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US nonprofit · EIN 201822172 · Denver, COiSource and licenceOrganisation record IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File (EIN 201822172) - NTEE activity code, address.Board and officers IRS Form 990 annual filings, Part VII (directors, trustees, officers, key employees), read year by year to observe tenure.Latest return IRS Form 990 series e-file data - 990 for the year to 30 September 2025: assets, liabilities, staff, website, telephone, pay.Finances by year IRS Form 990 e-file data - total revenue and total expenses by tax year.Renewal outlook Computed by Governance Register from the observed filing history and filed revenue (us-approach-v4-clean). Not a statement that the organisation is recruiting.Deductibility IRS Publication 78 data (code PC), downloaded 18 October 2026.State registers Colorado Secretary of State (17 October 2026).Licence US Federal Government public domain.How we handle data

Cottonwood Institute

Donations deductible
Revenue
$780k
year to 30 September 2025
Expenses
$823k
year to 30 September 2025
Total assets
$465k
$316k liabilities
Net assets
$149k
assets less liabilities
Directors and trustees
10
3.1y av
Staff
24
employees, year to 30 September 2025
Chair observed
≥2 yrs
Whitney Bell Haggard
Left since last filing
3
30% of the board
How am I connected?

Cottonwood Institute's network

10 people1 organisationi10 people and 1 organisation on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (10). Violet dotted lines (1) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.

The board

10 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Tenure and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed tenure is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 10 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.
NameRole as filedSinceOn the board
Whitney Bell Haggard ChairBoard Chair2023
3 yrs
Candace RichterBoard Secret2024
2 yrs
Elisha RobertsBoard Member2024
2 yrs
FAY HartmanBoard Member2025
1 yr
Gabe Pinilla JDBoard Member2025
1 yr
Kevin LambertBoard Member2020
6 yrs
Phil WoffordBoard Member2024
2 yrs
Robert MarquezBoard Member2023
3 yrs
Sarah WhitsonBoard Member2021
5 yrs
Steve SchnepelBoard Treasu2024
2 yrs
Under 5 years5 to 6 years6 years or more

Officers and senior leadership

1 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.
NameTitle as filedOn the filings
Ford ChurchExecutive Directorsince 2021

Pay and hours

year to 30 September 2025iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.
NameTitle as filedHours a weekPay from the organisationRelated organisationsOther
Ford ChurchExecutive Di40$103k$5k
Whitney Bell HaggardBoard Chair1$0
Candace RichterBoard Secret1$0
Steve SchnepelBoard Treasu1$0
Fay HartmanBoard Member1$0
Kevin LambertBoard Member1$0
Robert MarquezBoard Member1$0
Gabe Pinilla JDBoard Member1$0
Elisha RobertsBoard Member1$0
Sarah WhitsonBoard Member1$0
Phil WoffordBoard Member1$0

Colorado roster

13 listediOfficers, directors and trustees from the latest filing with the Colorado Secretary of State (document 20263006514). Titles are as filed; some entries are registered agents or custodians of records rather than board members. Source: data.colorado.gov, public domain.
NameTitle as filed
Sarah WhitsonBoard Secretary
Ford ChurchExecutive Director
Fay HartmanBoard Member
Gabriel PinillaBoard Member
Steve SchnepelBoard Treasurer
Whitney Bell HaggardBoard Chair
Elisha RobertsBoard Member
Ford R Church
Kevin LambertBoard Member
Phil WoffordBoard Member
Alyssa AshBoard Member
Robert MarquezBoard Member
Whitney Bell HaggardChair

About

Legal name
Cottonwood Institute
EIN
201822172
Address
4800 Dahlia St D13, Denver, CO, 80216-3121
State
Colorado
Mission
To connect middle and high school students to nature and inspire them to protect it. (as filed on the Form 990)
Activity (NTEE)
C60 Environment
IRS classification
501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
Classified purpose
Environment
Size band
4 (IRS master file code)
Formed
2004
Principal officer
Ford Church (as named on the Form 990)
IRS ruling date
1 March 2007
Status
Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
Form 990 filings on record
6, latest 2025
IRS Publication 78
PC (contributions deductible)

Most connected

Longest observed on the filings

≥6years on the filingsKevin Lambert
≥5years on the filingsSarah Whitson
≥3years on the filingsWhitney Bell Haggard
≥3years on the filingsRobert Marquez

Latest return

year to 30 September 2025iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 30 September 2025. US dollars, as filed.
Total assets
$465k
Total liabilities
$316k
Net assets or fund balances
$149k
Contributions and grants received
$449k
Program service revenue
$142k
Employees
24

Filed finances

1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.
Tax yearTotal revenueTotal expensesSurplus or deficit
2023$713k$748kDeficit $36k

As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.

State registration

1 entityiBusiness-entity registers published by US states. These records are matched to this organisation by name and state, not by EIN, and are labelled as likely matches. Street addresses are not shown.
Cottonwood Institute likely matchiMatched by exact name and state (and ZIP where shown). State registers do not publish EINs, so this is not a confirmed match. Source: Colorado Secretary of State (CDOS), business entities (data.colorado.gov 4ykn-tg5h). Licence: public domain. Data last fetched 18 October 2026.
State
Colorado
Entity type
nonprofit corporation
Status
Good Standing
Formed
27 September 2004
Registered agent
Ford R Church (city and state not held)

This register does not publish officers or directors.