Island Press
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 114 cents.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
ISLAND PRESS CREATES, PUBLISHES AND PROMOTES POWERFUL IDEAS AND SOLUTIONS THAT HELP TRANSFORM LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES AND POLICIES IN ORDER TO BETTER ECOLOGICAL AND HUMAN WELL-BEING.
- Income
- $2.1 million
- Spending
- $4.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 82%
- Reserves
- 1.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 83%
- Employees
- 24
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $153,760, president
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
Weak: 15 out of 100. Higher than 0% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.7 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 56% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 109% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 39% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 114 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: 85 out of 100. Higher than 32% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2515 of 16 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
0 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 (3)
- $2.0 million spent. RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONISLAND PRESS PUBLISHES AND PROMOTES SCIENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS THAT HELP PEOPLE MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. IN 2025, ISLAND PRESS PUBLISHED 27 NEW TITLES, SOLD 104,142 UNITS, AND DISTRIBUTED 3,454 FREE COPIES. AMONG THESE WERE:THE TWILIGHT FOREST: AN ELEGY FOR PONDEROSA IN A CHANGING WEST (OCTOBER 2025), BY GARY FERGUSON. THE TWILIGHT FOREST IS A LIFE-AFFIRMING PORTRAIT OF THE PONDEROSA PINE FORESTS OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST, WHERE MORE THAN 200 MILLION TREES HAVE DIED IN THE PAST DECADE AND SCIENTISTS PROJECT FEWER THAN 5% MAY SURVIVE IN THE REGION BY MID-CENTURY. FERGUSON WEAVES NATURAL AND HUMAN HISTORY WITH UNFLINCHING ATTENTION TO WILDFIRE AND CLIMATE CHANGE AS FORCES THAT HAVE TRANSFORMED A ONCE-THRIVING ECOSYSTEM. THE BOOK RECEIVED OVER 100 MEDIA HITS, INCLUDING A RECENT OP-ED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES ("A WATER DOOM LOOP IS COMING"). POISONING THE WELL: HOW FOREVER CHEMICALS CONTAMINATED AMERICA (APRIL 2025) BY SHARON UDASIN AND RACHEL FRANZIN, IS THE SHOCKING TRUE-LIFE STORY OF HOW PFASA SET OF TOXIC CHEMICALS MOST PEOPLE HAVE NEVER HEARD OFPOISONED THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. DRAWING ON GROUND-LEVEL REPORTING IN FOUR HEAVILY CONTAMINATED TOWNS AND INTERNAL INDUSTRY DOCUMENTS, THE BOOK MAKES THE CASE THAT CORPORATE MANUFACTURERS MAY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE DEADLY RISKS OF THEIR PRODUCTS SINCE THE 1960S WHILE REGULATORS REPEATEDLY FAILED TO ACT. BUT ALONGSIDE THE OUTRAGE IS AN EQUALLY POWERFUL STORY OF RESILIENCE: ORDINARY PEOPLE, FIGHTING FOR THEIR OWN SURVIVAL, WHO TOOK ON A BROKEN SYSTEM AND PUSHED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. THE BOOK WAS INFLUENTIAL ENOUGH TO BE SELECTED FOR PAPERBACK REPRINTING IN 2027 BY PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS. THE HYPE ABOUT HYDROGEN, REVISED EDITION: FALSE PROMISES AND REAL SOLUTIONS IN THE RACE TO SAVE THE CLIMATE (APRIL 2025) BY JOSEPH J. ROMM, BUILDS ON THE AUTHOR'S 2003 EXPLAINER ON WHY HYDROGEN ISN'T THE CLEAN ENERGY PANACEA WE WERE PROMISED. THE JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND SCIENCES SAYS OF THE HYPE ABOUT HYDROGEN: "THIS BOOK SHOULD BE OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO ANYONE WANTING TO EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES TO MOVE AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS. IT PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH HYDROGEN, INCLUDING MANY REFERENCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION."NEW YORK'S SECRET SUBWAY: THE UNDERGROUND GENIUS OF ALFRED BEACH AND THE ORIGINS OF MASS TRANSIT (SEPTEMBER 2025) BY MATTHEW ALGEO IS A RICHLY ILLUSTRATED GILDED AGE DRAMA POPULATED WITH LARGER-THAN-LIFE CHARACTERS. THE BOOK TELLS THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF ALFRED BEACH, THE VISIONARY INVENTOR WHO SECRETLY CONSTRUCTED AMERICA'S FIRST OPERATIONAL SUBWAY BENEATH BROADWAY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. BEACH'S AUDACIOUS ENGINEERING FEAT PUT HIM ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH WILLIAM "BOSS" TWEED, THE CORRUPT TAMMANY HALL POWER BROKER WHOSE POLITICAL MACHINERY PROTECTED THE ENTRENCHED HORSE-CAR INDUSTRY. A REVIEW BY PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY SAID, "[AN] ENGROSSING CHRONICLE... AN IMMERSIVE VIEW OF 1860S NEW YORK AS A HOTBED OF INNOVATION AND CORRUPTION."
- $1.3 million spent. MARKETING, COMMUNICATION, AND DISTRIBUTIONISLAND PRESS COMMUNICATES INFORMATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS TO GOVERNMENTAL, PROFESSIONAL, AND NON-PROFIT STAFF AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONS; BUSINESSES; STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS; AND GENERAL READERS. OUR PUBLICATIONS ARE DISTRIBUTED WORLDWIDE IN PRINT AND ELECTRONIC FORMATS, INCLUDING THROUGH AMAZON AND AMAZON'S KINDLE, AT BOOKSTORES, THROUGH ONLINE RETAILERS, AND VIA THE ISLAND PRESS WEBSITE. THEY ARE OFTEN TRANSLATED BY FOREIGN PUBLISHERS.OVER THE COURSE OF 2025, ISLAND PRESS' MARKETING TEAM SECURED OVER 500 MEDIA PLACEMENTS SUCH AS PODCAST INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS, AND EXCERPT PLACEMENTS. WE SECURED MEDIA COVERAGE FOR OUR BOOKS AND AUTHORS IN LARGE NATIONAL OUTLETS, INCLUDING THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, YAHOO!, MSNBC, RAW STORY, POLITICO, SEMAFOR, THE HILL, THE NEW YORK POST, DAILY MAIL, WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND THE WASHINGTON POST.
- $294,598 spent. PROGRAM SERVICES/TECHNICAL ASSISTANCETHROUGH OUR SHORT-FORM PROGRAM, ISLAND PRESS IMPROVES THE COMMUNICATIONS CAPACITY OF EMERGING LEADERS AND EDUCATES PRACTITIONERS ON THE LATEST ENVIRONMENTAL THINKING AND SOLUTIONS, INCREASING THEIR CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT CHANGE. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH MOVEMENT LEADERS AND EMERGING THINKERS TO HELP THEM TELL THEIR STORY THROUGH ARTICLES, BLOG POSTS, OP-EDS, AND PLACE THEM IN MEDIA OUTLETS TO SHARE ENVIRONMENTAL LESSONS WIDELY. WE PROVIDE EDITORIAL AND MARKETING SUPPORT TO PUT THESE VOICES INTO THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION. AS A RESULT, WE PUBLISHED 71 ORIGINAL PIECES IN 2025 WITH A COMBINED 687 MILLION POTENTIAL VIEWS AND 1,800 SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS.IN 2025, THE SHORT-FORM PROGRAM WORKED WITH GROUPS LIKE AMERICA'S ESSENTIAL HOSPITALS, LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY GARDEN COUNCIL, BUILDING ELECTRIFICATION INSTITUTE, INSTITUTE FOR MARKET TRANSFORMATION, LAWYERS FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT, AND SOUTHEAST CLIMATE AND ENERGY NETWORK. FOR EXAMPLE, IN NOVEMBER 2025, WE HELPED THE NORTHEAST OHIO BLACK HEALTH COALITION PUBLISH AN OP-ED ("BUILDING A FAIRER, MORE RESILIENT NORTHEAST OHIO") IN THE PLAIN DEALER RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT A SERIES OF COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE CHALLENGES FACING OHIO COMMUNITIESINCLUDING POLLUTION, FLOODING, AND THE HEALTH RISKS OF A CHANGING CLIMATE. TO FURTHER THE REACH OF OUR BOOKS AND AUTHORS, OUR PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM CREATED AND IMPLEMENTED DOZENS OF EVENTS IN 2025 INVOLVING ISLAND PRESS AUTHORS, INCLUDING SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AT HARVARD PUBLIC LIBRARY, ALABAMA WRITER'S FORUM, BARNES & NOBLE, AND ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY. ULTIMATELY, ISLAND PRESS STRENGTHENS THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT BY GIVING PROFESSIONALS AND ADVOCATES ACTIONABLE INFORMATION FOR CREATING A HEALTHIER, MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD.
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since June 1979.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.