Cotton Incorporated
501(c)(6)
Growing revenue
Cotton Incorporated is a 501(c)(6) organization based in Cary, North Carolina, registered in 1968, with $89,064,927 in FY2024 revenue.
6399 Weston Pkwy, Cary, NC, 27513 EIN 62-0786018 Since 1968
Revenue (FY2024)
$89.1M
▲ 2.2% vs prior year
Expenses (FY2024)
$87.4M
Net assets
$9.0M
Employees
145
CharityIndex rating
One independent A+ to F grade from four published criteria, each scored separately from IRS filings and combined by weight.
B+
—Program efficiency40% of the ratingNo expense breakdown in filings
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. Not scored for Cotton Incorporated— this filing type doesn't report it, and the rating simply skips it (never counts it against the organization). See the exact thresholds →
C+Financial health25% of the rating1 mo reserves · +2% margin
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 Cotton Incorporated: 1 mo reserves · +2% margin earns a C+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
A+Governance25% of the rating6 of 6 checks met
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 Cotton Incorporated: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
A+Transparency10% of the rating5 of 5 disclosure signals
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 Cotton Incorporated: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Show this grade on your website
A live seal — it updates automatically when the grade changes and links donors to this verified profile.
Mission
See schedule o.
What they do
Agricultural research the agricultural and environmental research department (aerd) manages the program area that most directly influences u.s. cotton producers. its unique mission is to improve the profitability of u.s. cotton production by funding the creation of agricultural innovations and their adoption by cotton producers. aerd had five key strategic areas for 2023: pest management, cottonseed, sustainability support, emerging technologies, and genomics. for pest management, aerd regularly works on delivering strategies that will promote profitability, sustainability, and conservation. research was conducted to study the genetics/physiology of herbicide resistant weeds. this research may ultimately allow for reversal of herbicide resistance, decreased weed seed viability, or identify other weed life cycle vulnerabilities. entomology research focused on improving thresholds, scouting and insecticide recommendations, and monitoring for resistance to bt proteins and conventional insecticides. pathology research focused on solutions for fov4, target spot, areolate mildew, nematodes, as well as current and emerging seedling disease threats. cotton incorporated's objective for the cottonseed program is to add value to cottonseed through research and promotion. cottonseed research has continued to focus on three key areas: human nutrition, animal nutrition, and oil content and quality. cottonseed oil (cso) has been of key interest, and the program has honed in on human nutrition of cso consumption. sustainability support runs across all areas of aerd research, but specifically, staff funded research on optimizing management strategies for soil health as well as nutrient use efficiency. for emerging technologies, harvest and ginning researchers evaluated alternative defoliation and harvest systems, as well as rfid technology for mapping fiber quality. finally, for genomics, efforts are underway to complete the cotton pangenome and develop fov4 resistant germplasm. this pangenome will replace tm-1, the historical reference used in upland cotton research, to drive cotton improvement for years to come. in 2023, the sustainability division focused on the primary goal of enhancing the cotton industry's sustainability standing. we accomplished this objective by focusing on five key areas: advancing sustainable cotton production goals and the u.s. cotton trust protocol, conducting research on cotton biodegradation and circularity, performing sustainability assessments and generating new sustainability data, engaging and leading in ngo sustainability organizations, and communicating cotton sustainability. by delivering in these core areas, the division has continued to improve cotton's sustainability reputation and contribute to the mission of improving demand for and profitability of cotton. this year, the team continued to work closely with the u.s. cotton trust protocol (ctp), field to market, and the cotton leads program to support the u.s.'s ten-year sustainability goals. engagement with organizations continues to be essential in supporting reduced environmental impacts of cotton production, generating measurable metrics, and communicating the results to the supply chain. the division continued to support the ctp and their new u.s. climate smart cotton program, with a focus on grower enrollment and incentivizing the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices. the company remained involved in field to market's committees to keep the fieldprint calculator tool relevant for cotton and up-to-date with the latest cotton data. work was continued with cotton leads to communicate the sustainability achievements of the u.s. and australian cotton industries to brands, retailers, and manufacturers to stimulate cotton consumption. broadened cotton circularity research included more end-of-life options for the industry in collaboration with the product development and implementation division. an expanded focus in 2023 included cotton comp
Contact & location
- Address
- 6399 Weston Pkwy, Cary, NC, 27513
- City
- Cary
- State
- North Carolina
- Category
- —
- Subcategory
- —
- Phone
- …
- Website
- …
Financial trends
Revenue grew from $81.1M (FY2013) to $89.1M (FY2024) across 12 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Financial health & position (FY2024)
Liabilities $19.4MNet assets $9.0M
Operating margin
1.8%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$28.4M
Total liabilities
$19.4M
Net assets
$9.0M
Salaries & benefits
$23.2M
27% of expenses
Board members
116
116 independent
Financials by year
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $89,064,927▲2.2% | $87,422,549▲3.4% | $9,030,171▲22.2% | $28,431,643▲3.4% | 990 |
| 2023 | $87,174,483▲4.7% | $84,537,341▲3.0% | $7,387,793▲55.5% | $27,503,293▼1.9% | 990 |
| 2022 | $83,241,579▲9.2% | $82,108,003▲13.0% | $4,750,651▲32.2% | $28,047,677▲23.5% | 990 |
| 2021 | $76,215,846▼3.2% | $72,642,542▼7.3% | $3,594,355▲16975% | $22,712,180▼10.4% | 990 |
| 2020 | $78,735,912▼1.6% | $78,364,425▼2.8% | $21,051▲106% | $25,341,254▲50.2% | 990 |
| 2019 | $79,988,476▲8.0% | $80,582,821▲9.7% | -$350,436▼244% | $16,874,402▲10.8% | 990 |
| 2018 | $74,031,811▲6.6% | $73,464,363▲5.7% | $243,909▲175% | $15,224,790▼1.5% | 990 |
| 2017 | $69,439,090▼5.5% | $69,524,605▼6.8% | -$323,539▼35.9% | $15,456,199▼2.0% | 990 |
| 2016 | $73,456,318▼5.0% | $74,577,854▼3.1% | -$238,024▼127% | $15,771,822▼9.6% | 990 |
| 2015 | $77,310,379▲0.3% | $76,994,556▼4.8% | $883,512▲55.6% | $17,439,230▼6.0% | 990 |
| 2014 | $77,047,361▼5.0% | $80,911,543▲7.0% | $567,689▼87.2% | $18,562,113▲7.9% | 990 |
| 2013 | $81,089,185 | $75,619,548▼1.2% | $4,431,871▲527% | $17,196,759▼4.2% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $76,515,316▲5.8% | -$1,037,766▲69.2% | $17,950,193▲44.5% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $72,311,775▲8.7% | -$3,364,762▼82.2% | $12,425,003▼3.9% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $66,534,605 | -$1,846,656 | $12,925,862 | 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.
Leadership & compensation (FY2024)
Highest-paid: J Berrye Worsham — $784,861 (0.90% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| J Berrye Worsham | President & Ceo (thru 11/2024) | 40 | $784,861 |
| Mark Messura | Senior Vp, Global Supply Chain Marketing | 40 | $357,939 |
| William Kimbrell | President & Ceo (as of 11/2024) | 40 | $350,168 |
| Kimberly S Kitchings | Senior Vp, Consumer Marketing | 40 | $317,614 |
| Mike Shen | Vp & Managing Director, Pdi | 40 | $281,297 |
| John Morgans | Vp, Administration & Assistant To President (thru 08/2024) | 40 | $271,721 |
| Jesse Daystar | Vp & Chief Sustainability Officer | 40 | $265,828 |
| Timothy Johnson | Vp & Cfo | 40 | $263,996 |
| Vikki Martin | Vp, Fiber Competition | 40 | $261,731 |
| John Chiavacci | Vp, Information Technology & Cto | 40 | $254,102 |
| Mary Ankeny | Vp, Pdi Operations | 40 | $252,618 |
| Ryan Kurtz | Vp, Agricultural & Environmental Research | 40 | $238,733 |
| Bonny Kwan | Associate Director, Global Supply Chain Marketing | 40 | $207,110 |
| John Kucmierz | Vp, Administration (as of 08/2024) | 40 | $193,166 |
| Albert Andel | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Alfred Pennington | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Allen Below | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Andrew Wendland | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Austin Littleton | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Basil Thompson | Board Member | 1 | — |
Top vendors & contractors (FY2024)
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mindshare USA LLC | Marketing | $18,198,756 |
| Cotton Council International | Marketing | $3,700,000 |
| Gale Partners LLC | Marketing | $2,719,558 |
| Texas A&m Agrilife Research | Research Services | $1,428,385 |
| Texas Tech University | Research Services | $1,130,942 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Cotton Incorporated a legitimate nonprofit?
- Yes. Cotton Incorporated is a 501(c)(6) organization registered with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service under EIN 62-0786018, based in Cary, North Carolina.
- What is Cotton Incorporated's EIN?
- Cotton Incorporated's Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 62-0786018.
- How much revenue does Cotton Incorporated report?
- Cotton Incorporated reported $89,064,927 in total revenue on its fiscal year 2024 IRS Form 990 filing.
- How much does Cotton Incorporated's highest-paid employee make?
- The highest reported compensation on Cotton Incorporated's latest Form 990 is $784,861, paid to J Berrye Worsham (President & Ceo (thru 11/2024)).
More nonprofits in Cary
Explore more
Data for Cotton Incorporated (EIN 62-0786018) 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.