Wild Earth Allies Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042730954
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Chevy Chase, MD, USA
Phone
2023757766
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,966,259
Expenses
$5,178,573
Assets
$11,292,439
Liabilities
$1,947,395

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Katie Frohardt (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Katie Frohardt (Executive Director): $337,101 total reported compensation
  • Adam W Henson (Conservation Director): $231,730 total reported compensation
  • Sarai Francois (Director of Finance & Administration): $208,114 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to protect vital areas of our planet for wildlife and people through local conservation action. Our vision is a world where wildlife and people flourish in healthy ecosystems that sustain us all.

What it reported doing in 2025

Americas: El Salvador: Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered globally, and fewer than 700 females remain in the Eastern Pacific with 50% of these nesting in El Salvador. With partner ProCosta and a dedicated community network, we engage coastal residents and fishers to increase hawksbill nest protection, reduce turtle bycatch, and improve human well-being. Costa Rica: Together with the Latin America Sea Turtle (LAST) Association, we are protecting critical areas for sea turtles, particularly leatherbacks and hawksbills, along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Belize: With the largest remaining rainforest area north of the Amazon basin, Belizes tropical forests are critical for biodiversity and our global climate. Our Trees of Belize project builds essential botanical skills, including tools for improved forest management. United States - Delaware: The Great Cypress Swamp is the largest remaining contiguous forest on the Delmarva Peninsula, providing habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, mitigating climate change, and improving regional water quality. We work with land trust Delaware Wild Lands to restore this forested wetland and other key landholdings with native tree species.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 63% for direct work, and 37% for grants.
  • 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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 78
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 60
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 71.5%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 94%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: $62.84 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 83; 83rd 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: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 25.7%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.18; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 23.8%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 71.5% of revenue deployed · 94% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $4.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $337K · 18 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 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.
  • 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: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.