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Coongie

EIN 84-3766902 · Boulder Creek, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair69 out of 100GovernanceWeak34 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO PROVIDE FREE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES, ACCESS TO FREE WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING, AND RESEARCH/COLLABORATION FACILITIES FOR THOSE WHO ARE COMMITTED TO THE BETTERMNET OF THE PLANET.

Income
$874,423
Spending
$721,634
Spent on programs
94%
Reserves
0.8 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 100%
Employees
2
Volunteers
17
Highest pay
$121,252, secretary/ed

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

Fair: 69 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    4 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 0.8 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 17% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 86% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    94% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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

Weak: 34 out of 100. Higher than 7% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    18 of 25

    2 of 3 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    0 of 15

    Reports no 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

    0 of 5

    Reports that it does not keep minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 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, 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)
  1. $676,830 spent. Our main programs in 2024 were: Community Building 2024 Cost: $106,881.86 Number Served: This year we focused on building and rebuilding as we transitioned to the next chapter. Our building projects focus on cutting edge, ecological, creative building techniques using reclaimed, recycled materials and offer free community workshops that teach essential skills while building community resilience and connection. These buildings serve as an educational example as well as offer a unique natural experience to our guests. The main building focus this year was the forest temple, which will be used forretreats, classes, meditation and more. We also began building our research lab, which supports our primary science pillar and is an essential part of the research institute. Coongie Research Institute 2024 Cost: $55,723.92 Number Served: At the heart of our organization is the Coongie Center, which is our center of operations and the land around it, once known as The University of the Trees, that we are responsible for stewarding and regenerating. We are in the process of transforming it into a retreat center, educational center, research institute, ashram, community commons and more. This year we finally were able to rebuild the roof and start repairing damages from the 2023 storms. Farm program 2024 Cost: $28, 597.75 Number Served: We do regenerative work to preserve and restore this land and to produce and harvest healthy food, plant starts and seeds that we offer for free along with permaculture workshops and cooking classes to give our community the opportunity to eat and grow healthy food. We continued to expand the gardens, planting a new apple orchard, clearing new trails and restoring the land.Disaster Relief 2024 Cost: $6,003.42 Number Served: Coongie responds to the greatest needs of our community and provides first response disaster relief and long term recovery support. This includes providing resources and advocacy particularly for people who would have fallen through the cracks; organizing community leadership meetings with various agencies; coordinating contractors, volunteers and community resources; helping match resources available to the people who need them most; providing transportation, evacuation support, and housing support; and building efficient resource lists to help make his process easier for everyone moving forward. We were able to bring our top builders to Maui to support building a home for a family of 6 that had lost their home. Admin and Accounting 2024 Cost: $6,870 Number Served: This year we transitioned into a new chapter as a newer nonprofit, and that included making sure we were set up with all the business and accounting pieces properly in place. We hired professional nonprofit accountants to help us fine tune our accounting and make sure everything was in order. This process was an opportunity to see our operations from a new perspective that will be important moving forward.

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

  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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.

  4. 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 September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since March 2020.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.