American Trails
American Trails is a public charity based in Redding, California. It is a nationwide coalition of trail organizations, agencies, and individuals, and supports trail maintenance, research, stewardship training, and broader development of trail networks through grants, education, and professional development.
American Trails at a glance
In short: American Trails gave $1.1M across 36 grants in 2024 (avg $30K), top state California. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,062,339
- +151.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 36
- +63.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $29,509
- +53.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,434
- Total assets
- $550,351
- +165.9% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- California (17% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
How to apply to American Trails
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 491797, Redding, CA 96049-1797
Phone: (530) 605-4395
Website: https://americantrails.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from American Trails
Who American Trails funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Wood River Trails Coalition ($102K). Together the top 10 received $689K.
Grant Size Distribution
62 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 53 grants of 62 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
American Trails describes the Trails Capacity Program as serving projects across the country. Eligible projects may be on public or private land in the United States and Puerto Rico. Its 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states; the largest shares by recipient state were California (17%), Idaho (16%), Utah (16%), Michigan (11%), and Washington (10%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 36 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How American Trails gives
- 19% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2022 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $35K (2022) to $1.1M (2024). In 2024 it made 36 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wood River Trails Coalition Hailey, ID | Trail Maintenance | $101,993 |
| Cottonwood Canyons Foundation Salt Lake City, UT | Trail Maintenance | $95,290 |
| Tread Lightly Inc North Salt Lake, UT | Trail Maintenance | $74,643 |
| Seeds Ecology and Education Centers Traverse City, MI | Trail Maintenance | $74,618 |
| Partnership for Youth Inc DBA Americorps St Louis St. Louis, MO | Trail Maintenance | $69,700 |
| Western States Endurance Run Foundation Auburn, CA | Trail Maintenance | $68,300 |
| Back Country Horsemen of Washington Ellensburg, WA | Trail Maintenance | $58,176 |
| Western States Trail Foundation Auburn, CA | Trail Maintenance | $54,627 |
| The Watershed Research and Training Center Hayfork, CA | Trail Maintenance | $49,632 |
| Colorado Fourteeners Initiative Golden, CO | Trail Maintenance | $41,960 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $550,351 | $1,592,550 | $1,699,208 | $1,062,339 | 36 | $3 |
| 2023 | $206,953 | $1,418,818 | $1,562,171 | $422,132 | 22 | $118 |
| 2022 | $424,896 | $789,183 | $708,132 | $35,424 | 4 | $16 |
| 2021 | $289,620 | $772,946 | $618,502 | — | — | $3 |
| 2020 | $73,493 | $432,061 | $416,664 | — | — | $3 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
American Trails’ website states its mission as “Connecting and transforming communities through the power of trails.” Its mission statement on the 2024 filing describes advancing diverse, high-quality trails and greenways for people and communities through collaboration, education, and communication.
Its funding programs support trail research, planning, stewardship, and maintenance. The Trails Capacity Program serves motorized and nonmotorized trail user groups, including water trails, and targets projects on non-Forest Service federal lands and on state, local, and private lands. The Legacy Trails Program supports partner projects on USDA Forest Service lands, including work to improve watershed health, restore aquatic organism passages, preserve access, and decommission unauthorized or previously closed trails.
The organization’s 2024 grantees included a range of trail and stewardship organizations. Wood River Trails Coalition describes its mission as creating, maintaining, and sustaining a trail network for all users. Cottonwood Canyons Foundation says it supports the environment of the Cottonwood Canyons through stewardship and education. Tread Lightly says it works with public-land agencies, industry, and recreation communities to sustain motorized access through responsible recreation education, stewardship, and partnerships. Other recipients included organizations whose missions, as they describe them, include trail stewardship and research, preservation of a historic trail, protection of Colorado’s high peaks, and enabling people to enjoy and preserve hiking.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, American Trails reported 36 grants totaling $1,062,339. Grants ranged from $6,073 to $101,993, with a median of $15,434. The listed 2024 grants were for trail maintenance.
Among the largest grants were $101,993 to Wood River Trails Coalition in Idaho; $95,290 to Cottonwood Canyons Foundation in Utah; $74,643 to Tread Lightly in Utah; $74,618 to Seeds Ecology and Education Centers in Michigan; and $69,700 to Partnership for Youth, doing business as AmeriCorps St. Louis, in Missouri. Other notable awards included $68,300 to Western States Endurance Run Foundation and $54,627 to Western States Trail Foundation, both in California, and $41,960 to Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.
The Trails Capacity Program’s application page says 2025 applications are closed. It describes an application requiring organization and project-location details, a project synopsis, and a project timeline. The synopsis is to include the amount requested, scope of work, partners, timeline, milestones, and outcomes; applicants proposing maintenance should include approximate trail miles, while stewardship-training proposals should include approximate numbers of volunteers or staff to train. The program page says funding amounts and the number of grants vary by year. Its listed winter 2025 opening for the 2026 field season is a past cycle.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Mike Passo as executive director; John Favro as president; Marianne Fowler as vice president; and Terry Hanson as treasurer. Directors listed are Elizabeth Burger, Jan Hancock, Scott Landes, Danielle McNiven, Bob Walker, and Marie Walker.
American Trails is led by Mike Passo, Executive Director since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 10 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Mike Passo
Executive Director
Executive Di → Executive Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$69K (2020) → $101K (2024)
John Favro
President
Chairman → President, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jan Hancock
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marie Walker
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bob Walker
Director
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott Landes
Director
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Danielle McNiven
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Burger
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marianne Fowler
Vice President
2nd Vice Cha → Vice President, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Terry Hanson
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Mikaela Randolph (2022–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Danielle Fowles-McNiven (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Jenny Rigby (2020–2022) — Vice Chair
- Former: Cathy Corlett (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Joe Taylor (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $101K, to Mike Passo (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about American Trails
How much does American Trails give each year?
American Trails gave $1.1M across 36 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $422K across 22 grants.
What is American Trails's typical grant size?
American Trails's median grant in 2024 was $15,434, and its average grant was $29,509, across 36 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does American Trails give grants?
American Trails's top state is California, with 17% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Idaho (16%) and Utah (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Auburn, CA (2 grants), Hailey, ID (2 grants) and Boise, ID (2 grants).
Does American Trails give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 36 grants with a stated purpose on American Trails's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Trail Maintenance" (35 grants).
Who are American Trails's largest grantees?
American Trails's largest 2024 grantees include Wood River Trails Coalition ($101,993), Cottonwood Canyons Foundation ($95,290) and Tread Lightly Inc ($74,643), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is American Trails?
American Trails reported $550K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.6M.
What does American Trails fund?
American Trails’ website states its mission as “Connecting and transforming communities through the power of trails.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from American Trails?
American Trails has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check americantrails.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is American Trails's EIN?
American Trails's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1591902. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 12, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in American Trails's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). American Trails funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/american-trails-morg_8610a5b28cd642f4a98ee96201d1bc7a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521591902_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{American Trails funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/american-trails-morg_8610a5b28cd642f4a98ee96201d1bc7a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from American Trails's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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