Spark Northwest

Tax-deductible

Seattle, WA501(c)(3)Since 2001EnvironmentEIN 91-2141987

Founded in 2001, Spark Northwest accelerates the just transition to clean energy in the Pacific Northwest. Spark Northwest uses two primary strategies: (1) on-the-ground project consulting, focusing on communities with limited financial resources and (2) systemic advocacy to create opportunities and overcome obstacles to equitable deployment of clean energy.Project Design and Management: Spark Northwest lends technical expertise to people and groups to pursue renewable energy and energy efficiency options to power their homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods. This technical support includes education, outreach, planning, project design, resource evaluation, economic modeling, permitting assistance and contractor selection. Projects are designed to prioritize community involvement and accountability. Systemic Advocacy: Spark Northwest advocates for strong policies to reduce the barriers to clean energy implementation and encourage development at the local level. Spark Northwest supports p

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
66¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 24 volunteers and 15 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
5 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $150K a year · 12% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 5 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
66%
of spending
Fine: 66% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$349K
to officers and key staff · 21% of spending
Top officer’s pay lower than 51% of similar orgs
Worth a look: pay to officers and key staff is 21% of spending; over 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
7 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 7.2 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
12
named funders · $479K
Looks good: 12 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$212K
14% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 14% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
15
of 15 voting members
Looks good: 15 of 15 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.6M
-0.2% vs prior year
Spent
$1.7M
To programs
66%
Net assets
$1.3M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$1.6M
FY2025-0.2%
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$859K
FY2021$966K
FY2022$1.0M
FY2023$1.6M
FY2024$1.6M
FY2025$1.6M
Expenses
$1.7M
FY2025▲ +27%
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$772K
FY2021$809K
FY2022$941K
FY2023$1.2M
FY2024$1.3M
FY2025$1.7M
Net assets
$1.3M
FY2025▼ -5%
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$499K
FY2021$656K
FY2022$742K
FY2023$1.1M
FY2024$1.4M
FY2025$1.3M

From the FY2025 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jun 2002.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

66 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 66% · $1.1M Management & general 26% · $430K Fundraising 8% · $135K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

Who runs it and what they're paid

19 people listed on the 990; $349K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Dir.
$126,326Pt VII · Sec A
Program Director
$114,085Pt VII · Sec A
Finance & Ops.
$68,921Pt VII · Sec A
Finance Mgr.
$39,186Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Vice Chair
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Andrea Axel’s $126K as Executive Dir. is at the 49th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1851 $1–10M environment nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 4 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Andrea Axel$126,326$129,675$122,837$107,251$101,016$99,180
Veena Prasad$114,085—————
Gwen Heisterkamp$39,186$91,748$85,935$76,881$72,294$76,478
Line Nya Ngatchou$68,921—————

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

See Spark Northwest executive salaries →

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Develops clean energy projects and advocates for policies to speed local renewable energy adoption.

Provided by the organization

This section is blank until Spark Northwest claims this page.

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1 program service account for $1.1M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2025.
01

In 2025, Spark Northwest partnered with nearly 50 Tribal, community-based organizations, rural and municipal entities to support their clean energy goals and projects. The grant-writing assistance provided by Spark Northwest resulted in close to $ 5.25 million being awarded.

$1.1Mprogram expense

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Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2024
See all 12 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.6M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$1.1M
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$482K
Investment incomeLn 3$11K
Money outPt IX
$1.7M
Ln 25
Programscol B$1.1M
Managementcol C$430K
Fundraisingcol D$135K
Owns and owesPt X
$1.3M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$994K
Total assetsLn 16$1.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$212K
PeoplePt VI, VII
19
listed · VII A
PaidVII A4
Voting boardVI 1a15
IndependentVI 1b15
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$482K
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$27K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$1.1M
Investment incomeLn 3$11K
Gains on assetsLn 7$0
Total revenueLn 12$1.6M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$598K
SavingsLn 2$396K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$994K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$2K
Other assetsLn 15$256K
Total assetsLn 16$1.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$212K
Net assetsLn 32$1.3M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 515
VolunteersI 624
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.3M$994K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$2K
Total assetsLn 16$1.5M$1.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$126K$212K
Net assetsLn 32$1.4M$1.3M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$0
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$255K$9K$223K$24K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$806K$595K$133K$78K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$88K$78K$3K$6K
Payroll taxesLn 10$90K$56K$24K$10K
Management feesLn 11a$0
Legal feesLn 11b$0
Accounting feesLn 11c$0
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$281K$259K$16K$7K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$423$260$163
Office expensesLn 13$0
Information technologyLn 14$0
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$29K$17K$9K$3K
TravelLn 17$51K$46K$4K$1K
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$4K$3K$532$228
InterestLn 20$0
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$338$338
InsuranceLn 23$5K$3K$2K$503
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$43K$25K$15K$3K
All other expensesLn 24e$8K$4K$1K$2K
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.7M$1.1M$430K$135K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $1.6M$1.7M−$74K$1.3M 990 PDF
FY2024 $1.6M$1.3M$279K$1.4M 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.6M$1.2M$362K$1.1M 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.0M$941K$86K$742K 990 PDF
FY2021 $966K$809K$157K$656K 990 PDF
FY2020 $859K$772K$87K$499K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2025 990 (4 parts)
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,587,472 across 10 lines filed
VIII-1c Fundraising events$26,765
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$455,479
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$482,244
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $1,094,572$1,094,572
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $10,886$10,886
VIII-5 Royalties$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or loss$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assets$0
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising events−$230
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $1,094,572 · Excluded from tax $10,886$1,587,472
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,661,004 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individuals$0
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipients$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for members$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $8,988 · Management $222,989 · Fundraising $23,506$255,483
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $595,064 · Management $133,006 · Fundraising $78,052$806,122
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$0
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $78,482 · Management $2,555 · Fundraising $6,479$87,516
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $56,035 · Management $24,402 · Fundraising $9,941$90,378
IX-11a Management fees$0
IX-11b Legal fees$0
IX-11c Accounting fees$0
IX-11d Lobbying fees$0
IX-11e Professional fundraising fees$0
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $258,550 · Management $15,796 · Fundraising $6,547$280,893
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $260 · Fundraising $163$423
IX-13 Office expenses$0
IX-14 Information technology$0
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $16,789 · Management $8,921 · Fundraising $2,873$28,583
IX-17 TravelPrograms $46,039 · Management $3,514 · Fundraising $1,268$50,821
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $3,464 · Management $532 · Fundraising $228$4,224
IX-20 Interest$0
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationManagement $338$338
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $2,938 · Management $1,572 · Fundraising $503$5,013
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $24,725 · Management $15,385 · Fundraising $3,243$43,353
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $4,473 · Management $1,092 · Fundraising $2,292$7,857
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $1,095,807 · Management $430,102 · Fundraising $135,095$1,661,004
Part X · Balance sheet $1,521,881 assets, 20 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $1,038,897$598,371
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $236,846$395,555
X-3 Pledges and grants receivable$0
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $230,551$265,902
X-8 Inventories for sale or use$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $1,995$3,875
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, net$2,102
X-11 Publicly traded securities$0
X-12 Other securities$0
X-13 Program-related investments$0
X-14 Intangible assets$0
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $1,576$256,076
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $1,509,865$1,521,881
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $125,021$183,534
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $1,042$28,077
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $126,063$211,611
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $712,484$717,570
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $671,318$592,700
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $1,383,802$1,310,270
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $1,509,865$1,521,881
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,310,270 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,587,472
XI-2 Total expenses$1,661,004
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$73,532
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$1,383,802
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$1,310,270

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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