Clean Energy Economy Minnesota
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND POLICY ANALYSIS THAT ACCELERATES CLEAN ENERGY MARKET GROWTH AND SMART ENERGY POLICIES.
- Income
- $1.6 million
- Spending
- $1.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 85%
- Reserves
- -0.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 55%
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 11
- Highest pay
- $137,585, executive director
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: 48 out of 100. Higher than 11% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 38% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 4% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 52% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1585% 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 60% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2510 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)
- $738,242 spent. MINNESOTA ENERGY ALLEY:CEEM CONTINUED TO SERVE AS FISCAL SPONSOR FOR GRID CATALYST. THE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP IS TO SUPPORT GRID CATALYST'S EFFORTS IN BUILDING A STRONGER AND MORE EQUITABLE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM IN MINNESOTA AND THE MIDWEST FOR ENERGY AND CLIMATE TECHNOLOGIES. ALSO, IN 2024, CEEM, ITS SUBCONTRACTOR GRID CATALYST, AND PARTNER, THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, MADE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES WITH THE MINNESOTA ENERGY ALLEY INITIATIVE. THE $3 MILLION DOLLAR APPROPRIATION FROM THE MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE FOR MINNESOTA ENERGY ALLEY IS TO ESTABLISH AND SUPPORT THE INITIATIVE, PROVIDE SEED FUNDING FOR BUSINESSES, DEVELOP A TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, SUPPORT RECRUITMENT OF ENTREPRENEURS TO MINNESOTA, AND SECURE FUNDING FROM FEDERAL PROGRAMS AND CORPORATE PARTNERS TO ESTABLISH A SELF-SUSTAINING, LONG-TERM REVENUE MODEL. IN ITS FIRST FULL YEAR OF PROGRAMMING IN 2024, CEEM AND MINNESOTA ENERGY ALLEY PARTNERS WERE PROUD TO HAVE ACHIEVED SEVEN PILOT PROJECTS, THREE STARTUPS SELECTED FOR MAJOR U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY GRANTS, SIX COMPANIES WERE SELECTED FOR THE 2024 DEMONSTRATION COHORT, HOSTED TEN ECOSYSTEM BUILDING AND EDUCATION EVENTS, 31 INNOVATORS NETWORK PARTNERS WERE ON-BOARDED, $615,000 COMMITTED IN PILOT FUNDS, AND OVER $40 MILLION IN INVESTMENTS HAVE BEEN ATTRACTED BY GRID CATALYST PROGRAM STARTUPS.
- $318,329 spent. STATE POLICY ANALYSIS:CEEM, WORKING ALONGSIDE ITS BUSINESS MEMBERS, BUILT UPON THE HISTORIC AND UNPRECEDENTED 2023 MINNESOTA LEGISLATIVE SESSION FOR CLIMATE AND ENERGY POLICY WITH SIGNIFICANT POLICY WINS AND FORWARD PROGRESS IN 2024. HEADING INTO THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION, CEEM'S FOUR PRIORITY POLICY OBJECTIVES WERE 1.) ADVANCE SMART IMPLEMENTATION 2.) PERMITTING REFORM 3.) EXPAND TRANSMISSION AND 4.) SUPPORT INCREASED AND TIMELY INTERCONNECTION. CLEAN ENERGY PERMITTING REFORM WAS ONE OF THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL ENERGY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POLICIES PASSED IN THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION. PERMITTING REFORM IS ESSENTIAL TO MINNESOTA'S LAW OF ACHIEVING 100% CARBON-FREE ELECTRICITY BY 2040. CEEM PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN EDUCATING POLICYMAKERS RESULTING IN THE PASSAGE OF THE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE PERMITTING ACT THAT STREAMLINES THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR LARGE-SCALE ENERGY PROJECTS AT THE MINNESOTA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (PUC). THIS LEGISLATION REDUCES BUREAUCRATIC REDUNDANCIES AND IMPROVES EFFICIENCIES, FACILITATING THE TIMELY DEVELOPMENT OF WIND, SOLAR, AND BATTERY STORAGE PROJECTS. THESE REFORMS ARE VITAL FOR OVERCOMING THE LARGEST ROADBLOCK TO RENEWABLE ENERGY DEPLOYMENT, DEMONSTRATING MINNESOTA'S COMMITMENT TO EMBRACING THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION AND UNLOCKING ITS FULL POTENTIAL. ANOTHER POLICY WIN FOR THE ORGANIZATION RELIEVES GRID CONGESTION AND REQUIRES UTILITIES TO EVALUATE GRID ENHANCING TECHNOLOGIES (GETS) ON HIGHLY CONGESTED LINES. GETS INCLUDE DYNAMIC LINE RATING, POWER-FLOW CONTROL DEVICES, AND ANALYTICAL TOOLS THAT REDUCE THE NEED FOR NEW INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT THE INTEGRATION OF RENEWABLES AND MAXIMIZE THE GRID'S CURRENT CAPACITY. ANOTHER ESSENTIAL PIECE OF ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE COMPLETED IN THIS SESSION WITH CEEM'S EDUCATION EFFORTS INCLUDED ALLOWING THE CO-LOCATION OF UTILITY AND HIGH-VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE IN EXISTING TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS, LIKE HIGHWAYS AND INTERSTATES, TO SPEED DEVELOPMENT THAT IS CRITICAL FOR THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION. ADDITIONAL POLICIES THAT CEEM LED AND/OR SUPPORTED THAT WERE PASSED INTO LAW INCLUDED UPDATES TO COMMERCIAL PROPERTY ASSESSED CLEAN ENERGY (C-PACE), INTERCONNECTION REFORMS FOR DISTRIBUTED GENERATION, UPDATES TO STREAMLINE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MINNESOTA'S ENERGY CONSERVATION AND OPTIMIZATION ACT (ECO), AN ADDITIONAL $50 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR SOLAR*REWARDS OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS, ALONG WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND GEOTHERMAL LEGISLATION TO EXPAND MARKETS AND SUPPORT DEPLOYMENT. THE ORGANIZATION'S TWO ANNUAL REPORTS, THE 2024 MINNESOTA ENERGY FACTSHEET AND THE 2024 CLEAN JOBS MIDWEST - MINNESOTA REPORT CONTAINED TIMELY AND DETAILED INFORMATION ON CLEAN ENERGY MARKETS AND JOBS THAT WERE UTILIZED BY THE WALZ-FLANAGAN ADMINISTRATION, POLICYMAKERS, MEDIA, AND THE PUBLIC. DATA AND RECOMMENDATIONS CONTAINED IN THE PUBLICATIONS PROVIDED CRUCIAL FACTS AND INFORMATION UTILIZED IN CONVERSATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS WITH POLICYMAKERS, DECISION-MAKERS, AND THE PUBLIC TO HASTEN THE TRANSITION TO A LOW- AND ZERO-CARBON FUTURE IN MINNESOTA.
- $223,508 spent. PUBLIC EDUCATION:CEEM CONTINUED ITS IMPORTANT EFFORTS IN EDUCATING DECISION MAKERS AND MINNESOTA CITIZENS ON THE NEED FOR SWIFT BUILDOUT AND EXPANSION OF TRANSMISSION CAPACITY IN MISO NORTH. EFFORTS INCLUDED A VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS THE NEED FOR TRANSMISSION UPGRADES USING LAYPERSON LANGUAGE. CEEM ALSO LEVERAGED ITS CREDIBLE AND INFLUENTIAL BUSINESS VOICE IN MEETINGS WITH KEY OFFICIALS, REGULATORS, AND THEIR STAFF MEMBERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ALONG WITH PLACEMENT AND GARNERING OF EARNED MEDIA INCLUDING OP-ED'S AND LTE'S SHARING REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES OF LOCAL ECONOMIC BENEFITS AND JOBS WHILE HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCELERATED SITING AND TRANSMISSION OF CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS THAT ADVANCE RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSIFY LOCAL TAX BASES. CEEM ALSO LED THE DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY OF THE 8TH ANNUAL CLEAN ENERGY BUSINESS DAY AT THE CAPITOL. CEEM'S EFFORTS HELPED TO RESULT IN GOVERNOR WALZ DECLARING APRIL 11, 2024, AS "CLEAN ENERGY BUSINESS DAY" ACROSS MINNESOTA. OVER 160 BUSINESS LEADERS PARTICIPATED IN THIS POWERFUL DAY OF EDUCATION AT THE STATE CAPITOL TO SHARE WITH POLICYMAKERS WHY STABLE AND PREDICTABLE POLICIES ARE CRITICAL TO RETAINING AND GROWING GOOD-PAYING JOBS AND ATTRACTING INVESTMENT IN THE CLEAN ENERGY INDUSTRY TO ENSURE AND STRENGTHEN MINNESOTA'S CLEAN ENERGY LEADERSHIP.
- $135,459 spent. STAKEHOLDER CONVENING:CEEM CONVENED AND PARTICIPATED IN A SERIES OF EDUCATIONAL, NETWORKING, AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT EVENTS THROUGHOUT 2024. THIS INCLUDED PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON INVESTMENT TAX CREDITS AND TRANSFERABILITY AS PART OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, HOW CLEAN ENERGY IS DELIVERING POSITIVE CHANGE IN LOCAL AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND FOR EMERGING FARMERS, AS WELL AS EXPERT IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL WEBINARS TO DISCUSS STRATEGIES TO RETAIN AND GROW A DIVERSE WORKFORCE. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO CO-HOSTED A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION EVENT FEATURING REUTERS CORRESPONDENT AND AUTHOR, ERNEST SCHEYDER WHO WROTE "THE WAR BELOW" THAT IS A NEW BOOK REVEALING THE TENSIONS AMONG INDUSTRY, CONSERVATIONISTS, COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND POLICYMAKERS OVER THE NEED TO SOURCE VAST QUANTITIES OF CRITICAL MINERALS TO POWER A GREENER FUTURE WHILE STILL PROTECTING OUR MOST SACRED SPACES. OVER 100+ EVENT PARTICIPANTS HEARD DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES THAT WERE REPRESENTED IN THE EXPERT PANEL DISCUSSION INCLUDING INDUSTRY, TRIBAL NATIONS, AND TWO LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVES PROVIDING BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL AISLE. CEEM ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE ELECTROPOSIUM 2.0 EVENT HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF LOCAL COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL-BASED DIALOGUES INCLUDING THE ROCHESTER ENTREPRENEURIAL LANDSCAPE EVENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE AND SMALL CITIES CONFERENCE TO DISCUSS KEY ECONOMIC, BUSINESS, AND WORKFORCE TRENDS ALONG WITH EXPLORING SOLUTIONS THAT EMPOWER SMALL CITIES TO LEAD THE WAY IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH CLIMATE ACTION. THE ORGANIZATION CONTINUED ITS STRONG PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MINNESOTA TRADE OFFICE HOSTING A NUMBER OF CONVENINGS WITH INTERNATIONAL COLLEAGUES AND GUESTS LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO DO BUSINESS IN MINNESOTA. BUSINESS AND POLICYMAKER DELEGATIONS THAT CEEM HOSTED INCLUDED COLLEAGUES FROM A NUMBER OF CANADIAN PROVINCES, FINLAND, GERMANY, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. CEEM ALSO HOSTED ITS ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE PREVIEW EVENT THAT INCLUDED OVER 130+ ATTENDEES IN-PERSON AS WELL AS 100+ ONLINE PARTICIPANTS FEATURING SPECIAL GUESTS, MINNESOTA ENERGY LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE CHAIRS PATTY ACOMB, CHRIS SWEDZINSKI, AND NICK FRENTZ WITH SPECIAL REMARKS DELIVERED BY ASST. COMMISSIONER HALI KOLKIND FROM THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. INSIGHTS AND STAKEHOLDER DISCUSSION FOCUSED ON PATHWAYS TO ACHIEVING 100% CLEAN ENERGY BY 2040 AND NET-ZERO ECONOMY-WIDE BY 2050 IN A DIVIDED MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE.
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 November 2016.
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.
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