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Conservation X Labs Inc

EIN 47-4066524 · Washington, DC

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood85 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO IMPROVE THE EFFICACY, SPEED, COST, SUSTAINABILITY, AND SCALING OF CONSERVATION SOLUTIONS THROUGH HARNESSING EXPONENTIAL TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO PREVENT HUMAN-INDUCED EXTINCTION.

Income
$9.1 million
Spending
$7.2 million
Spent on programs
71%
Reserves
4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 96%
Employees
31
Volunteers
1,485
Highest pay
$304,550, 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

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 50% of charities in its peer group (animals, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 4.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 5% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 21% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 148% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    71% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 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 73% of charities in its peer group (animals, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    5 of 7 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 (3)
  1. $979,729 spent. IN 2024, CONSERVATION X LABS COMPLETED THE DESIGN AND FUNDRAISING FOR THE FIRE GRAND CHALLENGE (HTTPS://CONSERVATIONXLABS.COM/FIRE), AFTER HOSTING THE FINAL TWO CONVENINGS OF THE PARTICIPATORY DESIGN PROCESS IN INDONESIA AND CALIFORNIA. FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR, THE TEAM DETAILED THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, CONTINUED BUILDING A COALITION OF KEY PARTNERS, EXPANDED FUNDRAISING EFFORTS, AND PARTICIPATED IN OTHER OPPORTUNITIES, SUCH AS HELPING CULTURAL FIRE PRACTITIONERS CRAFT POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WILDLAND FIRE MITIGATION & MANAGEMENT COMMISSION. THE TEAM THEN LAUNCHED THE PROGRAM IN AUGUST, PUTTING OUT A CALL FOR SOLUTIONS THAT CAN TRANSFORM LOCAL AND SYSTEMIC FIRE STEWARDSHIP BY BRINGING TOGETHER PLACE-BASED KNOWLEDGE WITH CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY. OVER 90 TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPERS AND 50 COMMUNITIES APPLIED TO PARTICIPATED, AND 70 REVIEWERS HELP SELECT THE SEMI-FINALISTS WHO THEN MOVED ON TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CHALLENGE'S NOVEL MATCHMAKING PROCESS. IN 2024, CONSERVATION X LABS LAUNCHED ITS ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS PROGRAM TO ACCELERATE INNOVATIONS THAT REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ANIMAL PROTEIN PRODUCTION WHILE SUPPORTING BIODIVERSITY. THE PROGRAM IS PLANNING ITS FIRST BIG THINK IN THE AMAZON IN EARLY 2025. THIS YEAR ALSO MARKED THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE CXTP CHALLENGE IN THE AMAZON, WHICH FUNDED AND FIELD-TESTED BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGIES TO PREVENT AND RESPOND TO WILDFIRES ACROSS CRITICAL FOREST FRONTIERS.
  2. $1.6 million spent. CONSERVATION X LABS IS DEVELOPING A PORTABLE, BATTERY-POWERED, RAPID, AND LOW-COST HANDHELD DEVICE CALLED THE NABIT THAT DETECTS DNA OR RNA TARGETS IN THE FIELD WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A LABORATORY, REAGENTS, EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT, OR SPECIALIZED TRAINING OR EXPERTISE. IN 2024, WE CONTINUED DEVELOPING THE NABIT DEVICE TO DETECT PATHOGENS AND INVASIVE SPECIES, AND BEGAN DEVELOPING ADDITIONAL DISEASE ASSAYS FOR MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS, MPOX VIRUS, AND SWINEPOX VIRUS, AS WELL AS SPECIES DETECTION ASSAYS FOR PACIFIC SALMON. WE COMPLETED A DESIGN-FOR-MANUFACTURING OVERHAUL ON THE NABIT DEVICE TO IMPROVE DURABILITY, PERFORMANCE, AND COST EFFICIENCY. ADDITIONALLY, WE INITIATED DEVELOPMENT ON A NEW WORKFLOW THAT INTEGRATES ENVIRONMENTAL DNA COLLECTION FROM WATER SAMPLES INTO NABIT TESTS.
  3. $968,505 spent. SENTINEL IS AN AI-POWERED EDGE DEVICE DEVELOPED BY CONSERVATION X LABS TO TRANSFORM TRADITIONAL TRAIL CAMERAS INTO INTELLIGENT, NEAR REAL-TIME MONITORING TOOLS. DESIGNED FOR THE MOST REMOTE AND CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS, SENTINEL PROCESSES IMAGES DIRECTLY ON THE DEVICE USING AI AND DELIVERS ACTIONABLE DATA FROM ANYWHERE. BY REDUCING FALSE ALERTS AND OPTIMIZING DATA DELIVERY, SENTINEL ENABLES FASTER RESPONSES TO CRITICAL EVENTS, HELPING CONSERVATIONISTS, LAND MANAGERS, GOVERNMENTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES EFFICIENTLY MANAGE PROTECTED AREAS AND MONITOR WILDLIFE. MORE THAN 400 DEVICES HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY DEPLOYED ACROSS 14 COUNTRIES, EMPOWERING USERS WITH SCALABLE, FIELD-READY AI SOLUTIONS FOR THE HARDEST CONSERVATION CHALLENGES.

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 June 2015.

    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.

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.