Se Si Le
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Se-Si-Le (Saw-See-Lah) is the Lummi language term for our grandmother. Respect for elders is central to native life: to acknowledge grandmother earth is to invoke ancestral and cultural power. Founded by Lummi tribal member Jay Julius, Se-Si-Le reintroduces indigenous spiritual law into the mainstream conversation about climate change and the environment.
- Income
- $321,748
- Spending
- $407,742
- Spent on programs
- 79%
- Reserves
- -85.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 5
- Highest pay
- $99,240, executive director
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
Weak: 27 out of 100.
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
2 of 20It owes 96% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 27% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 9% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1579% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 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
Fair: 66 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no 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
0 of 10Did not give 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
6 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, 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)
- $321,679 spent. During the 2024 Tax Year Se'Si'Le designed, organized, coordinated, and implemented an event to bring attention to the plight of the Southern Resident Killer Whales, an important species for Pacific Northwest Tribal Cultures. It also helped document and finalize the editing of the documentation of the event, and distributed the edited version through our networks. Se'Si'Le continued working with the Publisher Braided River to complete the editing process of our book: In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations. This book was released in August, 2025.We continued working on a Climate Action partnership with M.I.T. and its Department of Anthropology. The accomplishment included a three-year blueprint for action to inaugurate the first series of exchanges over the subsequent three-years with the first to take place in the summer of 2025.We worked with XR specialists to capture and archive material to be used in our Cultural Enrichment programs. Working with the contractors, we have now in place material we can deploy in our XR programs.We also received title to 2.14 acres of land on Orcas Island with an interest-free loan from an Orcas Island resident. We are working with the Orcas Island community to design and implement Cultural Enrichment programs on the property.
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
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 October 13, 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 2021.
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 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.