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Wilderness Society

The leading organization dedicated to protecting america's wild places, the wilderness society works strategically and collaboratively with lawmakers, land managers, local coalitions, and interested citizens to lead national …

Environment Washington, DC EIN: 530167933 (IRS) Sign up to see website
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80
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
80/100 · methodology

About Wilderness Society

Our Mission: United people to protect our wild places. Our Work: Climate Solutions, Landscape Connectivity, Community Led Conservation Each day thousands of acres of wild places are lost to mining, drilling, logging and other development. But we don't have to give it all away. Together, we can save our wildest lands for future generations.

Founded
Headquarters
Washington, DC
Foundation type
Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2))
NTEE code
C340
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
large

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 1942

Mission

The leading organization dedicated to protecting america's wild places, the wilderness society works strategically and collaboratively with lawmakers, land managers, local coalitions, and interested citizens to lead national policy issues on wilderness and public lands. To find out more about our amazing 80-year history of successes and the many programs and places we work, visit www.wilderness.org.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
🌿 Environment · NTEE C340
Cause tags

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar environment in United States
Program spending This charity: 79%
Peer average: 88%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 0.93%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 80
Peer average: 90

Concerns

· None found
No red flags found
Screened for IRS revocation history, Open investigations, Governance scandals, Related-party deals, Excessive exec comp.

Where every $1 goes

· FY2024 · IRS 990 (FY2024)
$0.79
Program$0.79
79% to programs beats the Charity Navigator "highly efficient" threshold (75%).

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

Based on the records currently verified by GiveRadar, Wilderness Society has a complete profile, sourced from the IRS.

  • Established in 1937, it is among the oldest environment charities in the United States GiveRadar tracks. View this cohort
  • By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 97% of the 13,369 environment charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
  • It is one of the better-documented environment charities in the United States GiveRadar currently tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (5 filed years)
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a contact email
  • a donation page
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • an owner-submitted profile claim

Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Wilderness Society is a registered environment nonprofit based in Washington, DC, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1937 and has been operating for 89 years. Its EIN is 530167933. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 80/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $42M in annual revenue. 185 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Wilderness Society's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 530167933. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.

Wilderness Society has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 80 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 79% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for environment charities in United States is 90/100.

Wilderness Society is located in Washington, DC, United States. The organization was established in 1937 and has been active for 89 years.

Based on official tax filings, Wilderness Society has $42M in annual revenue. It allocates 79% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 88% for environment charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $2M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Wilderness Society is classified as an Environment organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has $42M in annual revenue. The organization has 185 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Wilderness Society. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

According to GiveRadar's records, Wilderness Society holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 79% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 88%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.

Our Mission: United people to protect our wild places. Our Work: Climate Solutions, Landscape Connectivity, Community Led Conservation Each day thousands of acres of wild places are lost to mining, drilling, logging and other development. But we don't have to give it all away. Together, we can save our wildest lands for future generations. Wilderness Society is classified as an environment organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1937.

Among environment charities registered in United States: It allocates 79% of expenses to programs, below the peer average of 88%. Its annual revenue of $42M is well above the peer average of $2M.

Yes, donations to Wilderness Society are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Wilderness Society is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 530167933, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Annual revenue
$10M-$100M
79% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2024) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Staff & volunteers

From filings and published profiles

Employees
210

Leadership

From FY2024 filing

DA
David S•••••••
COO

Officers & trustees (25)

Source: Public filings

See full names, roles, and stories

25 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$42.0M revenue
FY2024
IRS 990
Form filed
$39.2M revenue
FY2023
IRS 990
Form filed
$62.6M revenue
FY2022
IRS 990
Form filed
$42.0M revenue
FY2021
IRS 990
Form filed
$39.5M revenue
FY2020
IRS 990

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Cause areas in United States

How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.

Human Services 322,679
Education 195,586
Arts & Culture 133,128
Advocacy & Civil Rights 128,026
Religion 114,636
Health 98,862
Community Development 56,086
Youth Development 53,450
Environment this charity 30,143
See all cause areas in United States

Most common causes in United States

Causes charities work on most.

Community Development 235,146
Education 159,016
Religion 103,741
Arts & Culture 101,203
Human Rights 76,926
Health 65,250
Youth Development 47,775
Animal Welfare 32,425

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 185 disclosed in the public registry.

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 6, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 6, 2026
Profile completeness
90%

What we know and don't know

Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.

On record · 10
  • Financial data · FY2024 on record
  • Named leadership · 185 officers on file
  • Executive pay · Disclosed
  • Government registration · Registered with an official registry
  • Mission statement · Published
  • Official website · On record
  • Headquarters address · On file
  • Direct contact · Email or phone published
  • Tax-deductibility · Verified
  • Founding date · 1937
Not available · 1
  • Programs & activities
    No named programs listed by the charity

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email [email protected] with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

Quick facts about Wilderness Society

What is Wilderness Society?
Wilderness Society is a environment publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Washington, United States. Our Mission: United people to protect our wild places. Our Work: Climate Solutions, Landscape Connectivity, Community Led Conservation Each day thousands of acres of wild places are lost to mining, drilling, logging and other development. But we don't have to give it all away. Together, we can save our wildest lands for future generations.
When was Wilderness Society founded?
Wilderness Society was founded in 1937.
Who leads Wilderness Society?
David Seabrook serves as COO.
Where is Wilderness Society located?
Headquartered in Washington, DC, United States.
What is Wilderness Society's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $10M-$100M. 79% of expenses go to program services.
Is Wilderness Society trustworthy?
Wilderness Society has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Wilderness Society's registration number?
IRS EIN: 530167933.
What is Wilderness Society's website?
http://www.wilderness.org