Nrdc

Legal name: Natural Resources Defense Council Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
132654926
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Aug 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
New York, NY, United States
Phone
212-727-2700
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$248,922,592
Expenses
$212,009,702
Assets
$657,232,154
Liabilities
$118,251,967

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

Leadership & pay

55 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MANISH BAPNA (PRESIDENT/CEO)
  • CHRISTINA GOLDFUSS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MANISH BAPNA (PRESIDENT/CEO): $793,129 total reported compensation
  • MARGARET MARSH-HEINE (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $637,108 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTINA GOLDFUSS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $534,386 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

What it reported doing in 2024

Internationalnrdc has continued to urge the global community to develop comprehensive plans to tackle the biodiversity loss and environmental pollution 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 include: to prepare for the effects of rising global temperatures, nrdc continued projects with its local partners in india to increase heat resilience, launching heat action plans and support for the launch of the centre of excellence on heat resilience and sustainable cooling (cehsc). In our efforts to advance transport electrification, nrdc with support from its local partner, released its fleet electrification roadmap for the city of hyderabad, which sets targets for electric vehicles. Nrdc contributed to standardize development for zoning management and communities near national parks in china. Our research reviewed international and domestic practices, analyzed the existing challenges of developing gateway communities in china and provided recommendations. The standard will help ensure public access to nature and support local economic development but also preserve ecological integrity and reduce biodiversity loss.in west africa, nrdc was critical to the launch of a fifteen-country gis and mapping working group to advance regional implementation of saving 30 percent of lands, oceans, and inland water by 2030 (30 x 30). Our contributions included providing expertise, technical capacity, and organization of information sharing to benefit west african states.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 72% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 92% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 81
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 73
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 68.3%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 75.7%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 14.8%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.1; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.3%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 3 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 68.3% of revenue deployed · 75.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 32 of 32 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $160.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $793K · 55 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $8.3M reported
  • Consistency: 48 of 48 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 133 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 119 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 37/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.