Natural Resources Defense Council Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization based in New York, New York, registered in 1970, with $204,253,182 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A, and it directs about 78% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2023)
$204.3M
▲ 5.8% vs prior year
Environment median: $250K
Expenses (FY2023)
$219.9M
Net assets
$477.7M
Employees
854
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For Natural Resources Defense Council Inc: 78% to programs · $13 to raise $100 earns a B+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For Natural Resources Defense Council Inc: 26 mo reserves · -8% margin earns a B+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For Natural Resources Defense Council Inc: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For Natural Resources Defense Council Inc: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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We work to safeguard the earth: its people, its plants & animals, on which all life depends.
Internationalmeaningful progress on biodiversity loss and environmental pollution cannot happen in isolation, which is why nrdc has continued to urge the global community to develop comprehensive plans to tackle the crises. nrdc's international work leverages our scientific, economic, and policy expertise to advance key environmental and climate programs with far-reaching impacts across the world. our highlights from this past fiscal year are as follows:at the 28th un conference of parties in dubai, nrdc experts met with world leaders to advocate for a strong global agreement on emissions cuts. the conference yielded a historic result: more than 190 countries called for tripling renewable energy, doubling the pace of energy efficiency gains, and ending deforestation and forest degradation. nrdc also hosted an event focusing on the harmful impacts of liquified natural gas production on communities and health and participated in a number of panels on topics including sustainable cooling in emerging economies; women-led clean energy solutions; and on defining clean hydrogen. in progress of nrdc's work to protect ecosystems in the boreal forest in canada from the irreversible damages of industrial logging, the kimberly-clark corporation, maker of tissue products such as kleenex, cottonelle and scott, committed to go beyond its biggest competitors for more sustainable forest sourcing. its new forests, land, and agriculture policy demonstrated its commitment to reducing forest degradation in all its products and declared that it aims to rid their entire product line from natural forest fiber. this is a huge step forward for the manufacturer to address longstanding loopholes in global supply chains that harm northern forests. nrdc's efforts in india also advanced its activities to protect populations from the dangers of extreme heat. with record-breaking temperatures taking a devastating toll on human health especially in india, the country's national disaster management authority took steps to coordinate on improving preparedness through workshops and discussions and identifying actionable heat solutions through state- and city-level heat action plans, early warning systems, and built environment enhancements. nrdc brought attention to the benefits of using statistics to link heatwave early warning system to health benchmarks, and the need for local governments to be actively involved in policy preparation. similarly, the state of uttar pradesh prepared and presented a long-term heat resilience plan with nrdc and other key partners. it includes a new policy which aims to mitigate the impacts of heat stress by adaptive measures and resilience-building mandates, and includes measures such as cooling technologies in government, educational and healthcare buildings; incorporating passive and energy-efficient cooling solutions; ways to monitor for quality; and coordination among government, private sectors, research institutions and communities. in ongoing work to reduce coal and promote transition to cleaner sources of energy in china, nrdc shared information and knowledge with policymakers and industry experts in various localities. this included an event to explore pathways for shanxi province - the country's largest coal producer - to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels; the sharing of insights on pollution reductions in henan province; and the organizing of an expert dialogue in phasing out coal in shandong province. nrdc was also able to help organize and support a meeting of the economic community of west african states (ecowas) in nigeria, where the countries planned their regional approach to implementing the kunming-montreal global biodiversity framework. the framework contains action-oriented targets to address the ongoing loss of biodiversity and the restoration of natural ecosystems by 2030. during the meeting, the participating countries agreed to create and implement a plan to protect at least 30 percent of the region for
Revenue grew from $121.6M (FY2013) to $204.3M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
-7.7%
Spent more than it raised in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$600.6M
Total liabilities
$122.9M
Net assets
$477.7M
Salaries & benefits
$137.0M
62% of expenses
Board members
32
32 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $204,253,182▲5.8% | $219,897,996▼3.1% | $477,653,326▲3.3% | $600,593,128▲4.1% | 990 |
| 2022 | $193,144,386▲3.7% | $226,866,168▲7.0% | $462,523,536▼2.8% | $576,913,705▼4.2% | 990 |
| 2021 | $186,185,838▼32.0% | $211,994,021▲16.4% | $475,979,304▼12.7% | $602,252,452▼10.9% | 990 |
| 2020 | $273,728,385▲38.5% | $182,068,155▼1.6% | $545,511,543▲41.1% | $675,576,177▲44.6% | 990 |
| 2019 | $197,585,835▲8.7% | $185,007,361▲6.9% | $386,520,136▲5.2% | $467,259,503▲5.5% | 990 |
| 2018 | $181,821,968▼0.3% | $173,044,173▲16.1% | $367,477,707▲5.2% | $442,841,915▲7.6% | 990 |
| 2017 | $182,319,651▲2.9% | $149,039,578▲15.7% | $349,411,805▲14.1% | $411,463,366▲12.2% | 990 |
| 2016 | $177,129,164▲36.5% | $128,772,908▼3.5% | $306,223,915▲29.5% | $366,746,425▲21.6% | 990 |
| 2015 | $129,809,261▼16.4% | $133,435,489▲5.3% | $236,526,628▼2.9% | $301,556,189▼1.5% | 990 |
| 2014 | $155,192,637▲27.6% | $126,749,686▲9.5% | $243,685,564▲5.0% | $306,293,488▲4.3% | 990 |
| 2013 | $121,617,764 | $115,764,382▲13.0% | $232,060,892▲10.9% | $293,669,408▲9.5% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $102,445,255▼1.7% | $209,173,306▲14.4% | $268,165,564▲10.9% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $104,264,845▲6.2% | $182,839,996▼7.4% | $241,823,296▼2.9% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $98,131,710▲10.2% | $197,413,060▲8.8% | $248,951,243▲7.2% | 990 |
| 2009 | — | $89,014,727 | $181,427,464 | $232,304,192 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Manish Bapna — $720,535 (0.33% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manish Bapna | President/ceo | 40 | $720,535 |
| Mollie Marsh-heine - Chief | Development Officer | 40 | $512,899 |
| Mercedes Falber - Former Chro | (thru 3/23) Senior Dei Advisor | 40 | $446,718 |
| Mitchell Bernard | Chief Counsel | 40 | $426,605 |
| Makeda Tsao - Frmr Interim Cdo | (thru 3/23); Board Relations Officer | 40 | $401,000 |
| Michelle Egan - Chief | Staff & Strategy (thru 10/2023) | 40 | $398,696 |
| Veronica Foo | Chief Financial Officer | 40 | $394,565 |
| Robyn Arville | Chief People Officer | 40 | $373,891 |
| Drew Caputo - Chief | Program Officer (thru 11/2023) | 40 | $368,304 |
| Christy Goldfuss | Executive Director | 40 | $365,276 |
| Geoffrey Fettus | Director, Nuclear | 40 | $346,382 |
| Jing Jing Qian | Senior Strategic Advisor | 40 | $345,549 |
| Yerina Mugica - Interim | Managing Dir. People & Communities | 40 | $342,765 |
| Lena Steinberg - Managing | Dir, Hr Operations & Infrastructure | 40 | $336,998 |
| Peter Altman | Senior Strategist For Campaigns | 40 | $316,144 |
| Ed Yoon | Chief External Affairs Officer | 40 | $315,291 |
| Andrew Wetzler - Former Cpo | (thru 10/22); Svp, Nature | 40 | $302,815 |
| Jennifer Powers - Managing | Dir., Communications (thru 01/2024) | 40 | $289,030 |
| Susan Casey-lefkowitz | Chief of Staff | 40 | $207,942 |
| Daniel Kim | Former Coo (thru 11/2022) | 0 | $200,000 |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| M&r Strategic Services Inc | Digital Advocacy/fundraising Consultant | $2,127,656 |
| Digital Dog Direct LLC | Direct Mail Advertising | $2,118,168 |
| Eagle Hill Consulting LLC | Business Management Consultant | $1,855,168 |
| Urban Innovations | Commercial Real Estate Construction | $1,775,815 |
| The Bridgespan Groupinc | Management Consulting For Nonprofits | $1,103,279 |
887 grants to Natural Resources Defense Council Inc totaling $424.1M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climate Imperative Foundation | Environmental protection | 2024 | $7,875,000 |
| Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc | Environment & animal protection | 2024 | $7,302,050 |
| Foundation For the Carolinas | Charitable gift | 2024 | $6,000,000 |
| Climateworks Foundation | To expand access to sustainable cooling and reduce greenhouse gas emissions ($746,302); the global transition to clean transportation ($100,000); to protect the climate, reduce pollution, and strengthen economies ($1,987,000) | 2024 | $2,833,302 |
| Windward Fund | Environmental programs | 2024 | $2,296,667 |
| United States Energy Foundation | To support education and outreach to build a clean energy future. to promote education and analysis on the benefits of clean transportation. to promote education and analysis to advance clean, affordable energy that protects public health. | 2024 | $2,140,666 |
| Breakthrough Energy Foundation | Policy development | 2024 | $971,589 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $957,342 |
| Ayco Charitable Foundation | Environment & animal protection | 2024 | $945,450 |
| Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund | General support | 2024 | $564,057 |
| Greater Horizons | Environment & animals | 2024 | $509,575 |
| Multiplier | Transmission solutions for a clean energy future | 2024 | $500,000 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc | Environment, environment, agriculture & food, environment, environment, environment | 2024 | $435,000 |
| American Endowment Foundation | Environmental | 2024 | $302,714 |
| Resources Legacy Fund | Land or marine conservation, climate change, and/or environmental equity and justice | 2024 | $295,000 |
113 grants totaling $4.9M in FY2023 — showing the 15 largest. All grants made by Natural Resources Defense Council Inc →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Nrdc Action Fund Inc | Env. advocacy | $900,000 |
| Coming Clean Inc | Env. advocacy | $400,000 |
| Appalachian Voices | Env. advocacy | $200,000 |
| Appalachian Mountain Advocates Inc | Env. advocacy | $200,000 |
| Movement Strategy Center | Env. advocacy | $195,250 |
| Western Organization of Resource Councils | Env. advocacy | $150,000 |
| Resources Legacy Fund | Env. advocacy | $126,667 |
| Green Light New York Inc | Env. advocacy | $115,000 |
| Partnership Project Inc | Env. advocacy | $105,000 |
| Virginia Organizing Inc | Env. advocacy | $90,000 |
| Orion Society | Env. advocacy | $80,000 |
| Celsius | Env. advocacy | $80,000 |
| Building Decarbonization Coalition | Env. advocacy | $75,000 |
| Naeva | Env. advocacy | $75,000 |
| Southwest Energy Efficiency Project LLC | Env. advocacy | $75,000 |
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Data for Natural Resources Defense Council Inc (EIN 13-2654926) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.