Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
526046689
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Harpers Ferry, WV, USA
Phone
3045356331
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Parks and Playgrounds

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$23,507,721
Expenses
$16,099,867
Assets
$54,540,194
Liabilities
$18,722,525

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SANDRA MARRA (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • CINDA WALDBUESSER (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • SANDRA MARRA (PRESIDENT & CEO): $249,568 total reported compensation
  • KAREN CRONIN (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $187,861 total reported compensation
  • JERI WARD (CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER): $185,132 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To help protect the 2,200 mile appalachian national scenic trail and 370,000 acres of land in the appalachian trail (a.t. Or the trail) corridor; advocate for the trail; compile and disseminate educational information; and cooperatively manage the a.t.

What it reported doing in 2025

Founded in 1925, the appalachian trail conservancy works passionately to manage and protect the appalachian national scenic trail. As the only non-profit devoted exclusively to the entirety of the trail and its landscape, the atc endeavors to keep its vast natural and scenic beauty healthy, resilient, and connected, so that everyone can experience its transformative power for generations to come. Each year, the a.t. Landscape draws millions of visitors (16.9 million recreation visits in 2025), serves as a critical wildlife corridor and refuge for thousands of diverse species, and plays a vital role in driving climate resilience and economic vitality in neighboring communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 65% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - Most voting board members are independent and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 61
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 54.1%; rating input score 54
  • Program expense ratio: 72.4%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 27th 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: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 14.9%; rating input score 15; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 31.5%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.39; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.34; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.1%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 54.1% of revenue deployed · 72.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $11.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $250K · 28 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.6M reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 13 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 5 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 54/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 15/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 35/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.