Out of Eden Walk

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, out of eden walk advanced its mission of supporting pulitzer prize-winning journalist paul salopek's global storytelling journey and fostering educational and cultural engagement around that work. Key activities included: outreach and storytelling: paul salopek continued his 38,000-kilometer walking journey, reporting from 5,000 walked miles from south korea, japan, and continuing toward british columbia and Alaska. His long-form journalism, photography, and multimedia dispatches connected global audiences to urgent issues of migration, climate change, cultural resilience, and human interconnectedness.educational programs: the nonprofit expanded its partnerships with schools and educators worldwide. Out of eden walk's curriculum resources, learning journeys, and professional development programs reached thousands of students, helping teachers bring global stories into classrooms through activities emphasizing slow journalism, empathy, and cross-cultural understanding. Work continued with harvard university's project zero and other collaborators to pilot new media literacy and storytelling initiatives.community impact and engagement: in 2024, out of eden walk nonprofit collaborated with local partners in korea to debut the museum exhibition "walking korea: cut pieces." the art and storytelling exhibition launched as a bold affirmation of creative resilience and civic voice. The show brought together video installations, photography, dance, and poetic works by korean and diaspora artists. Their art wove together themes of memory, migration, exile, and resistance in poignant response to south korea's political turbulence. Many visitors came directly from pro-democracy rallies. Through this intersection of art, narrative, and activism, the exhibition transformed into a living exchange - reminding all that storytelling and imagination can become vital tools in defending democracy and shaping collective futures. The exhibition was visited in-person by more than 600 people, making it one of the most popular in the history of the willow creative space. It featured two public workshops by contributing artists. It generated korean and international media coverage reaching a potential audience of 1.3 million. And as a bonus, the exhibition has been nominated for the seoul arts jury prize as the best exhibition of 2024.the homestories project, a map-based storytelling platform developed by out of eden walk, grew in participation and visibility. Community members contributed stories documenting the meaning of "home" across diverse geographies and cultures, helping to create a living archive of everyday human experience. In 2024, out of eden walk overhauled the map's technology to safeguard data and secure future activities for amplifying reach and improving user experiences. The nonprofit expanded social media communities to include bluesky, instagram, facebook, soundcloud, vimeo, youtube, and linkedin for increasing accessibility of nonprofit resources to followers. Also in 2024, out of eden walk's ngs-partnered podcast received a "signal" award: https://www.signalaward.com/winners/details/#national-geographic-society/love-hate-the-weather-india/0/524963.through these activities, out of eden walk continued to advance its mission of using slow journalism and education to build empathy and understanding across borders.the out of eden walk is a global storytelling initiative for cross-cultural engagement among academic institutions, media professionals, and grassroots communities that offers a powerful alternative to today's exploding yet shallow coverage of current events, and promotes people-to-people connectivity via the ethos of "slow storytelling." beginning at the herto bouri fossil site in africa in january 2013, the physical walk by paul salopek will cover about 24,000 miles on foot, following the human fossil record and geopolitical landscapes, until reaching the "finish line" in southern america patagonia, tierra del fuego

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 49.2%; rating input score 49
• Program expense ratio: 50.1%; rating input score 50
• Fundraising efficiency: $14.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 1.7%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.41; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 45%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings