Eastern Madera County Fire Safe Council Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Planning and participation in activities to increase safety and reduce fire hazards in the Eastern Madera County area.
- Income
- $709,817
- Spending
- $541,868
- Spent on programs
- 97%
- Reserves
- 8.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 66%
- Employees
- 2
- Highest pay
- $61,832, executive dir.
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
Good: 88 out of 100. Higher than 59% of charities in its peer group (public safety and disaster relief, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 8.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 24% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 9% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1597% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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
Weak: 36 out of 100. Higher than 7% of charities in its peer group (public safety and disaster relief, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
5 of 250 of 5 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no 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
0 of 5Reports that it does not keep 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
10 of 10Reports 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)
- $527,326 spent. The Eastern Madera County Fire Safe Council implemented shaded fuel breaks and roadside treatments, the advancement of innovative approaches such as prescribed grazing and wood utilization programs and expanded support for residents working toward defensible space compliance.- Advanced the Mountain Area Strategic Treatments (MAST) Suite to guide prioritized, landscape-scale fuels reduction and investment planning.- Pro-actively aligned EMCFSC strategy with State and Federal resilience priorities through active participation in statewide and regional planning efforts.- Developed a centralized GIS-based project database and mapping system to improve project tracking and decision-making.- Prepared six landscape-scale projects for competitive funding, expanding the pipeline of implementation-ready treatments.- Developed targeted partnerships to address regional gaps in planning, funding, and implementation capacity.- Established a public-facing wildfire resilience office at the Madera County Government Center through FAM Co initiative.- Created the WUI Community Protection Plan, a suite of 13 projects that will protect forest-adjacent medium to high density neighborhoods through targeted vegetation treatments.- Supported 30 homeowners in achieving PRC 4291 compliance through direct vegetation treatment assistance.- Launched a region-wide roadside chipping program to reduce hazardous fuels.- Delivered property-level wildfire risk assessments using Fireaside as a CAL FIRE qualified DSA entity.- Developed implementation-ready actions plans for four regional fuel breaks.- Implemented a 17-acre shaded fuel break protecting a high-risk WUI community in Bass Lake.- Partnered with PG&E to develop an innovative wood-removal pilot program.- Engaged community members through 20+ outreach events.
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
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 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 December 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 August 2002.
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.