Clean Energy Transition Institute
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Clean Energy Transition Institute (CETI) is an independent, nonpartisan research and analysis nonprofit whose mission is to accelerate an equitable clean energy transition in the Northwest.
- Income
- $1.3 million
- Spending
- $1.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 79%
- Reserves
- 5.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 61%
- Employees
- 7
- Volunteers
- 7
- Highest pay
- $180,486, executive 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
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 4% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 6% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1579% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 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 36% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 257 of 7 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
0 of 7Reports no 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
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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)
- $999,427 spent. In 2025, the Clean Energy Transition Institute accomplished the following: Oregon Energy Study: successfully completed energy pathways modeling; jobs and workforce analysis; and other complementary technical and economic analyses for the Oregon Department of Energy that aided in the development of the strategy. SCALE 2030: Produced SCALE 2030: Clean Buildings Ecosystem Assessment for Washington and SCALE 2030: Clean Buildings Transition Framework for Washington, which provides specific strategies and the basis for an analytically substantiated building decarbonization policy agenda. Community-Defined Decarbonization: Deepened our understanding of how to enable community-defined decarbonization strategies in rural areas through a contract with the Washington Department of Commerce to assess Community Benefits Agreements. Informed policies and programs to increase opportunities for rural Washington to benefit from renewable energy development with a grant from the University of Washington that funded The Sun Also Rises in Washington, an interactive data-driven web product that shows the health, emissions, and economic potential for developing community-scale solar in Washingtons rural and tribal communities. Decarbonization Forums: Produced Data Center Energy Use and Impact on the Clean Energy Transition forum, which provided key stakeholders with clear and actionable analysis and education about the explosive growth of data centers and their demand for power. WestTEC: Contributed to examining the challenge of expanding transmission and determining how to reliably and adequately supply the clean electricity needed to power the Northwest economy. NW Clean Energy Atlas: Produced multiple new interactive visualizations and updated several existing ones.
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 2019.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.