Environmental Law Institute Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To advance effective law and governance systems for environmental protection by providing information, publications, training courses, seminars, research and policy recommendations in a manner that engages and empowers leaders and practitioners to advance environmental rule of law. ELI's audience includes environmental professionals in government, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, affected communities, academia, and others.
- Income
- $7.2 million
- Spending
- $8.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 76%
- Reserves
- 3.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 60%
- Employees
- 87
- Volunteers
- 5
- Highest pay
- $321,087, president
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
Fair: 60 out of 100. Higher than 23% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.9 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 45% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 24% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 6% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1576% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 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 60% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2541 of 42 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)
- $4.4 million spent. Research and Policy Division:Provided research, education, training, and technical assistance in environmental law and policy to all sectors in the U.S. and numerous foreign countries. Research programs in 2024 covered a breadth of environmental law and policy topics, including assessing state wetlands programs, fisheries management in the Caribbean, and reducing and preventing food waste. ELI works at all jurisdictional scales, from local to international. Research initiatives included assessing hazard mitigation planning, examining the effects of recent Supreme Court decisions on environmental regulation and the regulatory environment, tabulating U.S. authorities to address plastic pollution, and more. We also continued myriad longstanding initiatives, such as those on water management, indoor air quality, environmental peacebuilding, judicial education, the Local Government Environmental Assistance Network, and the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, among others. Our ongoing programs also continued to provide guidance, education, and recognition to environmental professionals nationwide such as through the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review; training for states, territories, and tribes on the Total Maximum Daily Load and other Clean Water Act programs; our Indoor Air Quality program; our annual National Wetlands Awards program; and others. In addition, among its internationally focused initiatives, ELI analyzed customary water tenure in sub-Saharan Africa; supported the Women in Water Diplomacy Network; and continues to lead in the field of environmental peacebuilding, which integrates natural resource management into conflict prevention, mitigation, resolution, and recovery to build resilience in communities affected by conflict. For a fuller description of our programs, please refer to our annual report, which can be found at www.eli.org.
- $874,680 spent. Associates & Education Division: Led 80 events, including conferences, webinars, policy forums, networking receptions, topical conference calls, Eastern and Western Boot Camps on Environmental Law, Summer School seminars, annual Supreme Court preview and review, public seminars and more, for 32,502 environmental professionals (virtually and in person). Topics of discussion ranged, including administrative law, agriculture, careers in environmental law, coastal issues, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, climate change, climate disclosures, compliance and enforcement, the Endangered Species Act, energy law, environmental justice, environmental rule of law, ESG, federal regulatory and legislative environmental updates, international environmental law, model ordinances and municipal policies, the National Environmental Policy Act, PFAS, plastics, products regulation, RCRA, state environmental law updates, Supreme Court cases, technology and infrastructure, TSCA, and more. For a fuller description of our programs, please refer to our annual report which can be found at www.eli.org.
- $635,088 spent. Publications Division:Provided timely, accurate, and practical information to environmental professionals through two nationally recognized publications, the Environmental Law Reporter and the Environmental Forum. The Environmental Law Reporter draws premier authors on current legal events, and the Environmental Forum continues to provide award-winning coverage of the environmental profession and environmental policy. In addition, ELI Press advanced the field by publishing two books: MUD LAKE and ADAPTING TO HIGH-LEVEL WARMING: LAW, GOVERNANCE, AND EQUITY.For a fuller description of our programs, please refer to our annual report, which can be found at www.eli.org.
- $873,317 spent. Other programs
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 November 6, 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 May 1970.
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 November 4, 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.