Pricing Carbon Initiative Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
The mission of Pricing Carbon Initiative (PCI) is to share information and foster dialogue among its diverse network of stakeholders who are committed to addressing the global disruptions and existential threats of climate change. The focus is on effective approaches to carbon pricing policies that are viable, equitable, and commensurate with the challenges of addressing this ever-worsening crisis. To this end, PCI engages members of its network in a series of meetings that are either in-person/virtual hybrids, or just virtual. They include: A) PCI's unique confidential (Chatham House Rule) Pricing Carbon Dialogues, restricted to network members; B) virtual public forums that are posted and open to all; C) invitation-only workshops that focus on specific carbon pricing issues. PCI also participates in climate-related symposia sponsored by other organizations, in college classrooms as a guest lecturer, and disseminates information and viewpoints on climate policy through its website.
- Income
- $158,122
- Spending
- $142,874
- Reserves
- 2.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 85%
- Highest pay
- $58,725, co-director
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 64 out of 100. Higher than 27% of charities in its peer group (environment, under $250k).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 10% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 (1)
- $84,723 spent. The Pricing Carbon Initiative (PCI) convenes regularly scheduled in-person and virtual meetings to discuss a range of potential climate-change policies that include pricing carbon as a key ingredient. The network currently includes over 125 stakeholders representing environmental, business, labor, social justice, religious, and other issue-oriented advocacy organizations, as well as both conservative and progressive think tanks. It is not a coalition that unites around specific policy proposals. Instead of advocating for proscriptive solutions, PCI aims to spark transformative insights within its network on how best to facilitate bipartisan strategies to achieve reductions in carbon emissions, while addressing both equity and effectiveness issues. PCI's diverse participants agree to three basic principles: 1) climate change is a serious existential threat to a healthy planet, 2) pricing is a necessary ingredient for effective policies and 3) participants in the Pricing Carbon Dialogues will adhere to the Chatham House Rule (CHR) of confidentiality. This CHR protocol has infused the PCI discussions with a sense of bipartisan candor, trust and cordiality that participants value and have not found elsewhere. HIGHLIGHTS of PCI EVENTS in 2024. On January 23, 2024, PCI partnered with the Brookings Institution in Washington DC to host an all-day, hybrid (both in-person and virtual) meeting. It was a confidential, Chatham House Rule (CHR) event with ample opportunities for participants to strengthen old relationships and forge new ones. The dialogue featured remarks by Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA01), who is the House lead on the bicameral Clean Competition Act and Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The first panel focused on the state of play in the European Union and other countries on Carbon Border Measures (CBMs) and on their relationship to pending CBM legislation the current Congress. (CBMs are a form of tariffs based on the carbon footprint of goods and products.) The second panel covered election-year dynamics on climate and energy issues informed by extensive polling. The afternoon featured breakout sessions, and concluding remarks. On February 15, PCI convened key organizations for a 2.5-hour hybrid event focused on CBMs, co-hosted with E3G, a group that is an active member of the PCI network. It was effective in bridging siloed workstreams PCI had become aware of as a result of two landscape analyses conducted over the previous year. The second such analysis informed this event, and highlights were shared with the participants. Participants also shared a compendium of research and perspectives on CBMs produced by the groups in attendance. These groups were selected because they had either convened other subsets of stakeholders or had a distinct voice informing the policy debate on this subject. Participants reaffirmed that PCI was playing a useful and important role in this space, as the convener of conveners and expressed interest in continuing the engagement. On June 4, PCI co-hosted a virtual public forum with C2ES examining a possible window of opportunity for a US carbon price in 2025, based on the confluence of the growing national debt, growing global interest in CBMs, and the desire to extend some of the Trump tax cuts. Notably, speakers with closer ties to Republican circles were the most optimistic about the viability of this approach. Over 200 people tuned in for the forum, where divergent perspectives were shared and responded to. The event was reported on in Time Magazine piece by Justin Worland, who was one the moderators. On September 10, PCI co-hosted a second virtual public forum with C2ES in collaboration with Professor Christopher Borick of Muhlenberg College. This event, which drew 160 attendees and received media coverage from Inside EPA's Climate Extra, revealed groundbreaking polling data on American attitudes toward the intersection of climate and trade. The polling highlighted strong bipartisan support for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, prioritizing international trade compliance, and imposing carbon-based fees on imports-even if it leads to higher prices. As outlined in a blog by Danny Richter on PCI's website, these results reflect strong bipartisan openness to climate-focused trade measures, offering critical insight for future policy development. On December 12, PCI hosted a virtual CHR private dialogue for 78 participants to review the election results and discuss their implications moving forward. Panelists included Congressional staff from Republican and Democratic Members submitting carbon pricing legislation. A former Republican Member and the head of a prominent environmental organization were also featured as presenters who provided their insights and answers to questions from within the PCI network. In addition to these events, PCI disseminated information on climate policy on its website that included a series of blog posts written by PCI's Co-Director, Danny Richter.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 April 2018.
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.