Department of Bioregion
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 Department of Bioregion's mission is a "world of interconnected bioregions and bioregional movements". It does this by creating departments of bioregions around the world and, providing administrative support to bioregional organizing teams, bioregional movements, education about specific bioregions, and ways of regenerating that bioregion.
- Income
- $695,862
- Spending
- $485,678
- Spent on programs
- 81%
- Reserves
- 9.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 70%
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 211
- Highest pay
- $76,155, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 72% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 9.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 12% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 30% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 58% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1581% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 74 out of 100. Higher than 41% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
18 of 253 of 3 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
7 of 7Has a 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
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 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 (3)
- $219,229 spent. The Cascadia Department of Bioregion advances place-based education, organizing, and systems change across the Cascadia bioregion. In 2024-2025, CDOB supported the growth of the Cascadia movement and the Cascadia bioregion through research, writing, and publishing on bioregionalism; provided tools, trainings, and nonprofit infrastructure to help communities reconnect with their ecosystems; and led public awareness campaigns to promote Cascadian identity and resilience. CDOB also ran the Cascadia Store, coordinated membership programs, and defended the Cascadia Flag in a movement trust to ensure it remains in the public domain. It organized educational events, regional gatherings, and the Cascadia Northwest Arts and Music Festival, which brought together over 1,000 people to celebrate bioregional culture and community.
- $173,171 spent. During the 2024-2025 fiscal year, Regenerate Cascadia formalized its two core programs: Cascadia BioRegen, which supports place-based organizing and community capacity building across the bioregion, and Cascadia BioFi, which develops bioregional finance strategies and funding ecosystems aligned with community priorities. In partnership with the Design School for Regenerating Earth, Regenerate Cascadia hosted its second annual six-month Cascadia Learning Journey cohort, growing participation to over 100 people and hiring a dedicated cohort coordinator to strengthen onboarding, facilitation, and participant pathways into local organizing. In May 2025, the organization convened the inaugural Cascadia BioFi Conference in Seattle, a three-day gathering of over 300 land stewards, Indigenous leaders, funders, community organizers, and practitioners exploring bioregional approaches to regenerative finance. The conference established shared frameworks for trust-based giving, flow funding, and community-directed resource allocation. Building on these foundations, Regenerate Cascadia launched its Landscape Groups program and opened its flagship Landscape Hub Cultivator in October 2025, enrolling 10 landscape groups from across the Cascadia bioregion in a year-long pilot focused on bioregional mapping, team development, governance, and regeneration strategy.
- $282 spent. The Departments of Bioregion program is the organization's top level program, providing global infrastructure, education and organizing for bioregional movements to launch and thrive. It operates through three components. Bioregional Seeds delivers mapping research, education, publications, workshops and classes helping people understand and reconnect to the living systems of their bioregion. Bioregional Roots provides Administrative Program Services for internal operations and nonprofit best practice training, alongside a Fiscal Sponsorship Program extending our 501(c)(3) infrastructure to aligned external projects. Bioregional Branches supports locally led teams in launching place-based Departments of Bioregion in their own watersheds, providing replicable frameworks, templates, mentorship and nonprofit backend for grants and donations. In FY2024-2025, the program piloted its first branch onboarding framework for bioregional teams outside Cascadia, strengthened fiscal sponsorship and administrative systems, and continued producing bioregional mapping resources and educational materials. Each component is designed to be replicable, adaptable and scalable as a living framework for bioregional movements emerging around the world.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 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 October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Worth knowing.
Status was revoked on March 15, 2024 for not filing returns for three years. The IRS now lists it as tax-exempt again.
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 October 2025.
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 January 2025.
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.