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California Water Data Consortium

EIN 84-2664083 · Sacramento, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood81 out of 100GovernanceGood85 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

The California Water Data Consortium is a nonprofit organization that supports state agency implementation of the Open and Transparent Water Data Act to ensure that state and local agencies, Tribes, nongovernmental organizations, researchers, and the public can readily access and use high-quality data necessary to sustainably manage water for the benefit of all Californians.

Income
$2.9 million
Spending
$2.4 million
Spent on programs
84%
Reserves
5.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 91%
Employees
6
Volunteers
22
Highest pay
$157,447, dir ops/fin/sec

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 81 out of 100. Higher than 59% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 5.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 21% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 16% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 11% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    84% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 42% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    10 of 10 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no 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

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited 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 June 30, 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 (3)
  1. $1.2 million spent. Groundwater Accounting and Data Reporting Project: The open-source Groundwater Accounting Platform has officially launched for use across California. The Platform has been rolled out in our initial pilot regions and has added additional geographies to the user community. New users are on boarded with both standard and optional functionalities and may utilize the online training and onboarding materials in their basin. Learn more about the Groundwater Accounting Platform here: groundwateraccounting.orgThe Consortium's work in partnership with state agencies on groundwater data reporting formats has expanded over the past year. We finalized the communication and engagement plan, fact sheets, and data translation tool which will be published online with Department of Water Resources to support local and state agency staff as they manage groundwater data statewide.
  2. $410,196 spent. Other Consortium Projects and working groups: The Urban Water Working Group, in collaboration with DWR, SWRCB, and FlowWest, published drought and conservation datasets on the CNRA Open Data Portal to improve local resilience. The Consortium continued to convene the LiDAR Working Group with support from the Watershed Solutions Network and DWR to coordinate statewide LiDAR applications. Through the free, virtual Data for Lunch series and the 2025 Summer Roundtable, the Consortium engaged hundreds of partners in discussions linking open data to water and climate adaptation. Additionally, the Consortium continues to work with the AB1755 Partner Agency Team to advance open water data initiatives. The Consortium also completed a successful leadership transition and welcomed a new executive director and president.
  3. $370,162 spent. Telemetered Water Monitoring Project: In collaboration with interested parties in the watershed, the California Water Data Consortium finished research and outreach in the Russian River watershed to inform recommendations for a telemetry study. The Consortium submitted the recommendations report to the Telemetry Research Unit. The Consortium began a new partnership with San Francisco Estuary Institute to support the eventual handover of the telemetry network set up by the study to local interested parties. The Consortium also created a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to develop recommendations for statewide telemetry. The TAC held an informational meeting and the first formal meeting to start developing goals, and created working groups to start work on the recommendations.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 October 13, 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 June 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 June 2020.

    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 October 21, 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.