GRIST MAGAZINE INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

GRIST MAGAZINE INC

EIN 06-1664153 · Environment N.E.C. (C99)

What they do

Grist is A Nonprofit, Independent Media Organization Dedicated to Reporting On Climate Change. Since 1999, We Have Used The Power of Journalism to Engage The Public About The Perils of One of The Most Existential Threats We Face. We Seek to Document The Often Unequal Impacts of Climate Change On Communities In The United States and Globally, As Well As to Show The Promise of Equitable Climate Solutions.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $73.00 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders27 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

71.59%of revenue went to mission work73.0% of expenses · Program services

13.11%of revenue went to fundraising13.4% of expenses

$98.06spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

13.36%of revenue went to management and office costs13.6% of expenses

$1.14in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

95.5%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $323,152 for NIKHIL SWAMINATHAN (CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$10,366,804

Mission workProgram services$7,421,90071.59% of revenue73.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,385,25513.36% of revenue13.6% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$1,359,02613.11% of revenue13.4% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$200,6231.94% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$10,166,18198.06% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 73.0% mission · 13.6% management · 13.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.06% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 77.2% mission · 10.8% management · 12.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.34% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 77.0% mission · 10.6% management · 12.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 103.90% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 78.7% mission · 9.0% management · 12.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 74.61% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 79.1% mission · 10.2% management · 10.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.32% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 77.8% mission · 8.8% management · 13.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 179.62% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 78.0% mission · 7.3% management · 14.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 39.80% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 73.7% mission · 9.3% management · 17.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 115.22% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$10,366,804

Expenses$10,166,181

Annual surplus $200,623 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$7,421,900 · 73.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,385,255 · 13.6% of expenses

Fundraising$1,359,026 · 13.4% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$10,366,804

Expenses$10,166,181

Assets$11,590,504

Income$10,521,639

Contributions$9,904,409

Mission work (program services)$7,421,900

Fundraising$1,359,026

Management and general$1,385,255

Stocks and bonds$5,326,458

Accounting fees$151,836

Investing fees$15,222

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

NIKHIL SWAMINATHANCEO · 45 hrs/week $323,152Base $310,275 · Other $12,877

NATASHA BERMANCOO · 45 hrs/week $261,302Base $229,416 · Other $31,886

JESS STAHLEXECUTIVE EDITOR, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES · 40 hrs/week $204,876Base $188,242 · Other $16,634

KAT BAGLEYEDITOR IN CHIEF · 45 hrs/week $204,805Base $173,026 · Other $31,779

REBEKAH CARDWELLDIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMIN · 45 hrs/week $190,307Base $165,808 · Other $24,499

PATRICK SCHMITTDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT · 45 hrs/week $183,663Base $167,845 · Other $15,818

MEGAN MERRIGANDIRECTOR OF INNOVATION AND GROWTH · 40 hrs/week $161,680Base $146,708 · Other $14,972

TRISTAN AHTONEEDITOR AT LARGE · 40 hrs/week $148,118Base $133,667 · Other $14,451

TERESA CHINEXECUTIVE EDITOR, DATA & DESIGN · 40 hrs/week $143,944Base $137,960 · Other $5,984

MIGNON KHARGIEART DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $140,764Base $126,596 · Other $14,168

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (27)

NIKHIL SWAMINATHANCEO

NATASHA BERMANCOO

JESS STAHLEXECUTIVE EDITOR, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

KAT BAGLEYEDITOR IN CHIEF

REBEKAH CARDWELLDIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMIN

PATRICK SCHMITTDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

MEGAN MERRIGANDIRECTOR OF INNOVATION AND GROWTH

TRISTAN AHTONEEDITOR AT LARGE

TERESA CHINEXECUTIVE EDITOR, DATA & DESIGN

MIGNON KHARGIEART DIRECTOR

MAX MOINIANBOARD MEMBER

TRENTON ALLENBOARD MEMBER

SUSAN KAUFMANBOARD MEMBER

SUSAN CHIRABOARD MEMBER

RACHEL MORELLO-FROSCHBOARD MEMBER

MICHELLE DEPASSBOARD MEMBER

BRADY WALKINSHAWBOARD MEMBER

KRISTIN GRIMMBOARD MEMBER

KAVITA RAMDASBOARD CHAIR

JULIAN BRAVE NOISECATBOARD MEMBER

JOHN VECHEYBOARD MEMBER

JOHN ALDERMANBOARD MEMBER

ELISE HUBOARD SECRETARY

DONNA MOODIEBOARD TREASURER

DANA BOURLANDBOARD MEMBER

CHARLES GILLERFOUNDER

CARDISS GARDNER GLESERBOARD MEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2003
Location: PO Box 12710, Seattle, WA 98111
County: King
In care of: Nikhil Swaminathan
Primary officer: Nikhil Swaminathan, CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailpitches@grist.org Phone(206) 876-2020

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: October 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: WERSEN NONPROFIT CPAS LLC
NTEE classification: Environment N.E.C. (C99)
IRS tax category: Environment N.E.C.