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Spark Climate Solutions Inc

EIN 87-4299990 · Covina, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceGood80 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Sparks mission is to accelerate progress in emerging, potentially high-impact approaches for climate mitigation and adaptation that will contribute to humanitys comprehensive portfolio of solutions and responses to enable our return to a safe climate while minimizing risk to societal stability.

Income
$12.4 million
Spending
$6.5 million
Spent on programs
81%
Reserves
20.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 97%
Employees
25
Volunteers
1
Highest pay
$399,953, chief scientist

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

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 20.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 11% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 47% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 27% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    81% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 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: 80 out of 100. Higher than 7% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    5 of 25

    2 of 4 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a 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 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)
  1. $5.3 million spent. Livestock Enteric Methane MitigationSpark worked to advance research, policy, and market pathways in 2025 to reduce enteric methane emissions from livestock, which account for approximately 6% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. We co-convened the State of the Science Summit on Reducing Methane from Animal Agriculture, bringing together researchers, producers, policymakers, and solution developers to align priorities and surface key gaps. Spark also supported the Global Enteric Methane Impact Alliance (GEMIA) to strengthen coordination across the supply chain and led the development of a strategic roadmap that assesses the full livestock methane solution pipeline to guide investment and accelerate progress.Methane RemovalSpark continued its work as the leading philanthropic funder of atmospheric methane removal research, with more than $8 million invested across 27 foundational research projects exploring approaches ranging from accelerating methane's natural breakdown in the atmosphere, plants, and soils to reactor and catalyst-based oxidation methods. We welcomed Dr. Megan Melamed, former Deputy Director of NOAA's Chemical Sciences Laboratory, to lead the program and bring scientific rigor to evaluating whether methane removal could responsibly complement aggressive emissions-reduction efforts and we convened over 80 scientists, policymakers, legal scholars, and market innovators at Stanford in the largest gathering to date on methane removal, and engaged with members of Congress to advance public research funding for the field.Agricultural NitrogenIn 2025, Spark transitioned agricultural nitrogen from an exploratory area to a full program to develop a shared scientific vision called Nitrogen 2.0 - a next-generation approach aimed at moving beyond incremental efficiency gains to unlock major reductions in nitrogen loss through transformative innovations in crop breeding, animal feeding, and manure management. Spark hired Dr. Maria Bowman to lead the program and began developing a strategic roadmap and targeted research and policy engagements. Agricultural nitrous oxide emissions currently represent approximately 4% of total global greenhouse gas emissions and are projected to add 0.1-0.3C of additional warming by 2100.Warming-Induced EmissionsSpark launched a new program in 2025 to address the underquantified greenhouse gas emissions released by warming natural systems such as permafrost, wetlands, and forests - emissions that could amplify anthropogenic warming by 20-30% this century yet remain largely absent from climate models and global policy frameworks. We hired Dr. Ben Poulter, a former White House scientist, to lead the program, and launched the Warming-Induced Emissions Model Intercomparison Project (WIEMIP) in October 2025, coordinating leading Earth system modeling teams worldwide to produce an accelerated assessment for the next International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) cycle.

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

  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 December 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 2022.

    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.