American Conservation Experience

What it reported doing in 2024

AMERICAN CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE (ACE) PROVIDES TRAINED, SUPERVISED, COST EFFECTIVE LONG TERM VOLUNTEER CREWS TO ACCOMPLISH ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION PROJECTS FOR FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, AND CITY LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES. VOLUNTEERS SERVE IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS IN NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS, WILDLIFE REFUGES, WILDERNESS AREAS AND OTHER PUBLIC LANDS WHILE LEARNING CONSERVATION AND LEADERSHIP ROLES. ACE IS GROUNDED IN THE PHILOSOPHY THAT COOPERATIVE LABOR ON MEANINGFUL CONSERVATION PROJECTS FOSTERS CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND OPERATES ON THE BELIEF THAT CHALLENGING VOLUNTEER SERVICE UNITES PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS IN COMMON CAUSE. ACE PERFORMS CONSERVATION PROJECTS THROUGH CONTRACTS WITH VARIOUS AGENCIES INCLUDING THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE, AND BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. THE TWO LARGEST ACE PROGRAMS INCLUDE THE CONSERVATION CORPS AND THE EMERGING PROFESSIONALS IN CONSERVATION. 1. CONSERVATION CORPS PROGRAM - ORIGINALLY FORMED UNDER THE CONSERVATION CORPS MODEL, ACE PROVIDES A RANGE OF VOLUNTARY SERVICE PROGRAMS PARTICIPANTS. ACES CONSERVATION CORPS PROGRAM IS FOR AMERCIAN PARTICIPANTS, AGED 18-30 (up TO AGE 35 FOR VETERANS) WHO ARE CONSIDERING LAND MANAGEMENT AS A CAREER PATH OR POTENTIAL COURSE OF STUDY. CORPS MEMBERS SERVE IN PROFESSIONALLY SUPERVISED TEAMS AS THEY EXPLORE FUTURE OUTDOOR CAREERS, LEARN PRACTICAL SKILLS, AND DEVELOP CONFIDENCE AS EMERGING LEADERS IN THE FIELD OF CONSERVATION. CORPS MEMBERS ARE SUPPORTED DURING THEIR 3-12 MONTH SERVICE TERMS WITH COST OF LIVING ALLOWANCES, FOOD ON PROJECTS, AND FREE COMMON HOUSING ON OFF DAYS. 2. EMERGING PROFESSIONALS IN CONSERVATION PROGRAM (EPIC) - ACE EPIC Internships and Fellowships program provide young adults ages 18-30 (up to age 35 for veterans) with focused, hands-on opportunities to work alongside and under the guidance of land management agency mentors as they apply their knowledge of resource management on their path to becoming the next generation of resource and land managers. The EPIC program not only provides an invaluable step for those seeking a link between the academic and professional worlds but also allows members to explore, connect, and preserve America's natural and cultural resources as they gain professional skills and cultivate their careers in the resource management field. EPIC operates in coalition with partners such as the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other conservation focused groups. Positions available through EPIC and its partners are spread across a wide range of specialized conservation oriented vocations and typically last 3-12 months. EPIC members (interns) often have degrees and /or experience in disciplines such as, but limited to: conservation or wildlife biology, botany, ecology, entomology, forestry, geography, archeology, paleontology, geology, environmental sciences, recreation or natural resources management, or cultural resources.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 89.7%; rating input score 90
• Program expense ratio: 89.8%; rating input score 90
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Limited
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 0.2%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.25; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 16.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 16.3% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings