Calstart Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Pasadena, California, registered in 1996, with $396,843,381 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it B, and it directs about 99% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2023)
$396.8M
▲ 134.4% vs prior year
Unknown median: $232K
Expenses (FY2023)
$396.6M
Net assets
$5.0M
Employees
250
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For Calstart Inc: 99% to programs · $0 to raise $100 earns a C+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For Calstart Inc: 0 mo reserves · +0% margin earns a C on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For Calstart Inc: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For Calstart Inc: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Calstart develops and implements large-scale zero-emission transportation programs and solutions in collaboration with businesses, government agencies, and communities to support american manufacturing, creation of jobs in the advanced transportation technology sector and reduce emissions.
Technology development and demonstration program- calstart provides independent analysis and guidance to help government and industry accelerate the deployment of commercially viable advanced technologies. calstart serves as the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle advisor to the california air resources board (carb) and assists in development of its ongoing heavy duty investment plan, offering technical expertise to align vehicle and infrastructure planning with market needs.in 2024, calstart hosted two large-scale ride and drive events in pomona and oakland, ca, featuring 70+ zero-emission vehicles and equipment for fleet operators, demonstrating real-world product readiness and performance.calstart is a subrecipient on three epa clean ports program awards on the east coast: - with the port authority of new york and new jersey ($451m total award), calstart is managing $51m in support of a clean equipment voucher program and development of near-port charging hubs through a green drayage accelerator. - in maryland, calstart is supporting the port authority's planning grant award ($147m total award) through truck operator engagement. calstart is managing $20m to administer a clean equipment and infrastructure voucher program through a green drayage accelerator. - calstart was awarded the prime contract by masscec for the recently launched mhd mobile charging program, through which four fleets will pilot mobile/temporary charging solutions to enable fleet electrification. - as a part of a consultant team, calstart completed the maine clean transportation roadmap for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for maine dot, the governor's energy office, and the governor's office of policy innovation and the future. - calstart also administers and provides outreach to nyserda's new york truck voucher incentive program (nytvip). - mass fleet advisor is a technical assistance program for private mhdv fleets; calstart is the prime recipient of massachusetts clean energy center's (masscec) program. - in 2024, calstart was awarded a fleet advisory program in new jersey by the nj department of environmental protection.
Promoting advanced transportation technologies champions (member services, publications, and conferences)- calstart provides a wide range of networking and strategic partnering opportunities for its 250+ member companies and stakeholder organizations. calstart members benefit from the unique research and analysis reports and have access to curated information about opportunities and industry trends in advanced transportation technologies. our program teams also conduct webinars to inform members and others of the latest developments, opportunities, and forecasts about ev's and other advanced transportation technologies.in 2024, calstart published updates to its industry-leading "zeroing in on zero-emission trucks and "zeroing in on zero-emission buses" reports, both of which provide concise and current snapshots of zero-emission vehicle deployment statistics across the united states. these reports offer insights into key trends driving growth in adoption, as well as opportunities to further accelerate this growth that can help inform policymakers, manufacturers, fleet owners, and financial stakeholders. calstart also developed a groundbreaking financial model, published in "financing fleet electrification: battery-electric truck component resale highlights residual value upside", for benchmarking the estimated value of battery-electric trucks (bets) at the end of their financing terms. this method shows that bet lease and financing underwriters should look to second-life applications of bet components and can attribute bets with higher residual value, meaning more affordable payments for fleets. in addition, calstart's drive to zero program published the third annual "global progress toward decarbonizing transportation: multi-country action plan for 2024 update (mcap)", which highlights the forward action of the 38 global mou country sig
Revenue grew from $21.8M (FY2013) to $396.8M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
0.1%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$168.0M
Total liabilities
$163.1M
Net assets
$5.0M
Salaries & benefits
$27.4M
7% of expenses
Board members
12
11 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $396,843,381▲134% | $396,633,689▲129% | $4,973,677▲4.4% | $168,027,868▲107% | 990 |
| 2022 | $169,305,902▲155% | $172,945,315▲163% | $4,763,985▼43.3% | $81,342,340▲65.0% | 990 |
| 2021 | $66,442,286▼35.7% | $65,853,824▼35.9% | $8,403,398▲7.5% | $49,283,495▲8.6% | 990 |
| 2020 | $103,313,426▼16.3% | $102,669,122▼16.0% | $7,814,936▲9.0% | $45,392,493▲13.3% | 990 |
| 2019 | $123,376,166▲109% | $122,234,048▲109% | $7,170,632▲18.9% | $40,049,083▲51.4% | 990 |
| 2018 | $59,004,549▲68.2% | $58,355,254▲68.8% | $6,028,514▲12.1% | $26,444,520▼7.5% | 990 |
| 2017 | $35,088,143▲4.6% | $34,580,814▲3.7% | $5,379,219▲13.2% | $28,579,466▲43.2% | 990 |
| 2016 | $33,552,025▲12.8% | $33,334,898▲12.9% | $4,753,979▲4.8% | $19,957,521▼8.1% | 990 |
| 2015 | $29,748,065▲40.5% | $29,539,020▲39.5% | $4,536,852▲4.8% | $21,717,027▲29.2% | 990 |
| 2014 | $21,180,199▼2.8% | $21,175,931▼5.1% | $4,327,807▲0.1% | $16,806,702▲11.1% | 990 |
| 2013 | $21,784,739 | $22,317,479▼35.7% | $4,323,539▼11.0% | $15,129,465▲24.9% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $34,698,430▲71.7% | $4,856,279▼0.7% | $12,112,932▼30.3% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $20,205,087▼31.3% | $4,889,141▲4.8% | $17,375,002▼4.7% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $29,397,419▲178% | $4,663,754▲3.9% | $18,224,871▼11.5% | 990 |
| 2009 | — | $10,588,502 | $4,489,063 | $20,596,169 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: John Boesel — $292,687 (0.07% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Boesel | President and Ceo | 40 | $292,687 |
| David Chow | Chief Operations Officer | 40 | $240,369 |
| Jasna Tomic | Vice President | 40 | $232,438 |
| Piero Stillitano | Chief Financial Officer | 40 | $220,795 |
| Benjamin Mandel | Director, North East Region | 40 | $214,102 |
| Maureen Marshall | Director, Midwest Region | 40 | $188,110 |
| Jared Schnader | Director, Bus Programs | 40 | $172,387 |
| Alissa Louise Burger | Policy Director | 40 | $160,948 |
| Diedre Strohm | Development Director | 40 | $160,803 |
| Andrei Greenwalt | Past Secretary | 1 | — |
| Avninder Buttar | Director | 1 | — |
| Bart Franey | Director | 1 | — |
| Bob Wyman | Past Director | 1 | — |
| Chelle Izzi | Vice-chair | 1 | — |
| Chris Nevers | Director | 1 | — |
| Chris Stoddart | Director | 1 | — |
| Cynthia Williams | Board Chair | 1 | — |
| Doran J Barnes | Director | 1 | — |
| Henrik Holland | Director | 1 | — |
| Julia Grinshpun | Director | 1 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tetra Tech Divisions | Subcontractor | $4,450,777 |
| Shared Use Mobility Center | Subrecipient | $990,416 |
| Genentech Inc | Subcontractor | $750,000 |
| Uplifted Visuals | Subcontractor | $544,035 |
| Achates Power Inc | Subrecipient | $477,498 |
30 grants to Calstart Inc totaling $10.5M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climateworks Foundation | To support the global transition to clean transportation | 2024 | $1,950,000 |
| Climate Imperative Foundation | Environmental protection | 2024 | $625,000 |
| United States Energy Foundation | To promote education and analysis on the benefits of clean transportation. to support education and outreach to build a clean energy future. | 2024 | $365,000 |
| Sunrise Project Inc | General support | 2024 | $200,000 |
| The New York Community Trust | For program support. | 2024 | $150,000 |
| Climateworks Foundation | Project support | 2023 | $450,000 |
| United States Energy Foundation | To support education and outreach to build a clean energy future. to promote education and analysis on the benefits of clean transportation. to support education and outreach to build a clean energy future. | 2023 | $415,000 |
| Climate Imperative Foundation | To support research, education, and outreach about clean transportation policies | 2023 | $400,000 |
| World Resources Institute | Promote envir sustainable transport solutions | 2023 | $7,906 |
| Climateworks Foundation | Project support | 2022 | $1,850,000 |
| United States Energy Foundation | To support education and outreach to build a clean energy future. to promote education and analysis on the benefits of clean transportation. | 2022 | $420,000 |
| World Resources Institute | Promote envir sustainable transport solutions | 2022 | $122,030 |
| Tides Foundation | Sustainable environment | 2022 | $50,000 |
| Tides Foundation | Sustainable environment | 2022 | $50,000 |
| Charities Aid Foundation America | Charitable donation | 2022 | $7,950 |
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Data for Calstart Inc (EIN 95-4375022) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.