North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To conduct research and educate the public on subjects useful to the individual and beneficial to the community regarding refrigeration methods and ways to reduce the environmental impacts of refrigeration.
- Income
- $3.2 million
- Spending
- $2.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 91%
- Reserves
- 2.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 66%
- Employees
- 9
- Volunteers
- 15
- Highest pay
- $188,597, training director
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: 55 out of 100. Higher than 18% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.3 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 58% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 10% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1591% 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
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 42% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2513 of 13 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.
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, 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 (1)
- $2.6 million spent. The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council is a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit that partners with the grocery refrigeration industry to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from traditional HFC refrigerants. Working with stakeholders including service contractors, manufacturers, engineering firms, schools, utilities, and over 55,000 food retail locations, the organization addresses cost, workforce, and market-readiness barriers to adopting natural refrigerant technologies. Through its funding initiatives, the organization accelerated natural refrigerant installations by serving as third-party administrator of the California F-gas Reduction Incentive Program, helping award approximately $13.7 million in incentives and providing technical assistance to 46 projects replacing high-GWP HFC equipment with ultra-low GWP refrigeration systems. It also managed and administered $350,000 in grants from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to support two Bronx supermarkets in under-resourced communities transitioning to climate-friendly propane (R-290) systems. To advance market readiness and industry alignment, the organization delivered education, technical guidance, and market insights. It formed a CO2 Education Committee to develop a CO2 manual and technician certification program and, through its CO2 Technical Committee, drafted guidance on critical sensors, start-up and commissioning, and refrigerant release events. The organization surveyed 18 major U.S. food retailers representing over 29,000 store locations to forecast refrigerant use and system plans through 2029 and hosted 10 expert-led webinars highlighting technologies and services that support the transition to natural refrigerants. Through its R-TRADE workforce development initiative, the organization addressed the nationwide shortage of refrigeration technicians by focusing on recruitment, training, and retention. It delivered 8,533 hours of free training on CO2 and propane technologies through five Natural Refrigerant Training Summit events and related technical training programs, collectively training nearly 1,500 technicians on natural refrigerant systems. The organization launched rtrade.org as a dedicated workforce development platform and hosted four student networking sessions connecting over 200 students with industry stakeholders to support entry into the refrigeration field.
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 2015.
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.