The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental advocacy organization headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1970, NRDC operates as an international environmental advocacy group with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Bozeman, India, and Beijing. The organization combines scientific expertise, legal advocacy, and policy work to address environmental challenges.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$600.6M
+4.1% YoY
Annual Giving
$4.9M
-53.6% YoY
Grant Count
113
-35.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$43K
-28.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
NRDC's mission is to safeguard the Earth—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. The organization works to restore the integrity of the elements that sustain life: air, land, and water, and to defend endangered natural places.
The organization's primary program areas include:
- Climate Crisis: Confronting the climate crisis through science, policy, and community engagement
- Public Health Advocacy: Advocating for public health protections
- Nature Protection: Protecting nature through science-based approaches
- International Environmental Work: Leveraging scientific, economic, and policy expertise to advance environmental and climate programs globally, including work on biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and deforestation prevention
Grantmaking
NRDC functions as both a recipient and funder of environmental work. Based on recent tax filings, the organization reported total giving of $17,616,853, with typical grant awards ranging from $5,100 to $11,713,000. The organization's grantmaking focuses on education, philanthropy, voluntarism, and human services, with primary geographic concentration in California, the District of Columbia, and New York.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
NRDC's work spans multiple geographic areas including California, the District of Columbia, and New York. The organization maintains an international presence with offices and programs in India and Beijing, reflecting its global environmental advocacy efforts.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of June 2024:
- Total Assets: $600.6 million
- Annual Revenue: $204.3 million
- Total Expenses: $219.9 million
- Total Liabilities: $123 million
Staffing: The organization employs approximately 854 staff members, including roughly 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates.
Membership: NRDC has over three million members and online activists.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $600,593,128 | $576,913,705 | $602,252,452 |
| Revenue | $204,253,182 | $193,144,386 | $186,185,838 |
| Expenses | $219,897,996 | $226,866,168 | $211,994,021 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $13,273,422 | $8,460,007 | $4,120,383 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The organization is led by President and CEO Manish Bapna. NRDC was founded by John Adams, Richard Ayres, John Bryson, James Gustave Speth, and Edward Strohbehn.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KATHLEEN WELCH | CHAIR/TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| MARY J PENNIMAN | TREASURER/TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| KATHERINE ADAMS | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| GEETA AIYER | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| RICHARD E AYRES | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| ATIF AZHER | TRUSTEE (THRU 02/2024) | 1 | — |
| PATRICIA BAUMAN | TRUSTEE (THRU 03/2024) | 1 | — |
| CLAIRE BERNARD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| SARAH COGAN | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| NATHANIEL DEAN | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| LEONARDO DICAPRIO | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| JOHN ECHOHAWK | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| CATHERINE FLOWERS | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| LISA HALL | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| JO ANN KAPLAN | TRUSTEE (AS OF 06/2024) | 1 | — |
| JEREMY KHAN | TRUSTEE (AS OF 02/2024) | 1 | — |
| NICOLE E LEDERER | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| LAURA LIN | TRUSTEE (AS OF 02/2024) | 1 | — |
| JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| KELLY CHAPMAN MEYER | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| PETER MORTON | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| WENDY NEU | TRUSTEE (THRU 12/2023) | 1 | — |
| FREDERICA P PERERA | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| LYNN PRICE | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| DIANA PROPPER DE CALLEJON | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| ROBERT REDFORD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| ELENA RIOS | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| THOMAS ROUSH | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| FREDERICK A O SCHWARZ JR | CHAIR EMERITUS/TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| TOM SOTO | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| GERALD TORRES | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| MARGRET TRILLI | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| DAVID VLADECK | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| DAVID WELCH | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| DANIEL YATES | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| MANISH BAPNA | PRESIDENT/CEO | 40 | $720,535 |
| VERONICA FOO | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 40 | $394,565 |
| MOLLIE MARSH-HEINE - CHIEF | DEVELOPMENT OFFICER | 40 | $512,899 |
| JOHN BENNETT | SECRETARY (AS OF 06/2024) | 1 | — |
| ASHLEY GHERLONE | ASSISTANT SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| DOROTHY HECTOR | ASSISTANT SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| MITCHELL BERNARD | CHIEF COUNSEL | 40 | $426,605 |
| MICHELLE EGAN - CHIEF | STAFF & STRATEGY (THRU 10/2023) | 40 | $398,696 |
| JENNIFER POWERS - MANAGING | DIR., COMMUNICATIONS (THRU 01/2024) | 40 | $289,030 |
| ED YOON | CHIEF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER | 40 | $315,291 |
| ROBYN ARVILLE | CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER | 40 | $373,891 |
| DREW CAPUTO - CHIEF | PROGRAM OFFICER (THRU 11/2023) | 40 | $368,304 |
| SUSAN CASEY-LEFKOWITZ | CHIEF OF STAFF | 40 | $207,942 |
| CHRISTY GOLDFUSS | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $365,276 |
| PETER ALTMAN | SENIOR STRATEGIST FOR CAMPAIGNS | 40 | $316,144 |
| GEOFFREY FETTUS | DIRECTOR, NUCLEAR | 40 | $346,382 |
| YERINA MUGICA - INTERIM | MANAGING DIR. PEOPLE & COMMUNITIES | 40 | $342,765 |
| JING JING QIAN | SENIOR STRATEGIC ADVISOR | 40 | $345,549 |
| LENA STEINBERG - MANAGING | DIR, HR OPERATIONS & INFRASTRUCTURE | 40 | $336,998 |
| MAKEDA TSAO - FRMR INTERIM CDO | (THRU 3/23); BOARD RELATIONS OFFICER | 40 | $401,000 |
| DANIEL KIM | FORMER COO (THRU 11/2022) | — | $200,000 |
| ANDREW WETZLER - FORMER CPO | (THRU 10/22); SVP, NATURE | 40 | $302,815 |
| MERCEDES FALBER - FORMER CHRO | (THRU 3/23) SENIOR DEI ADVISOR | 40 | $446,718 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
NRDC participated in the 28th UN Conference of Parties in Dubai, where experts met with world leaders to advocate for strong global agreements on emissions cuts. The conference resulted in a historic agreement with more than 190 countries calling for tripling renewable energy capacity, doubling the pace of energy efficiency gains, and ending deforestation and forest degradation. The organization also hosted events and participated in panels on topics including the harmful impacts of liquified natural gas production on communities and health, and sustainable cooling in emerging economies.
EPA Issues Awards for Crucial Clean Energy Finance ProgramSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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