Lowlander Center
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE LOWLANDER CENTER SUPPORTS LOWLAND COMMUNITIES AND PLACES, BOTH INLAND AND COASTAL, FACING CLIMATE CHANGE AND COASTAL EROSION. OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS ON ADAPTATION AND SUSTAINABILITY IS DRIVEN BY DECADE-LONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH HISTORIED AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, SPECIFICALLY THE FIRST PEOPLES' CONSERVATION COUNCIL (FPCC). ALL OUR WORK ENGAGES PEOPLE, KNOWLEDGE, AND WISDOM TO CO-CREATE PLACE-BASED ADAPTATION PRACTICES WITH NATURE-BASED, LOCALLY-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS. FOR EXAMPLE: OUR WORK WITH LIVING SHORELINES, CANAL BACKFILLING AND REFORESTATION ARE EXAMPLES OF LOCALLY-DRIVEN, ECOLOGICALLY-ATTUNED SOLUTIONS THAT ACTIVELY PRESERVE LAND, PROTECT HISTORIED AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, AND PROVIDE INCREASED HABITAT FOR ALL LIFE FORMS. WE KEEP PEOPLE AND PLACE AT THE CENTER OF OUR WORK, ONLY SUPPORTING CULTURALLY-SENSITIVE EFFORTS THAT BUILD CAPACITY FOR LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY AND INCREASES THE HEALTH OF OUR LIFEWORLD.
- Income
- $1.3 million
- Spending
- $929,991
- Spent on programs
- 95%
- Reserves
- 13.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 83%
- Employees
- 2
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
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 90% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 13.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 27% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 139% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1595% 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: 74 out of 100. Higher than 24% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 256 of 6 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
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Independent check of accounts
0 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 (6)
- $459,559 spent. REBUILDING THE BOOT, HURRICANE RESISTANT AND STRONGER HOMES IS AN ONGOING INITIATIVE IS LOWLANDER'S EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAM. IT IS STEP-BY-STEP PROGRAM TO IDENTIFY THE BEST PRACTICES FOR MITIGATING, REPAIRING OR REBUILDING HOMES TO GREEN, FORTIFIED GOLD STANDARDS, THUS REDUCING COMMUNITIES' RISK TO STORMS, HEAT AND OTHER THREATS. DR. TIM REINHOLD HAS DESIGNED THE RESOURCES BASED ON THE INSURANCE INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS AND HOME SAFETY (IBHS) FORTIFIED CODES, THE NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BUILDING STANDARDS. OVER THE PAST YEAR WITH PARTNERSHIPS WITH MANY ORGANIZATIONS, LOWLANDER HAS BEEN ABLE TO REBUILD AND/OR REPAIR HOMES IN TRIBAL COMMUNITIES DESTROYED BY RECENT HURRICANES TO THIS STANDARD.
- $134,165 spent. SOLAR ENERGY FOR THE COAST AS WELL AS SAFE DRINKING WATER IS CRITICAL FOR COASTAL AND DELTA COMMUNITIES IN LOUISIANA. OUR WORK TARGETS THE CRITICAL NEED FOR RELIABLE WATER AND ENERGY TO THE REGIONS UNIQUE NEEDS. COASTAL COMMUNITIES ARE OFTEN THE FIRST TO LOSE POWER AND WATER, AND THE LAST TO HAVE IT RESTORED. POWER AND WATER OUTAGES THREATEN HEALTH LIVELIHOODS DURING EXTREME HEAT AND STORMS. IN THIS PAST YEAR LOWLANDER HAS INCREASED THE NUMBER OF SOLAR AND STORAGE BATTERIES IN CRITICAL AREAS ACROSS THE MOST AT-RISK AREAS OF THE STATE, INCLUDING SEVERAL IN-LAND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. MODERN CISTERNS THAT CAN PROVIDE POTABLE WATER IS CLEARLY NEEDED AND BEING PLANNED AT SEVERAL COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED REGULAR IRREGULARITIES WITH WATER.
- $119,912 spent. ENVIRONMENTAL CARE, HEALING PROJECTS CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PERMITTING FOR BACKFILLING CANALS, LIVING SHORELINES, BIO-CHAR AND SEED BALLS WITH COMMUNITIES WHO ARE INVOLVED WITH RISING VOICES, CHANGING COASTS, A NSF COPE CONVERGENT SCIENCE PROJECT. LOWLANDER IS PART OF THE HUB OF THE NSF FUNDED PROJECT BRINGING TOGETHER UNIVERSITY-TRAINED SCIENTISTS WITH EXPERT ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE-HOLDERS TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF CHANGES IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND PROBLEM SOLVE HEALTHY WAYS OF ADAPTATION. WORKING WITH PARTNERS WITH NCAR, HUBS IN ALASKA, HAWAII AND PUERTO RICO AS WELL AS HASKELL INDIAN NATIONS UNIVERSITY, OUR HOST PI.
- $170,917 spent. TO HELP CREATE SOLUTIONS TO LIVING WITH AN EVER-CHANGING COASTLINE AND LAND LOSS WHILE VISIONING A FUTURE THAT BUILDS CAPACITY AND RESILIENCE FOR PLACE AND PEOPLE.
- IDA RECOVERY RESILIENT REBUILDS. REBUILDING THE BOOT HAS GUIDED OUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS FOR THE REBUILDING OF HOMES ALONG THE COAST OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS. OUR GROWING NETWORK OF AT-RISK FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES, FAITH- BASED, AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME AND LABOR TO REBUILD HOMES TO THOSE SAID GREEN, FORTIFIED GOLD STANDARDS OUTLINED IN REBUILDING THE BOOT - ALREADY DEMONSTRATING REPLICABLE, PILOT SUCCESS - AND HIGHLIGHTING THAT THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND NETWORKS NECESSARY TO REBUILD HOMES AND STRUCTURES - TO WEATHER HURRICANES, CLEAR STORM SURGES, SHELTER- IN-PLACE - WORKS. THE HOMES IN ONE COMMUNITY, FORTIFIED REBUILT HOMES AND STRUCTURES, REMAINED UNDAMAGED FROM A RECENT HURRICANE AND SIGNIFICANT WIND EVENTS. LOWLANDER AND ITS PARTNERS WORK TO MAKE THESE FORTIFIED REBUILDING STANDARDS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERY FRONTLINE COMMUNITY. CLIMATE RESILIENCE CENTER. THE GRAND CAILLOU/DULAC BAND OF BILOXI- CHITIMACHA-CHOCTAW COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM OFFICE (COPO) IS AN AMERICAN RED CROSS/LOWLANDER DESIGNATED CLIMATE RESILIENCE HUB PROVIDING ESSENTIAL DISASTER RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS SERVICES. LOWLANDER IS PART OF A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO SECURE FUNDING TO CREATE THE TRIBE'S FIRST CENTRAL OFFICE, WHICH NOW SERVES THE COMMUNITY IN A VARIETY OF MEANINGFUL WAYS. FOR EXAMPLE: DURING HURRICANE FRANCINE LAST YEAR, AT THE COPO, WITH ONE SOLAR UNIT (5-KILOWATT (5 KW)) WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE A/C, REFRIGERATION, COOKING ELEMENTS DURING THE POWER OUTAGE, SERVING 700-1,000 PEOPLE IN 2024 (THE SOLAR UNIT IS PART OF LOWLANDER'S SKY POWER FOR THE PEOPLE WORK). THE COPO IS RUN BY TRIBAL LEADERS AND IS OPEN TO THE WIDER GRAND CAILLOU/DULAC COMMUNITY PROVIDING ESSENTIAL SOCIAL AND DISASTER SERVICES, AND AN AREA FOR DEMONSTRATION/TRAINING EVENTS. ENERGY TRANSITION - THE NEED FOR RELIABLE ENERGY IS THE CORE OF THE COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE LOWLANDER CENTER AND HARVARD SALATA INSTITUTE WHICH BEGAN WITH THE ROOSEVELT PROJECT AND IS NOW A CONTINUING EXPANDING PROGRAM WHERE STUDENTS, SCHOLARS, PRACTITIONERS WORK TOGETHER IN KNOWLEDGE-EXCHANGE APPLIED ACTIVITIES. THIS COLLABORATION PROVIDES RESEARCH FOR AND KNOWLEDGE-EXCHANGE ON DESIGNING SOLAR UNITS TO MEET THE REGIONAL NEEDS OF COASTAL AND BAYOU COMMUNITIES IN LOUISIANA, OUTLINING REGULATORY CONDITIONS FOR "ON-GRID- AND "OFF-GRID" ENERGY TRANSITION, AND IDENTIFYING THE STEPS TO IMPLEMENT THESE REGIONALLY-TAILORED SOLAR SOLUTIONS AT SCALE: ALL OF WHICH HAS CONTRIBUTED TO OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF SKY POWER FOR THE PEOPLE. EFFICIENCY IN ENERGY USAGE BY THE TYPES OF REBUILDING TECHNIQUES IS CORE TO CUTTING THE NEED FOR GENERATING ENERGY- BOTH CONCEPTS COME TOGETHER WITH OUR WORK. THIS COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP IS NOW TURNING TO COMPREHENSIVE BASELINE TESTING AND MONITORING OF SOIL, WATER, AND AQUATIC ORGANISMS AS A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WETLAND RESTORATION. THIS EFFORT BRINGS TOGETHER EXPERTISE FROM ACROSS HARVARD UNIVERSITY, DRAWING ON STATE-OF-THE-ART WATER QUALITY EQUIPMENT FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING LABS, METAL AND PFAS TESTING CAPABILITIES FROM THE HARVARD RESEARCH GROUP FOR THE BIOGEOCHEMISTRY OF GLOBAL CONTAMINANTS, AND THE SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE OF OIL SPILL RESEARCH LEADERS AT THE WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION (AND IN THE NEAR FUTURE, SUB-SURFACE DYNAMIC STUDIES OF THE TAYLOR LAB). MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT CENTERS TRIBAL COMMUNITIES, WHO WILL GUIDE THE SELECTION OF TEST SITES THROUGH PLACE-BASED KNOWLEDGE, ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN DATA COLLECTION, AND MAINTAIN DATA SOVEREIGNTY. WITH THE SUPPORT OF HARVARD'S LABORATORIES, STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND TRIBAL LEADERS AND ELDERS HAVE CONDUCTED A PILOT BASELINE TESTING IN POINTE AU CHIEN WITH THE POINTE-AU- CHIEN INDIAN TRIBE (PACIT) IN SPRING 2025 TO COLLECT CRITICAL DATA THAT WILL INFORM REGENERATIVE, NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR COASTAL AND WETLAND RESTORATION. THIS WORK COMPLIMENTS THE COLLABORATION WITH RISING VOICES, CHANGING COAST NSF HUB WORK MENTIONED LATER. NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS - CANAL BACKFILLING. DECADES OF DEFORESTATION, OIL, AND GAS EXPLORATION HAVE SEVERELY DAMAGED THE ECOSYSTEM. NEGLECTED CANALS FRAGMENT THE LANDSCAPE, INCREASING VULNERABILITY TO SALTWATER INTRUSION, STORM SURGE, AND EROSION. CURRENT PRACTICES DISREGARD INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES' DEEP ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE, ENDANGERING TRADITIONAL LIFEWAYS. OUR SUITE OF DISTRIBUTED BIOMIMETIC SOLUTIONS OFFER A LESS EXPENSIVE, MORE RESILIENT, EASIER TO CONSTRUCT, MORE NIMBLE APPROACH. THIS ALSO MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO DISTRIBUTE INCOME FROM INSTALLATIONS AMONG COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND SMALL LOCAL ENTERPRISES FOR COASTAL RESTORATION. OUR TECHNOLOGIES INCLUDE PLANTED BIOCHAR AND INOCULATED-BIOMASS EROSION WADDLES, LIVING SHORELINES, CONSTRUCTED FLOATANTS, REGENERATIVE AQUA/AGRICULTURE, ENCAPSULATED-SEED DISPERSAL, FRESHWATER-LENS RECHARGING, CANAL BACKFILLING, AND RIPARIAN-BUFFER REFORESTATION. LOUISIANA'S WETLANDS ARE RAPIDLY ERODING, THREATENING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, RESILIENCE, AND BIODIVERSITY. CURRENT MITIGATION PRACTICES ARE CARBON-INTENSIVE, UNEARTHING ANCIENT SEDIMENTS, ALONG WITH THEIR ASSOCIATED METHANE AND CARBON EMISSIONS. ADDITIONALLY, ANNUAL RAINFALL CAUSES INLAND FLOODING AND CARRIES NON- POINT-SOURCE URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL STORMWATER POLLUTION DIRECTLY INTO SOME OF OUR MOST SENSITIVE COMMUNITIES AND BIOLOGICAL HABITATS. OUR SOLUTIONS ARE SCALABLE: REGENERATING A DAMAGED ECOSYSTEM THAT IS HOME TO COUNTLESS SPECIES, AND ENDANGERED COMMUNITIES. CLIMATE ADAPTATION LAND TRUSTS AND REMATRIATION. FOR THE PAST 2.5 YEARS THROUGH SUPPORT FROM A NOAA GRANT THE LOWLANDER CENTER HAS COLLABORATED WITH INDIGENOUS LEADERS WHO HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED WITH LAND ISSUES, LAND TAKINGS, LAND MANAGEMENT ISSUES AND LAND BEING DAMAGED BY VARIOUS SOURCES. WORK HAS GONE ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS TO DISCERN HOW VARIOUS LAWS AND REGULATIONS HAVE EITHER CONTRIBUTED OR HELPED IN THE REGAINING OR REMATRIATION OF INDIGENOUS LAND. VISITING AND LEARNING FROM A VARIETY OF COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE REGAINED STEWARDSHIP OF THEIR LAND, SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS HAVE BEEN M
- TO HELP CREATE SOLUTIONS TO LIVING WITH AN EVER-CHANGING COASTLINE AND LAND LOSS WHILE VISIONING A FUTURE THAT BUILDS CAPACITY AND RESILIENCE FOR PLACE AND PEOPLE.
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 2014.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 2026.
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