Outdoor Afro

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
473094045
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2015
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Phone
5103062376
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,800,327
Expenses
$3,248,816
Assets
$5,052,298
Liabilities
$206,901

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RUE MAPP (CEO & PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • RUE MAPP (CEO & PRESIDENT): $237,145 total reported compensation
  • LYDIA SULLIVAN (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $163,294 total reported compensation
  • DESHANNEE JOHNICE (CHIEF PROGRAM & INNOVATION OFFICER): $158,510 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Outdoor afro is a national not-for-profit organization that celebrates and inspires black connections and leadership in nature. Our organization aims to empower more black people to enter into prominent leadership roles within the conservation movement, in outdoor companies, in education, and in public agencies charged with protecting our natural heritage. Outdoor afro works to reconnect black americans to land, water, and wildlife while uplifting their roles as leaders and stewards of the natural world. From its humble beginning as a social enterprise and outdoor blog, today outdoor afro is a nationwide movement that has successfully observed and measured significant positive changes in outdoor engagement, media representation, and new professional leadership and affinity groups among more black people and black communities in outdoor recreation, education, and conservation.

What it reported doing in 2025

Outdoor afro is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and inspiring black connections and leadership in nature. Through a network of more than 100 certified volunteer leaders serving 70 u.s. Markets, outdoor afro provides outdoor trips, education, and community experiences reaching up to 24,000 participants annually, with an additional 200,000+ individuals engaging through digital content and online platforms, including 15,000+ app users. Since 2019, its signature making waves program has supported more than 7,000 new swimmers through swim scholarships provided in partnership with certified instructors to address disparities in water safety. Ninety-nine percent of trip participants report increased intent to recreate outdoors, advocate for outdoor spaces, and recommend participation to others, demonstrating measurable impact in expanding access and engagement in the outdoors.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 97
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 65.1%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.14 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 28th 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: -80.5%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.56; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20.9%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.6% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.3% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 27.3% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 65.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 19 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $237K · 22 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $179K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 57/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.