Rights and Resources Institute Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Regional programs:" africa: rri strengthened indigenous peoples and local communities' rights through high-impact legislative advancements in 2024. In the democratic republic of the congo (drc), l'alliance nationale d'appui et promotion des aires et territoires du patrimoine autochtone et communautaire du congo (anapac), and the ministry of environment and sustainable development developed a roadmap for a new national strategy on conservation outside protected areas. This initiative aims to establish an inclusive model for biodiversity conservation based on other effective area-based conservation measures (oecms). In liberia, the sustainable development institute (sdi), the civil society working group on land, and rri mapped 138 community land development management committees-representing millions of hectares of community land-across 14 of the country's 15 counties. The project established a foundational structure to further enhance community-based land management in liberia and beyond." asia: rri's coalition engaged indigenous and local community youth, amplifying their leadership by organizing a virtual asia youth solidarity workshop for tenure rights. More than 40 youth leaders from india, nepal, indonesia, and the philippines attended, marking the beginning of a solidarity network among youth in asia. Rri also supported women-led initiatives in nepal and indonesia to strengthen indigenous and local community women's roles in addressing inequality and promoting the democratization of natural resources management. " latin america: rri, in collaboration with the coalition for the territorial and environmental rights of afro-descendant peoples of latin america and the caribbean, conaq, and pcn, created a pathway to position afro-descendant peoples as crucial counterparts in conservation and climate change efforts by organizing an event in colombia, attended by more than 400 people. More than a decade of support for the afro-descendant coalition culminated in a historic win at the cbd cop16 in october, when they became part of a subsidiary body in article 8j with political influence in negotiations. Rri also created pathways for 18 grassroots and community-based organizations in nine countries to strengthen regional perspectives and organizational capacity through strategic planning; project and financial management; technology and media; and more." strategic response mechanism: rri's srm funded 10 projects across eight countries, in addition to six projects that continued implementation from 2023. These projects helped build grassroots organizations' capacity and leadership, amplified national advocacy campaigns, and influenced national legislation. Key accomplishments included the cambodia indigenous peoples' association (cipa) submitting recommendations to the ministry of land to ensure indigenous peoples' voices are included in legislative processes affecting their land rights; and the international foundation for development, education, entrepreneurship and environmental protection (fidepe) successfully advocating for the formal recognition of 150 hectares of sacred forest benefiting over 60,000 people in cameroon.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 92.1%; rating input score 92
• Fundraising efficiency: $103.59 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 87; 87th 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: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Pass
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Limited
  • Conducts site visits: Limited
  • Requires grant agreements: Pass
  • May require repayment: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 90%; rating input score 90; 21st 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: -177.5%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.5; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.28; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 14.1% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings