Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in May 2001.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
78 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
16 people listed on the 990; $361K paid to officers and key staff.
Shannon Ames’s $181K as Executive Director is at the 98th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1989 $100K–1M 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 · 1 named individual · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shannon Ames | $180,584 | $180,973 | $161,707 | $140,716 | $137,957 | $135,252 |
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 Low Impact Hydropower Institute executive salaries →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
Certifies hydropower projects to lessen their environmental impact.
Questions for Low Impact Hydropower Institute
Your first name shows with your question. Low Impact Hydropower Institute answers here, for everyone.
LIHI recognizes and supports hydropower that prioritizes environmental, recreational, historical, and cultural resource protection. They do this by: defining and certifying Low Impact Hydropower using rigorous science-based criteria and public input; providing education and outreach; and structuring the organization to integrate and…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $151K | $27K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $512K | $522K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $682K | $754K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $36K | $90K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $646K | $664K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $181K | $117K | $54K | $9K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $441K | $378K | $57K | $6K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $19K | $15K | $4K | $379 |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $23K | $18K | $5K | $459 |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $49K | $38K | $10K | $982 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $32K | $32K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $43K | $43K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $4K | $4K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $2K | $589 | $1K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $16K | $12K | $3K | $318 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $5K | $3K | $2K | $67 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $70K | $63K | $7K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $884K | $691K | $176K | $17K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Mar 25, 2026 | $881K | $884K | −$3K | $664K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Mar 24, 2025 | $950K | $947K | $3K | $646K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Apr 3, 2024 | $724K | $641K | $83K | $631K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Mar 6, 2023 | $681K | $613K | $68K | $533K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Apr 18, 2022 | $705K | $581K | $124K | $483K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Mar 25, 2021 | $671K | $528K | $142K | $359K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $881,431 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 14 of 14 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $881,431 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $884,028 across 12 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $754,404 assets, 12 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $664,390 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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