERY AND VERIFY THE INFORMATION THROUGH INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM. SIMILARLY, MONGABAY ACHIEVED ANOTHER LONG-AWAITED MILESTONE WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SHORT-FORM NEWS PROGRAM, THE NEWSWIRE DESK, FILLING A CRITICAL GAP IN COVERING BREAKING DEVELOPMENTS. BY PRODUCING CONCISE, TIMELY UPDATES, WE EXPANDED OUR APPEAL TO GENERAL-INTEREST AUDIENCES WITHOUT COMPROMISING OUR HALLMARK DEPTH. MONGABAY CONTINUED TO RECEIVE GROWING RECOGNITION FOR ITS ACHIEVEMENTS AND REPORTING. A NEWSROOM PROFILE BY THE COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW FURTHER VALIDATED MONGABAY'S REPUTATION AS A TRAILBLAZER IN NONPROFIT JOURNALISM. THE PIECE LAUDED OUR INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE AND OUR ABILITY TO CONSISTENTLY UNCOVER UNDERREPORTED STORIES. IN A RECENT SURVEY, 73% OF CONTRIBUTING JOURNALISTS STATED THEIR STORIES WOULD HAVE GONE UNPUBLISHED IF NOT FOR MONGABAY.CAPACITY-BUILDING PROGRAMSMONGABAY WE WELCOMED SIX NEW JOURNALISTS INTO THE FOURTH AND FIFTH COHORTS OF THE Y. EVA TAN FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM AND SAW THE COMPLETION OF THE THIRD COHORT. TOGETHER, THE NINE JOURNALISTS REPRESENTED SEVEN COUNTRIES ON THREE CONTINENTS: KENYA, BHUTAN, NIGERIA, PAKISTAN, CAMEROON, INDIA AND BRAZIL. IN ALL, FELLOWS PRODUCED 33 STORIES IN ENGLISH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND THREE OF THOSE ARTICLES WERE COLLABORATIVE REPORTS EXAMINING COMMON ISSUES SHARED ACROSS REGIONS. SEVERAL FELLOWS HAVE GONE ON TO WIN ADDITIONAL FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNATIONAL AWARDS AND JOBS AT PRESTIGIOUS OUTLETS IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES. OUR SPANISH-LANGUAGE PROGRAM COMPLETED ITS THIRD COHORT OF FELLOWS WITH JOURNALISTS FROM ECUADOR, BOLIVIA AND HONDURAS, AND WELCOMED THE FOURTH COHORT. MONGABAY AFRICA LAUNCHED ITS FRENCH-LANGUAGE FELLOWSHIP. WE RECEIVED AROUND 500 APPLICATIONS FOR THE NEW PROGRAM, FROM WHICH 12 FELLOWS WERE SELECTED AND TRAINED IN THE SAHEL AND CONGO BASIN ACROSS TWO COHORTS. THE FELLOWS PRODUCED 37 ARTICLES AND THREE SHORT-FORM VIDEOS.

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 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 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 March 2012.

    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.

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