The Wilderness Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, dedicated to protecting America's wild places and public lands. Founded in 1935 by conservation visionaries, the organization has grown to more than one million members and supporters. The organization is classified under the Environmental Quality, Protection and Beautification category, with a primary focus on Land Resources Conservation.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$119.1M
+6.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$2.3M
-13.0% YoY
Grant Count
79
-6.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$29K
-7.5% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: Uniting people to protect America's wild places.
Purpose: The Wilderness Society protects wilderness and works to guide energy development to appropriate locations while ensuring that public lands contribute to climate solutions. The organization is committed to ensuring that all people can access and share the benefits of the outdoors, from urban to wild settings.
Primary Focus Areas:
30 x 30 Initiative: Addressing the devastating loss of nature globally. The organization works toward protecting 30 percent of America's lands and waters by 2030. Over the last 20 years, approximately 1.2 million square miles of wild land have been lost worldwide—an area equivalent to India's total land mass.
Net Zero Emissions: Striving to make public lands and waters entirely pollution-free, with a goal of making public lands a net-zero source of emissions by 2030 while supporting a just transition for fossil-fuel-dependent communities.
Fossil Fuel Transition: Transitioning off fossil fuel development on public lands to well-sited renewable energy.
Equitable Access: Securing equitable access to public lands and their benefits.
Climate Solutions & Biodiversity: Scaling up work to address climate change, loss of biodiversity, and deep inequities in access to nature's benefits.
Indigenous Partnership: Working directly with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities to support conservation outcomes that respect tribal priorities and concerns, recognizing historic and ongoing injustices perpetrated against Indigenous peoples.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Wilderness Society has successfully protected nearly 112 million acres of wilderness across 44 states. The organization maintains regional offices in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Washington, and Wyoming. The organization also has a presence on Capitol Hill and in communities across the nation, with international presence in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2023:
- Total Revenue: $39.2 million
- Total Expenses: $47.4 million
- Total Assets: $112 million
- Total Liabilities: $28.4 million
- Staff: 210 employees
Tax Status: Tax-exempt since May 1942 (EIN: 53-0167933). Donations are tax-deductible.
Rating: The organization holds a Four-Star rating with a 100% score based on Accountability & Finance metrics.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $119,089,723 | $111,901,689 | $95,687,234 |
| Revenue | $42,032,659 | $39,217,935 | $62,637,504 |
| Expenses | $43,478,669 | $47,392,193 | $42,780,220 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $3,477,915 | $3,846,651 | $2,256,298 |
| 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
247 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Wilderness Society
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include The Wilderness Society Action Fund ($300,000), The International Sonoran Desert Alliance ($183,000), Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership ($126,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY ACTION FUND WASHINGTON, DC | CONSERVATION PROJECTS | $300,000 |
| THE INTERNATIONAL SONORAN DESERT ALLIANCE AJO, AZ | CONSERVATION PROJECTS | $183,000 |
| THEODORE ROOSEVELT CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP WASHINGTON, DC | CONSERVATION PROJECTS | $126,000 |
| TROUT UNLIMITED INC ARLINGTON, VA | CONSERVATION PROJECTS | $100,000 |
| SILVIX RESOURCES PORTLAND, OR | CONSERVATION PROJECTS | $85,000 |
| NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS FUND BOULDER, CO | CONSERVATION PROJECTS | $75,000 |
| NEW MEXICO WILDERNESS ALLIANCE ALBUQUERQUE, NM | CONSERVATION PROJECTS | $75,000 |
| RESOURCE LEGACY FUND SACRAMENTO, CA | CONSERVATION PROJECTS | $70,000 |
| GREENLATINOS BOULDER, CO | CONSERVATION PROJECTS | $65,000 |
| THE SEMILLA PROJECT ALBUQUERQUE, NM | CONSERVATION PROJECTS | $60,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The organization is led by a President and Vice Presidents, with a Governing Council providing oversight. The staff is composed of recognized leaders in the fields of natural resource science, policy, economics, and outreach.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARTINIQUE GRIGG | CO-GOVERNING COUNCIL CHAIR | 2 | — |
| RUE MAPP | CO-GOVERNING COUNCIL CHAIR | 2 | — |
| MICHAEL A MANTELL | IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR | 2 | — |
| MOLLY MCUSIC | VICE CHAIR | 2 | — |
| WILLIAM J CRONON | VICE CHAIR | 2 | — |
| CATHY DOUGLAS STONE | SECRETARY | 2 | — |
| DAVID BONDERMAN | AT-LARGE | 2 | — |
| HANSJORG WYSS | AT-LARGE | 2 | — |
| AUGUST BALL | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| THOMAS A BARRON | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| FAITH BRIGGS | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| INDY BURKE | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER (FROM NOV '23) | 2 | — |
| MATTHEW CAMPBELL | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| NORM CHRISTENSEN | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| DAVID CHURCHILL | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| DANIEL CORDALIS | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| KIM ELLIMAN | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| JIM ENOTE | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| CARL FERENBACH | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| DAVID J FIELD | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| CAROLINE M GETTY | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| BEN JEALOUS | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| LISA KEITH | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| KEVIN LUZAK | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| JACQUELINE BADGER MARS | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| JUAN MARTINEZ | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| DAVE MATTHEWS | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| JEFFREY RHODES | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| REBECCA L ROM | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| THEODORE ROOSEVELT IV | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| JENNIFER PERKINS SPEERS | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| MARK WAN | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER (FROM NOV '23) | 2 | — |
| AARON WERNHAM | GOV COUNCIL MEMBER | 2 | — |
| JAMIE WILLIAMS | PRESIDENT (TO SEP '24) | 39 | $449,985 |
| DAVID SEABROOK | COO | 30 | $336,905 |
| TERESA LANE | SVP, GIVING & IMPACT (TO OCT '23) | 39 | $316,536 |
| ELVIS CORDOVA | CHIEF OF STAFF | 40 | $286,915 |
| LAUREN GEPHART | VP OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS | 40 | $269,408 |
| CHASE HUNTLEY | VP STRATEGY & RESULTS | 40 | $259,091 |
| WORDNA MESKHENITEN | VP, PEOPLE & CULTURE | 40 | $217,071 |
| MONIQUE DAILEY | VP, CONSERVATION & COMMUNITIES | 40 | $201,627 |
| ANDREA O'BRIEN | DVP, GIVING & IMPACT OPERATIONS & OUTREACH | 40 | $188,410 |
| MARIA HANDLEY | ED TWSAF & SPECIAL ADVISOR CHIEF OF STAFF | 10 | $180,717 |
| LYDIA WEISS | SR DIR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS | 40 | $186,028 |
| JEANNA CANNAN | SR DIR HUMAN RESOURCES & OPERATIONS | 40 | $180,267 |
| YVETTE LOPEZ-LEDESMA | DVP, COMMUNITY-LED CONSERVATION | 40 | $178,288 |
| DEBORAH LIU | VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL COUNSEL (TO FEB '23) | 30 | $180,719 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The Wilderness Society has been active in recent conservation efforts, including historic investments in New Mexico to improve access to nature. The organization continues to lead efforts to permanently protect wilderness and ensure sound management of America's public lands through policy work, regional conservation initiatives, and community engagement.
New Mexico leads the way with historic investments to improve access to natureSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does The Wilderness Society fund?
**Mission:** Uniting people to protect America's wild places. **Purpose:** The Wilderness Society protects wilderness and works to guide energy development to appropriate locations while ensuring that public lands contribute to climate solutions. The organization is committed to ensuring that all people can access and share the benefits of the outdoors, from urban to wild settings. **Primary Focus Areas:** • **30 x 30 Initiative:** Addressing the devastating loss of nature globally. The organiz…
Where does The Wilderness Society make grants?
The Wilderness Society has successfully protected nearly 112 million acres of wilderness across 44 states. The organization maintains regional offices in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Washington, and Wyoming. The organization also has a presence on Capitol Hill and in communities across the nation, with international presence in Australia and the United Kingdom.
What size grants does The Wilderness Society award?
In 2024, The Wilderness Society awarded 79 grants totaling $2.3M — an average of about $29K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is The Wilderness Society's EIN?
The Wilderness Society's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 53-0167933. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Wilderness Society's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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