Virginia · Nonprofit
GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE
GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE (Virginia) receives grants from 4 organizations whose IRS filings report $157,390 to it, the largest being AMERICAN FOREST FOUNDATION ($104,260). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $11M
- Funders on record
- 4
- Grants received
- $157k
- Net assets
- $4.8M
What Green Blue Institute does
Mission
Foster the creation of a resilient system of commerce based on the principles of sustainable materials management
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Sustainable packaging coalition:greenblue has convened a coalition of major stakeholders in the packaging industry whose mission is to: 1) advocate and communicate a positive, robust environmental vision for packaging, and 2) leverage innovative, functional packaging materials and systems that supporteconomic and environmental health. This activity is executed in the forms of research, education, communications, and events. Membership is comprised of over 550 companies, academic institutions, local governments, and government agencies.research: we conduct in-house research, commission external research studies, as well as evaluate research by respected third parties on a myriad of topics including such examples as: consumer recycling collection access, compostable packaging, responsible sourcing of fiberfor packaging, etc. This research becomes the foundation for our educational offerings, live event seminars, trainings, and workshops, as well as communications content to inform a large audience interested and concerned about packaging sustainability.education: greenblue's spc produces and educational program called the essentials of sustainable packaging (esp) that explores the…
$5,051,890 spent$6,948,493 earned by the program56% of program spendingHow2recycle:how2recycle is a standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public.the program has reviewed and assessed thousands of unique recyclability label requests, developed an on-package label for use, and issued the labels to the package designers. As a part of this activity the how2recycle team has issued tens of thousands of on pack labels for consumer-packaged goods to inform the consumer how best to recycle the package. Additionally, the team has made many recommendations to improve recyclability to package designers as a part of their label requests.the program conducts extensive ongoing research reviews to inform label assignments and is designed to follow the us federal trade commission and competition bureau canada's guidance. (https://how2recycle.info/)
$3,333,807 spent$3,175,744 earned by the program37% of program spendingRecycled materials standard:the recycled material standard (rms) is a standard that establishes requirements necessary to assure accuracy and transparency of claims with the support of a robust third-party certification system. The rms serves as a voluntary, market-based tool to address some of thechallenges that brands, their suppliers, and the recycling industry face in trying to incorporate higher amounts of recycled content into packaging or finished products. The rms is intended to provide continuity for consumers and brands while meeting the needs of theindustry and enabling new mechanisms to encourage the use of recycled content. (https://www.rmscertified.com/)the standard: the recycled material standard is the core of the rms program. The standards have been developed through a multi-stakeholder consensus process, focusing on clear rules, definitions, and guidelines to create an even playing field among competitors and a strongassurance mechanism for brands and consumers. Certified participants will play a key role in advancing the use of recycled materials. As the rms program is in early stages of development, many documents are pending release. Interested companies are…
$662,608 spent$64,000 earned by the program7% of program spending
The 3 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $9,048,305.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2020, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2020, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2022 to 2023, from $6.7M to $7.8M (+17%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
2% of GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE’s revenue is contributions — more earned-revenue than three-quarters of its peers (87% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 0 of the last 5 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Paul Nowak
Executive director
Board chair
Joe Kofler
Chair
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2020: the base broadened from 1 funder to 2 funders, grant income fell $25k → $15k.
1 of 4 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 0% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE leans on a few funders — its largest provides 66% of grant income and the top three 100%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
100% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2018 74% · 2019 100% · 2020 100% — broadly stable.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE draws 100% of its grant income from funders outside Virginia, across 2 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $5 arriving through sponsors registered in 1 state is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE is better cushioned than half of the 329 environment nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 329 environment nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2024
Government funding GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $65k on record.
- Environmental Protection Agency$65k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Virginia
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
90% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
60%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE?
- GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE (Virginia) receives grants from 4 organizations whose IRS filings report $157,390 to it, the largest being AMERICAN FOREST FOUNDATION ($104,260). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE have?
- IRS filings report 4 organizations giving $157,390 in grants to GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE, 2 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE?
- AMERICAN FOREST FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $104,260 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like GREEN BLUE INSTITUTE find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Virginia. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Green Blue Institute →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2020–2024), and the filings of 4 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing