Grand Teton National Park Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
830322668
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Moose, WY, USA
Phone
3077320629
Rating
91
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$24,510,153
Expenses
$50,113,571
Assets
$26,316,519
Liabilities
$1,420,735

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LESLIE MATTSON (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • LESLIE MATTSON (President): $692,855 total reported compensation
  • WAYNE TURNER (VP OF DEVELOPMENT): $230,423 total reported compensation
  • MARY PATNO (ACCOUNTING): $202,427 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Grand Teton National Park Foundation (the Foundation) is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to partner with Grand Teton National Park to steward, protect, and enhance all that is special in the park. Budget limitations, combined with increasing visitation, led the National Park Service to create partnerships with organizations like the Foundation to raise private money for special park needs. The Foundation initiates improvements, critical research, and projects that improve visitors experiences, creating a solid future for Grand Teton. Since 1997, the organization has raised funds for efforts that connect youth to nature, preserve cultural resources, protect wildlife and natural resources, and enhance visitor experiences. In addition, the Foundation has completed capital projects such as construction of the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, the conservation of 1,280 acres of critical wildlife habitat that was formerly owned by the state of Wyoming, the renewal

What it reported doing in 2024

Reimagining Taggart LakeThe Foundation and Grand Teton National Park are working together to reimagine one of the parks cherished destinationsTaggart Lake. As the parks most frequently visited year-round trailhead, Taggart welcomes more than 300,000 people annually. Its popularity speaks to the magic of the place, but it also underscores the need for thoughtful renewal. Today, aging facilities, strained trails, and crowding place pressure on both visitors and the landscape. The Reimagining Taggart Lake project is reshaping this beloved destination so it remains welcoming, accessible, and ecologically resilient for generations. The projects guiding goals are: Create a smoother, safer, and more intuitive arrival.Protect riparian and lakeshore resources.Improve accessibility so people of all abilities can experience this landscape.Build a trail system that eases congestion and encourages sustainable use year-round.Restore degraded areas and safeguard the natural beauty that draws visitors here in the first place.2025 marked a year of meaningful progress. This year, early design concepts evolved into detailed construction documents while initial on-the-ground work began with the completion of the new bridge across Taggart Creek and the burial of overhead power lines near the trailhead. Work will continue next year with continued backcountry trail improvements and the start of trailhead renewal.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 95% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 94
  • Transparency & Controls: 91
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 94.6%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 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: -104.5%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.53; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.3%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16.5% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.1% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.4% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 94.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 25 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 8 filed program accomplishments · $47.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $693K · 31 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $350K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.