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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: August 2026 Expires: August 2028

Earth Island Institute

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards
(510) 859-9100
2150 Allston Way, Suite 460
Berkeley, CA, 94704
https://earthisland.org
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Earth Island Institute meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to support environmental action projects and the next generation of environmental leaders in order to achieve solutions to the crises threatening the survival of life on Earth."

Year, State Incorporated:
1982, CA

Earth Island Institute (EII) provides financial support to more than eighty environmental action projects around the world working in the areas of agriculture, conservation, energy and climate, women's environmental leadership, international and indigenous communities, sustainability and community resilience, as well as others. The organization’s programs consist of fiscal sponsorship that provides activists with administrative and operational support and systems. Earth Island Journal offers insights, strategies, and inspiration to help make action more effective. Earth Island Advocates pursues legal action in collaboration with fiscally sponsored projects. The New Leaders Initiative and Brower Youth Awards support training and education to young changemakers to cultivate the next generation of leadership.

For the year ended June 30, 2024, Earth Island Institute's program expenses were:

Climate change solutions $7,869,906
Pollution and toxics $3,891,534
Sustainable agriculture and food systems $3,590,156
Conservation $3,440,495
Women's environmental leadership $3,116,898
Indigenous communities $1,868,629
Wildlife protection $1,767,062
Community resilience $1,500,688
Environmental education $1,463,263
Oceans and water $846,439
Earth Island Journal $435,076
Environmental justice $336,468
International initiatives $287,787
New Leaders and Brower Youth Awards $247,619
Earth Island Advocates $107,372
Youth empowerment $28,907
Total Program Expenses $30,798,299

Chief Executive
Sumona Majumdar, Chief Executive Officer

Compensation*
$182,342

Chair of the Board
Francisco Martinez

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Director, Corporate Responsibility and Gilead Foundation, Gilead Sciences

Board Size
9

Paid Staff Size
205

*2023 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Note: Former Executive Director David Phillips was the highest paid employee with total compensation of $220,452 for the year ended June 30, 2024.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Membership appeals, Workplace Giving

Fundraising costs were 8% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $27,703,450, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Earth Island Institute's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2024.

Source of Funds
Grants $16,296,511
Contributions $10,112,812
Investment return, net $2,264,272
Service and contract revenues $1,975,805
In-kind contributions $1,165,546
Special events, net $128,581
Other revenue $74,796
Membership dues $51,253
Merchandise sales, net $3,410
Total Income $32,072,986

Programs: 86% Fundraising: 6% Administrative: 8%

Total Income $32,072,986
Total expenses: $35,942,000
  Program expenses $30,798,299
  Fundraising expenses $2,113,536
  Administrative expenses $3,030,165
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $-3,869,014
Beginning Net Assets $39,896,675
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $36,027,661
Total Liabilities $3,905,204
Total Assets $39,932,865

Note: According to the organization's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2024, EII received in-kind contributions totaling $1,165,546 in the form of legal services ($1,118,819) and supplies ($46,727).

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance