Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy reported $30.6 million in revenue and $8.5 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $93.43 went to program services, $3.98 to management and general costs and $2.59 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 94.0% of the total. Government grants made up 6.8%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $180,607 (Executive Director). 2 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 61% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $8.5MFor context, the median across 371 covered environment charities: $85.82 programs, $10.80 management, $3.38 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $31MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 93.4% | 83.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 4.0% | 10.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 2.6% | 3.3% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.01 | $0.03 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 94.0% | 87.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 6.8% | 4.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.1% | 3.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $180,607 | $293,532 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.14% | 1.74% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 206.7 | 18.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 13 of 13 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseOver the past fiscal year we completed 19 major conservation transactions discussed below which protected 2,820 acres of key mountain lands. This includes 15 fee simple purchases and 4 conservation easement purchases. The total value of the 19 transactions was $28.1 million. Landowner donation value was $3 million. The purchase price of the transactions was $25.1 million. At times the organization purchases land below appraised value in transactions that were not planned to be bargain purchases. In this tax year that difference totaled $0.3 million
The $25.1 million purchase prices came in the form of private philanthropic contributions and federal and state grants. We are now working on more than 50 significant transactions, which we hope will protect another 7,700 acres in the next 12-18 months. One particular transaction included above was the Richmond Hill Park Addition Its transaction value was $12.4 million
Our Farmland Access Program supports local communities, local food production, and the long- term productive use of farmland. We work with different members of the farming community to ensure that our agricultural resources stay productive - providing local food from local farms. We continue to work toward our goals to Protect and Steward land, and to advance opportunities for access to land, in order to carry out SAHCs Vision and Mission. Our Connecting People with Nature program connects people with land for outdoor recreation, health, fitness, well-being and learning. We led 34 outings for…
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Director Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $139,126 | $0 | $41,481 | $180,607 |
| Associate Director Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $135,756 | $0 | $32,614 | $168,370 |
2 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $361K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b13 · 13 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 528
- Volunteers Part I, line 6490
Private foundation grants it received
24 private foundations reported grants to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy totaling $259K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy spent in FY2025, $93.43 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Activate GlobalBerkeley, CA · revenue $31M · programs 79.9% · FY2025
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem StudiesMillbrook, NY · revenue $31M · programs 75.5% · FY2025
- VerraWashington, DC · revenue $31M · programs 93.3% · 2025
- Water Environment FederationAlexandria, VA · revenue $31M · programs 74.4% · FY2025
- Jjll Family FoundationIrvine, CA · revenue $30M · programs 0.0% · 2025
All environment charities · Largest charities in North Carolina
Questions people ask
How much of Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy reported that 93.4% of its $8.5 million in expenses went to program services, 4.0% to management and general and 2.6% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $180,607, for the role of Executive Director (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy get its money?
Of $30.6 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 94.0% came from contributions and grants (including 6.8% from government grants) and 0.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 62-1098890 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202630339349300043 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202510519349301436 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202430869349301333 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202340559349300549 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202220949349300512 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202100469349302505 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 62-1098890: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.