Sustainable Forestry Initiative
Sustainable Forestry Initiative reported $13.5 million in revenue and $13.8 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $86.99 went to program services, $12.14 to management and general costs and $0.87 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 83.3% of the total. Government grants made up 5.4%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $937,010 (PRESIDENT & CEO). 28 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 36% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $14MFor 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
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $14M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$10.96 $1.5M
- Government grants$5.29 $731K
- Program service revenue$81.61 $11M
- Investment income$2.14 $295K
Other revenue was negative: −$279K. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 87.0% | 83.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 12.1% | 10.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.9% | 3.3% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.05 | $0.03 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 16.6% | 87.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 5.4% | 4.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 83.3% | 3.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $937,010 | $293,532 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 6.78% | 1.74% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 28 | 7 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 8.6 | 18.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 19 of 19 | 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
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseStandards:sfi continues to promote standards that provide assurance for Sustainable Forestry and responsible sourcing. According to an independent survey conducted by erm shelton in 2024, 63% of U.S. Consumers have heard of sfi, up from 52% in 2020. Additionally, of those aware of the sfi label, 93% trust ita 3% increase since 2020. At the end of 2024, the sfi footprint includes 370 million acres of forests certified to the sfi forest management standard and millions more positively influenced by the sfi fiber sourcing standard. And 79% of sfi-certified organizations reported steady or…
Education:sfi inc. Operates project learning tree (plt), an award-winning initiative that helps educators integrate environmental education into lesson plans and use the outdoors to engage students in a lifetime of learning. Plt advances environmental education, forest literacy and career pathways using trees and forests as windows on to the world. In 2024, we were proud to release explora tu ambiente: gua de actividades k-8, the spanish-language version of plt's best-selling explore your environment: k-8 activity guide. This will provide environmental education and forest literacy resources…
Conservation and community investments:sfi is the only standard to require that certified organizations invest in forest research. The total amount invested in research by sfi program participants is $2.1 billion since 1995. Sfi also invests directly in conservation research and collaborative projects to measure outcomes relative to water quality, biodiversity and species at risk, fire resilience and forest health. In 2024, sfi launched a new conservation initiative focused on forest health and fire resilience. The overarching goal of the project is to identify, develop, and implement…
Highest reported compensation
2024 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT & CEO Officer, 37.50 hrs/week | $914,007 | $0 | $23,003 | $937,010 |
| SVP CUSTOMER AFFAIRS Key employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $224,836 | $0 | $68,331 | $293,167 |
| SVP COMMUNITY & GOV'T RELATIONS Highest compensated employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $195,042 | $0 | $96,016 | $291,058 |
| CHIEF CONSERVATION OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $172,486 | $0 | $89,643 | $262,129 |
| CHIEF SCIENTIST Highest compensated employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $199,890 | $0 | $60,825 | $260,715 |
| VP, URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY Highest compensated employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $161,183 | $0 | $89,400 | $250,583 |
| FORMER CFO (UNTIL 07/24) Officer, 37.50 hrs/week | $166,668 | $0 | $26,539 | $193,207 |
| VP, COMMUNICATIONS, FINANCE & GR. Highest compensated employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $147,897 | $0 | $29,414 | $177,311 |
28 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Sustainable Forestry Initiative (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.6M (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
2024 · 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–1b19 · 19 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 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 535
- Volunteers Part I, line 622
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP Accounting services | $126,797 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 3 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
2 private foundations reported grants to Sustainable Forestry Initiative totaling $200K 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 Sustainable Forestry Initiative's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Sustainable Forestry Initiative, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Sustainable Forestry Initiative spent in 2024, $86.99 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Lewis Ginter Botanical GardenRichmond, VA · revenue $13M · programs 77.7% · FY2025
- Ocean Risk and Resilience Action AllianceWashington, DC · revenue $14M · programs 93.0% · 2025
- Young Womens Christian Association of Hanover PennsylvaniaHanover, PA · revenue $13M · programs 77.8% · FY2025
- Southern Utah Wilderness AllianceSalt Lake City, UT · revenue $14M · programs 88.8% · 2025
- SjcogStockton, CA · revenue $13M · programs 62.7% · FY2025
All environment charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of Sustainable Forestry Initiative's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Sustainable Forestry Initiative reported that 87.0% of its $13.8 million in expenses went to program services, 12.1% to management and general and 0.9% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Sustainable Forestry Initiative pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Sustainable Forestry Initiative reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $937,010, for the role of PRESIDENT & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Sustainable Forestry Initiative get its money?
Of $13.5 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 16.6% came from contributions and grants (including 5.4% from government grants) and 83.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Sustainable Forestry Initiative a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 80-0030060 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), 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
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202543219349307449 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202403199349314980 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202313189349318816 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202223189349312987 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202133199349314408 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202013219349322381 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 80-0030060: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.