Department of Bioregion

The Department of Bioregion is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 85-4402939, that stewards the Cascadia Movement. It is a social movement and capacity-building organization dedicated to advancing bioregionalism: the idea that social, economic, and political systems should align with natural boundaries rather than arbitrary borders.

Our vision is a world of interconnected bioregions and bioregional movements. Our mission is to develop bioregional frameworks, regenerate our bioregions, and cultivate the conditions for place-based movements, cultures, and ways of living in place to thrive. We believe the people who live in a place are best suited to lead in caring for that place, and that they should not have to build every piece of organizational infrastructure from scratch to do it.

Bioregionalism itself is not new. It grows from a movement active since the 1970s, rooted in the recognition that humans have lived responsibly within place for most of human history. The Department’s work is to carry that tradition forward with practical structure: education, coordination, and legal and financial infrastructure that lower the barriers to place-based organizing. Read more about the movement’s story on the Cascadia Movement page.

What We Do

The Department’s work falls into three program areas.

Education and learning. Bioregional mapping, classes, presentations, publications, and hands-on exercises that help people and communities understand the places they live and develop bioregional atlases. Start with mapping and resources or the library.
Nonprofit infrastructure. Administrative Program Services (APS) provide the internal backbone for the Department’s own programs: finance, human resources, compliance, and communications. The Fiscal Sponsorship Program extends that same infrastructure outward to aligned projects that do not yet have their own 501(c)(3) status.
A branch network. The Department works with locally led teams in other bioregions to model, template, and launch Departments of Bioregion in their own watersheds, sharing agreements, onboarding, and administrative systems so durable place-based organizing can take root elsewhere.

The Department and the Cascadia Movement

The Cascadia Movement is larger than any single organization. It is made up of independent people, groups, and projects across the bioregion. The Department of Bioregion does not own or direct that movement; it stewards the shared infrastructure the movement relies on, including this website, the Cascadia Directory, and the flag.

Groups in the network organize along a simple ladder. A Circle is a starting group. A Chapter is an established group. A Hub is a regional anchor. Find or start a group through the Chapters page. People also connect across geography through Topic Groups organized around shared work and interests, and through the Ambassadors program, an education program for people who want to learn and share the story of Cascadia.

The Cascadia Flag Trust

The Department of Bioregion is the Cascadia Flag Trust. The Department owns and stewards the Doug flag mark and copyright under a two-track use framework: community use is free, and commercial use is licensed. This structure keeps the flag available to everyone in the movement while protecting it from misuse. Details, history, and licensing information live on the flag page.

Fiscal Sponsorship

Fiscal sponsorship is a legal and financial arrangement in which a registered nonprofit extends its tax-exempt status and administrative infrastructure to aligned projects that do not yet have their own 501(c)(3) designation. Sponsored projects can receive tax-deductible donations and grants, access insurance and legal support, and operate under the Department’s oversight and accountability. Each relationship is grounded in a clear memorandum of understanding, built on consent and trust, and supported by a modest administrative fee, typically 5 to 15 percent, that sustains the shared infrastructure.

The Department offers two models, following established best practices in the field:

Model A (Comprehensive). The project becomes an internal program of the Department, which manages its finances, human resources, and operations. This model fits groups that are just starting out, need full administrative support, or plan to become independent nonprofits in the future.
Model C (Pre-Approved Grant Relationship). The Department receives donations or grants designated for an external project and re-grants those funds to the project entity. This model fits established organizations, international partners, and initiatives seeking a funding conduit.

See the current roster of sponsored work on the projects page.

Governance in Brief

The Department of Bioregion is governed by a Board of Directors, which holds fiduciary responsibility, approves fiscally sponsored projects and branch applications, and ratifies the community agreements that bind the network together. Contracts are signed by authorized officers. Day-to-day operations are carried by Staff and supported by Administrative Program Services (APS).

Participation across the network follows a defined set of roles: Member, Supporter, Customer, Ambassador, Steward, Staff, and APS. Ambassadors are participants in our education program; the role carries no organizational authority. Stewards hold project authority within an admin-assigned scope. This clarity about who decides what is deliberate; durable coordination depends on clear roles and transparent decisions.

Financial Transparency

The Department of Bioregion is a 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 85-4402939. We publish our annual returns to the Internal Revenue Service so that supporters, donors, and the public can see how the organization is funded and how it uses its resources.

Fiscal Year 2024–2025: Form 990 (PDF)
Fiscal Year 2023–2024: Form 990 (PDF)
Fiscal Year 2022–2023: Form 990-EZ (PDF)
Earlier years: the Department filed Form 990-N (e-Postcard) returns, viewable through the IRS record linked below.

Our tax-exempt status and complete filing history can also be verified through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search using EIN 85-4402939. For questions about our finances, contact us; to support this work, visit our support page.

Support the Work

The Department is sustained by the people of the movement. Donations and memberships are handled through our support page. If you have questions about the organization, fiscal sponsorship, or starting a Department of Bioregion in your own bioregion, contact us.