Pacific Crest Trail Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
330051202
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Sacramento, CA, USA
Phone
9162851848
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,632,708
Expenses
$5,325,209
Assets
$6,955,788
Liabilities
$1,467,393

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MEGAN WARGO (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MEGAN WARGO (CEO): $198,074 total reported compensation
  • TERESA RAICHART (CHIEF FINANCIAL & ADMIN): $184,032 total reported compensation
  • ANGIE WILLIAMSON (SENIOR MANAGER, GIFTS AND PARTNERSHIPS): $146,691 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The pacific crest trail association's mission is to advocate for the pacific crest trail as an inspirational outdoor experience, to connect people to the pct, and to conserve the trail.

What it reported doing in 2025

Trail and land management and protection: in 2025, the pacific crest trail association (pcta) partnered with land trusts and federal agencies to evaluate acquisition opportunities from private owners that own land including or adjacent to the pct. The pcta worked with partners on the acquisition of 3,325 acres of forestland in the castle crags and trinity alps wildernesses. Pcta acquired 1.3 acres on the outskirts of whitewater, California. In addition, pcta advocated for land and water conservation fund support for the u.s. Forest service and the bureau of land management.in 2025, 532 miles of the pct were closed because of fires. With 194 trail miles burned, pcta assisted the forest service to develop extensive restoration plans.pcta also monitored or responded to ongoing threats or land management projects and planning efforts along the trail, including the following: - trailwide-timber harvesting, fuels reduction, reforestation, hazard tree removal, invasive plant eradication, watershed, meadow, and fire restoration, illegal and incompatible uses, commercial and competitive events, housing developments, bridge installations, trail network developments and expansions, illegal motorized and mechanized use, public land transfers, impacts from increased recreational use, bureau of land management inventory, assessment, and monitoring, travel management and over-snow vehicle planning; repeal of pertinent agency regulations, proposed repeal of the "roadless rule; - California-dam reauthorization, endangered species, optimal location review; large-scale (forest wide) prescribed fire proposals; - Oregon-pedestrian walkway advocacy for the bridge of the gods; power station conductor replacement;- Washington-grizzly bear reintroduction in the north cascades; vegetation management projects; north cascades backcountry camp modifications along the pct; telecommunications development/enhancement project. Our 2025 protection activities also included "hike the hill" meetings to talk with federal agency leaders and congressional representatives and their staff in Washington, d.c. To advocate for federal trail management, operations, and land acquisition funding for the pct.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 89% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.3%; rating input score 67
  • Program expense ratio: 70.2%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • 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; 75th 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; 63rd 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: 5.5%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.31; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67.3% of revenue deployed · 70.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $3.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $198K · 20 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 7/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.