Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE ORGANIZATION WAS FORMED TO PERFORM AND CARRY OUT EXPRESSLY CHARITABLE PURPOSES. THE SPECIFIC EXEMPT PURPOSES OF THE ORGANIZATION ARE (I) TO ACCELERATE THE COMERCIALIZATION OF CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES BY PROVIDING SUPPORT, EDUCATION, WORKFORCE TRAINING, MENTORSHIP AND NETWORKING FOR NON-PROFIT AND FOR-PROFIT START-UP CLEAN TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES LOCATED IN THE REGION OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA; (II) TO CONSERVE THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND PROMOTE THE ECOLOGICALLY SOUND AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES; (III) TO LESSEN THE BURDENS OF GOVERNMENT THROUGH ADVANCEMENT OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES IN THE AREA OF CLEAN TECHNOLOGY; AND (IV) TO ENGAGE IN ANY AND ALL OTHER CHARITABLE AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES PERMITTED TO AN ORGANIZATION EXEMPT FROM FEDERAL INCOME TAX UNDER SECTION 501(C)(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE "CODE").
- Income
- $11.0 million
- Spending
- $17.8 million
- Spent on programs
- 88%
- Reserves
- 0.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 51%
- Employees
- 79
- Volunteers
- 12
- Highest pay
- $531,226, president and 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
Weak: 35 out of 100. Higher than 4% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
4 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 0.2 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 28% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 61% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 58% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1588% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 12 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 42% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 11 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a 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
15 of 15Its accounts were audited 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, 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 (4)
- $4.7 million spent. MARKET TRANSFORMATION: TO ACCELERATE SYSTEM CHANGE ACROSS ZERO EMISSIONS TRANSPORTATION, CLEAN ENERGY, AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES, LACI CONVENES PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS TO ALIGN KEY STAKEHOLDERS ON AMBITIOUS REGIONAL GOALS AND ADVANCE PROGRESS TOWARDS THOSE GOALS BY PURSUING BOLD TARGETS, PILOTS, AND POLICIES THAT ARE EQUITY-DRIVEN, CREATE QUALITY JOBS, AND GROW THE ECONOMY. IN 2018, LACI FIRST CONVENED THE TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION PARTNERSHIP (TEP), AN UNPRECEDENTED MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP AMONG LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND STATE STAKEHOLDERS THAT IS WORKING TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS TOWARDS TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION IN THE GREATER LA REGION IN ADVANCE OF THE 2028 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES. IN 2023, WE LAUNCHED THE CLEAN ENERGY PARTNERSHIP TO ACCELERATE THE REDUCTION OF GHG EMISSIONS IN THE LA REGION BY AN ADDITIONAL 15% ACROSS THE ELECTRICITY, BUILDING, AND TRANSPORTATION SECTORS BY 2028. SINCE 2019, LACI HAS DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED CLEANTECH PILOTS WITH AND IN COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT LA COUNTY (FOR EXAMPLE: SAN PEDRO, SOUTH CENTRAL, PACOIMA), TESTING MARKET-READY TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATIONS TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS, AND SURFACING LEARNINGS TO SCALE THOSE SOLUTIONS MORE WIDELY. FOR INSTANCE, IN 2024, LACI SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED THE PILOT PHASE OF OUR POPULAR E-BIKE LENDING LIBRARY IN WATTS, WILLOWBROOK AND COMPTON, TURNING THE OWNERSHIP OF THE LONG-TERM SERVICE OVER TO OUR PARTNER. DURING THE 18-MONTH PILOT, COMMUNITY MEMBERS ACCUMULATED 23,000+ VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED ON THE 84-BIKE FLEET, AND 9 PEOPLE REPLACED THEIR CARS WITH E-BIKES. IN 2024, LACI ALSO LAUNCHED THE FIRST COHORT OF OUR CITY CLIMATE INNOVATION CHALLENGE, A PROGRAM TO HELP CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY INCORPORATE INNOVATION TO ACHIEVE CLIMATE GOALS RELATED TO SPECIFIC PRIORITY TOPICS; THE FIRST COHORT INCLUDES 9 CITIES FOCUSED ON ADVANCING A VARIETY OF ZERO EMISSION DELIVERY SOLUTIONS.
- $4.4 million spent. UNLOCKING INNOVATION: LACI INCUBATES AND ACCELERATES CLEANTECH STARTUPS AND HELPS COMMERCIALIZE THEIR TECHNOLOGIES BY PROVIDING IN-CLASS COACHING AND ADVICE TO FOUNDERS, FACILITATING INVESTMENT PREPARATION AND ASSISTANCE WITH SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES, AND PROVIDING ACCESS TO HIGH-VALUE RESOURCES. WE OFFER THREE TIERS OF COHORT-BASED PROGRAM SUPPORT: INNOVATORS FOR PRE-COMMERCIAL, EARLY-STAGE ENERGY ENTREPRENEURS; OUR CORE INCUBATION PROGRAM, TO SUPPORT PRE-SEED AND SEED-STAGE CLEANTECH STARTUPS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA; AND MARKET ACCESS, A PILOT CENTRIC PROGRAM FOR SERIES A CLEANTECH STARTUPS READY TO SCALE. IN 2024, LACI WELCOMED 57 COMPANIES INTO OUR PROGRAMS, MANY OF WHICH RECEIVED FUNDING AND SUPPORT FROM LACI TO DEPLOY PILOTS DESIGNED TO ADVANCE THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THEIR TECHNOLOGIES. FOR EXAMPLE, FEMALE-FOUNDED THERMOSHADE SHOWCASED THE PASSIVE COOLING EFFECT THEIR SHADING STRUCTURE CAN PROVIDE IN REAL-LIFE SETTINGS, PROVING THEIR STRUCTURE CREATES A 20F COOLER ENVIRONMENT THAN UNDER A CANVAS AWNING, AND LEADING TO PROJECTS WITH A LOCAL SCHOOL AND DAIRY FARM. IN ANOTHER EXAMPLE, STARTUP SYMMETRY WOOD WORKED OUT OF THE ADVANCED PROTOTYPING CENTER (APC) AT THE LA KRETZ INNOVATION CAMPUS TO CREATE THE FIRST-EVER GUITAR MADE WITH THEIR TECHNOLOGY, PYRUS (WOOD-LIKE MATERIAL MADE FROM KOMBUCHA WASTE) IN THE FRET/FINGERBOARD. THROUGH PILOTS SUCH AS THESE, STARTUPS CONDUCT HANDS-ON EXPERIMENTATION AND DATA-DRIVEN ANALYSIS, ACCELERATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE CLEANTECH LANDSCAPE. MOREOVER, THESE EXAMPLES ARE ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE WAY UNLOCKING INNOVATION WORKS COLLABORATIVELY ACROSS THE OTHER PILLARS - AND LEVERAGES THE LKIC FACILITY - TO ADVANCE OUR FOUNDER-FACING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.
- $3.9 million spent. ENHANCING COMMUNITY: LACI FOCUSES ON CREATING EQUITABLE PATHWAYS INTO THE GREEN ECONOMY THROUGH A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS. LACI'S GREEN JOBS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS PROVIDE UN/UNDEREMPLOYED PARTICIPANTS FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES WITH TECHNICAL TRAINING, INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CERTIFICATIONS, CAREER COACHING, AND PAID INTERNSHIPS WITH OUR LACI STARTUPS AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS. SINCE LACI LAUNCHED OUR GREEN JOBS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN 2019, WE HAVE TRAINED OVER 500 PARTICIPANTS (AVERAGE 88% PEOPLE OF COLOR; 37% WOMEN, 6% JUSTICE IMPACTED). ON AVERAGE, 75% OF PARTICIPANTS HAVE BEEN PLACED IN PAID INTERNSHIPS, WELL-PAYING JOBS (STARTING SALARIES OF AT LEAST $20/HOUR OR $41,600 ANNUAL SALARY), OR POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION. LACI ALSO HOSTS GENDER-EQUITY FOCUSED PROGRAMS, INCLUDING OUR WOMEN IN CLEANTECH PROGRAM FOCUSED ON RECRUITING AND SUPPORTING MORE WOMEN IN ACCELERATING THEIR CLEANTECH SOLUTIONS, SECTOR EXPERTISE, AND CAREER GROWTH. LACI ALSO LEADS A MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS IN STEM PROGRAM FOCUSED ON INSPIRING GIRLS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CLIMATE CRISIS AT A YOUNG AGE, FIND THEIR AGENCY AS PROBLEM-SOLVERS, AND EXPLORE FUTURE CAREER PATHWAYS AT THE INTERSECTION OF STEM + SUSTAINABILITY. IN 2024, LACI LED FOUR WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON BUILDING ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS, EV CHARGING STATION MAINTENANCE, AND PRODUCT MANUFACTURING. WE ALSO LAUNCHED OUR GREEN JOBS REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP, CONVENING KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP A WORKFORCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT & TRAINING LANDSCAPE. FINALLY, IN 2024 WE LAUNCHED THE SOUTH LA MULTI-MANUFACTURER EV CHARGER RELIABILITY HUB, TOGETHER WITH LACI ALUMNI COMPANY CHARGERHELP!
- $2.7 million spent. LACI STEWARDSHIP OF LA KRETZ INNOVATION CAMPUS (LKIC): ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES AND LADWP, LACI IS PROUD TO STEWARD THE 3.2 ACRE STATE-OF-THE-ART LA KRETZ INNOVATION CAMPUS, WHICH PROVIDES A CRITICAL HUB FOR CLEANTECH INNOVATION IN LOS ANGELES. THE CAMPUS FEATURES THE ADVANCED PROTOTYPING CENTER (APC), A COLLABORATIVE MAKERSPACE WHERE ENTREPRENEURS, ARTISTS, INVENTORS, AND STARTUPS CAN DESIGN, BUILD, TEST AND CERTIFY INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS, ALL UNDER ONE ROOF. THE APC FEATURES MORE THAN $11 MILLION WORTH OF TOOLS, LABS, AND SHOPS, INCLUDING AN ELECTRONICS LAB, BIOCHEMISTRY LAB, CELL LAB, CNC MACHINE, WATER JET, 3D PRINTING, WELDING EQUIPMENT, USE OF PREMIUM CAD SOFTWARE, LASER CUTTERS, A TRAINING CENTER, AND MORE. LKIC ALSO FEATURES THE INTERACTIVE LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT LAB, AS WELL AS ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES LABORATORIES. THE FACILITY ATTRACTS A CONSISTENT ROSTER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS, COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS HOSTED BY LADWP, LACI, CAMPUS MEMBERS, PORTFOLIO SERVICES PROVIDERS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS. NOTABLY, IN 2024 LACI WAS ABLE TO INCREASE VISITOR ACTIVITY ON CAMPUS BY 147%, RAISING THE NUMBER OF ANNUAL VISITORS FROM ROUGHLY 6700 TO ALMOST 16,000 VISITORS IN 2024. LACI ALSO RECONFIGURED ITS PRODUCT OFFERINGS FOR THE LKIC COWORKING SPACE, RESULTING IN AN 82% OCCUPANCY RATE (UP FROM JUST OVER 60% IN THE PRIOR YEAR). OUR 82% OCCUPANCY RATE IS IN COMPARISON TO ROUGHLY 70% OCCUPANCY RATE IN THE SURROUNDING AREA (COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE).
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
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 2024.
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 August 2012.
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.
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