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Switch Energy Alliance

EIN 81-4309125 · Austin, TX

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood89 out of 100GovernanceGood78 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE SWITCH ENERGY ALLIANCE (SEA) IS A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT DEDICATED TO ADDRESSING THE DUAL CHALLENGE OF ENERGY ACCESS FOR ALL WITH MINIMUM IMPACT TO THE ENVIRONMENT. SEA PROMOTES AN OBJECTIVE, NONPARTISAN, AND SENSIBLE ENERGY-EDUCATED FUTURE THROUGH ITS FILMS, WEBSITE, UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT, AND ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM.

Income
$2.8 million
Spending
$3.1 million
Spent on programs
71%
Reserves
13 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 95%
Employees
11
Volunteers
172
Highest pay
$233,761, president

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

Good: 89 out of 100. Higher than 69% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 13.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 12% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 7% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    71% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 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: 78 out of 100. Higher than 23% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    5 of 6 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

    0 of 7

    Reports no 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

    0 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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, 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 (4)
  1. $1.2 million spent. ENERGY SWITCH: SEA PRODUCES A TELEVISION TALK SHOW WHICH EXPLORES THE INTERSECTION OF ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE ECONOMY. DR. TINKER HOSTS LEADING EXPERTS WITH DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS ON EACH EPISODE WHERE THEY ENGAGE IN DEEP, CIVIL DISCUSSIONS ON CRITICAL ISSUES. SEASONS 1-8 ARE STREAMING ON PBS.ORG, REACHING 100 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS. SEASON 8 IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE SEA WEBSITE. SEASONS 1-7 ARE AVAILABLE AS A PODCAST.
  2. $492,189 spent. SWITCH CLASSROOM: SEA DELIVERS CREDIBLE, OBJECTIVE ENERGY EDUCATION TO K-12 EDUCATORS, REACHING 2,900,000 STUDENTS THROUGH STANDARDS-ALIGNED CONTENT (OVER 400 LESSONS, ACTIVITIES, ALIGNMENT GUIDES AND AN EXTENSIVE ONLINE RESOURCE LIBRARY).
  3. $260,923 spent. SWITCH COMPETITION: SEA ENGAGES UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DIRECTLY AND CONINUOUSLY THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS. MORE THAN 4,500 UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM 63 COUNTRIES AND 6 CONTINENTS HAVE PARTICIPATED TO IDENTIFY PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO ENERGY POVERTY.
  4. $273,102 spent. WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING: SEA'S WEBSITE (WWW.SWITCHON.ORG) ALLOWS THE PUBLIC TO ACCESS THE MOST REMARKABLE FILM-BASED ENERGY CONTENT IN THE WORLD. SWITCH MATERIALS HAVE OVER 28 MILLION TRACKABLE VIEWS ON OUR WEBSITE AND YOUTUBE. OUR SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORTS ARE PRESENT ACROSS FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, LINKEDIN, TWITTER, AND YOUTUBE. IN ADDITION, SEA CHAIRMAN DR. SCOTT TINKER GIVES PRESENTATIONS AND KEYNOTE SPEECHES TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AUDIENCE MEMBERS EACH YEAR.SWITCH ON: SEA'S RECENT FILM SWITCH ON WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO SHINE A LIGHT ON THE BILLIONS OF PEOPLE WITH LITTLE OR NO ENERGY, AND THE BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF POWERING THE LAST THIRD OF THE PLANET. SWITCH ON CAN BE STREAMED ONLINE FOR FREE ON THE SEA WEBSITE, ON YOUTUBE, AND ON PRIME VIDEO. SWITCH ON THE SERIES FEATURES SEVEN 20-MINUTE EPISODES THAT TAKE US DEEPER INTO EACH LOCATION AND ARE STREAMING ON PBS.ORG. CONTENT FROM SWITCH ON HAS BEEN INCORPORATED INTO CLASSROOM.SWITCH ACADEMY: SEA'S ONLINE PLATFORM FOR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION HAS COME OUT OF CONCEPT PHASE AND IS IN EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT. IT WILL BE DYNAMIC, ENGAGING, SPARK CRITICAL THINKING, AND DEMONSTRATE A MEASURABLE INCREASE IN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE ECONOMY. ALTHOUGH ACADEMY WILL BE FREE TO EDUCATORS, WE WILL CHARGE A NOMINAL FEE FOR THE PLATFORM TO COMPANIES. THIS REVENUE WILL PROVIDE ONGOING FINANCIAL STABILITY TO SEA AS AN ORGANIZATION.ENERGY MAKES OUR WORLD (MUSEUM FILM): SEA PRODUCED A 5-MINUTE, HOLLYWOOD-QUALITY FILM TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF ENERGY IN OUR LIVES TO MUSEUM VISITORS OF ALL AGES. AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL SCORE PLAYS UNDER REMARKABLE GLOBAL IMAGES TO BRING THE VIEWER A DIALOG-FREE, IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE. THIS "TIMELESS" FILM DEMONSTRATES THE IMPACT OF ENERGY ON EVERY FACET OF MODERN LIFE. EMOW IS FREE TO MUSEUMS, AND IS DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR ENERGY EXHIBIT HALLS, IMAX, DOME, AND OTHER LARGE SCREEN THEATERS. EMOW HAS OVER 880,000 VIEWS AND CONTINUES TO EXPAND NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.

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

  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 November 6, 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 2025.

    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 November 2017.

    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 November 4, 2026.

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