Form 990 for tax year 2025

Totals

Total revenue

$41,839,038

Total expenses

$12,261,874

Contributions and grants received

$40,723,155

Grants paid

$2,984,088

Program service revenue

$0

Investment income

$916,163

Other revenue

$199,720

Total assets, end of year

$49,370,979

Total liabilities, end of year

$2,184,666

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$47,186,313

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$10,002,352

Management and general expenses

$1,542,979

Fundraising expenses

$716,543

Program service expenses (Part III)

$10,002,352

Program services were 81.6% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2025

• LAND RIGHTS, PROTECTIONS & MANAGEMENT- IN BRAZIL, ON BANANAL ISLAND IN THE STATE OF TOCANTINS, BRAZIL, THE AWA PEOPLE ARE ADVANCING THE RECOVERY OF THEIR TERRITORY THROUGH PLANTING, FOREST MANAGEMENT, AND INITIATIVES LED BY THE KAWU NURSERY PROJECT, CREATED BY THE COMMUNITY WITH SUPPORT FROM ACT. BUILT IN MAY 2025, THE NURSERY ENSURES A CONTINUOUS SUPPLY OF NATIVE SEEDLINGS FOR THEIR RESTORATION WORK AND STRENGTHENS THE COMMUNITY'S AUTONOMY IN ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY. OVER 800 SEEDLINGS ARE CURRENTLY BEING PLANTED. ALONG RIVERBANKS AND WETLANDS, THE AWA HAVE CULTIVATED CAJU, BURITI, ACAI, AND AROEIRA - SPECIES GROWN BY THE COMMUNITY ITSELF, ESSENTIAL FOR PROTECTING WATER AND SOIL.- IN CLOSE CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMUNITIES, IN 2025, ACT CARRIED OUT LAND TENURE STUDIES FOR THE DEMARCATION OF KOKAMA TERRITORIES ALONG THE ICA RIVER IN BRAZIL'S UPPER SOLIMOES RIVER REGION, COVERING NEARLY 300,000 ACRES AND ALL KOKAMA VILLAGES. THE DEMARCATION IS AN ESSENTIAL STEP TOWARD OFFICIAL COLLECTIVE LAND RIGHTS FOR THE KOKAMA OVER THEIR ANCESTRAL TERRITORY. ADDITIONALLY, ACT MAPPED HYDROGRAPHY, VEGETATION, SOIL TYPES, AND NATIVE SPECIES. THROUGHOUT THE FIELDWORK, ETHNOMAPPING WORKSHOPS WERE CONDUCTED WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS.- IN 2025, THE COMMUNITIES OF BRAZIL'S PARANA DO BOA-BOA INDIGENOUS LAND COMPLETED THE PRODUCTION AND PUBLICATION OF THEIR PGTA (TERRITORIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN), A FORMALLY RECOGNIZED GUIDE DEVELOPED BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TO SUPPORT THE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION OF THEIR TERRITORIES. COMPARABLE TO THE LIFE PLANS DEVELOPED IN OTHER ACT WORK AREAS, THE PGTA WAS THE FIRST SUPPORTED BY ACT-BRASIL - A MILESTONE COLLECTIVELY DEVELOPED WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF THE NADEB AND KANAMARY PEOPLES. THE PGTA IS WHERE THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES EXPRESS THEIR ASPIRATIONS AND DRAW UP THEIR PATHWAYS AND STRATEGIES TO CARE FOR THE FOREST, THE WATERS, THE FLORA AND FAUNA, AND THEIR COMMUNITIES OVER THE LONG TERM, BASED ON THEIR WORLDVIEW.- IN GUYANA, ANCESTRAL MAPPING HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT IN AND WITH THE FULL PARTNERSHIP OF FOUR MACUSHI INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, RESULTING IN TERRITORIAL AND VILLAGE MAPS WITH MORE THAN A THOUSAND LANDSCAPE AND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA POINTS. AMONG MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES, THE ENDEAVOR SEEKS TO EMPOWER COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE AND BOLSTER PROTECTION OF BIODIVERSITY. IN 2025, ACT MET WITH ADDITIONAL VILLAGES OF THE MACUSHI, WAIWAI, AND WAPISHANA PEOPLES TO INCREASE THE ANCESTRAL MAPPING REACH AND TO RECORD ORAL HISTORIES, ALSO KNOWN AS STORIES OF PLACE, WITH THE GOAL OF PRESERVING AND TRANSMITTING TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE.- SINCE 2007, ACT HAS HELPED TRAIN MORE THAN 60 COMMUNITY RANGERS AND ESTABLISHED SEVEN RANGER POSTS ACROSS SURINAME. THE MOST RECENT POST, VIER GEBROEDERS, OPENED IN JUNE 2025 IN THE SIPALIWINI NATURE RESERVE, IN A REMOTE AREA NEAR THE BRAZILIAN BORDER. THE STATION, MANNED AT ALL HOURS, IS AN IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD IMPROVING THE PROTECTION OF A SENSITIVE AREA FROM VIOLATIONS RELATED TO ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES - ESPECIALLY LAND DEGRADATION FROM ILLEGAL MINING ACTIVITIES, HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, AND WILDLIFE, DRUG, AND ILLEGAL ARMS TRAFFICKING - WITH FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. COMMUNITY RANGERS IN SURINAME PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN IDENTIFYING AND REPORTING ILLEGAL AND ENVIRONMENTALLY DESTRUCTIVE ACTIVITIES - PARTICULARLY GOLD MINING, WHICH HAS SURGED IN RECENT YEARS DUE TO RECORD-HIGH GOLD PRICES. IN 2025, FOLLOWING INTENSIVE TRAINING, SIX RANGERS ACHIEVED THE STATUS OF SPECIAL OFFICER OF THE NATIONAL POLICE FORCE, CERTIFIED BY SURINAME'S MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND POLICE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF AN AGREEMENT SIGNED BETWEEN ACT AND THE MINISTRY. THE STATUS INTEGRATES THE COMMUNITY RANGERS IN THE NATIONAL MONITORING SYSTEM AND PROVIDES THEM WITH A LIMITED, NON-WEAPON-BEARING MANDATE TO ENFORCE THE LAW BY ACTING AGAINST VIOLATIONS AND REPORTING ON ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES IN THEIR TERRITORY. ADDITIONALLY, WITHIN THE SCOPE OF AN AGREEMENT WITH ACT, 16 RANGERS WERE TRAINED AND CERTIFIED IN FOREST MONITORING BY THE MINISTRY OF LAND POLICY AND FOREST MANAGEMENT. JOINT FIELD PATROLS HAVE COMMENCED BETWEEN RANGERS AND NATIONAL GAME WARDENS. THE RANGERS ALSO PROVIDE ONGOING ASSISTANCE IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, INCLUDING WILDLIFE MONITORING AND WATER QUALITY SAMPLING.- OVER DECADES, ACT HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN SECURING THE TERRITORIAL RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND SAFEGUARDING ECOLOGICALLY AND CULTURALLY STRATEGIC AREAS THROUGH RIGHTS-BASED PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION SYSTEMS. IN COLOMBIA, IN 2025, 339,574 ACRES OF INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES WERE LEGALIZED OR EXPANDED.- COLOMBIA'S SIERRA NEVADA DE SANTA MARTA IS AMONG THE MOST BIODIVERSE ECOREGIONS IN THE WORLD. THERE, ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION PROGRESSED SIGNIFICANTLY IN PRIORITIZED RIVER BASINS THROUGH COORDINATED WORK WITH INDIGENOUS AUTHORITIES AND LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING RESTORATION AND REFORESTATION OF MANGROVE AND DRY FOREST. WITHIN THE SACRED SITE OF JABA TANIWASHKAKA, 2.5 HECTARES HAVE BEEN RESTORED WITH 1,190 NATIVE TREES FROM 30 DIFFERENT SPECIES. THE RESTORATION PROCESS HAS INCORPORATED SUSTAINABLE AGROECOLOGICAL PRACTICES, INCLUDING THE USE OF ORGANIC FERTILIZERS COLLECTED ON-SITE, CHEMICAL-FREE AGRICULTURE, MIXED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS (COMBINING TIMBER SPECIES WITH FOOD CROPS), NON-CHEMICAL PEST CONTROL, AND BIODIVERSITY-FRIENDLY MANAGEMENT BY RETAINING ALL EXISTING TREES.- ACT'S ANCESTRAL TIDES PROGRAM IS A MARINE CONSERVATION INITIATIVE THAT PARTNERS WITH LOCAL AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES ACROSS COSTA RICA, PANAMA, MEXICO, AND COLOMBIA. SINCE 2019, ANCESTRAL TIDES HAS PROTECTED MORE THAN 1,600 SEA TURTLE NESTS AND GUIDED MORE THAN 150,000 HATCHLINGS SAFELY TO THE OCEAN - MAKING IT ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC. THE PROGRAM HAS PARTNERED WITH 18 INDIGENOUS GROUPS. IN ADDITION TO 16 WORKING SITES ACROSS THE NETWORK, SEVEN SEA TURTLE HATCHERIES ARE NOW IN OPERATION, WITH A HATCHING SUCCESS RATE OF OVER 90% IN ALL COUNTRY INITIATIVES.

  Expenses $6,224,182 · Grants $1,339,881

• GOVERNANCE AND CULTURE -IN 2025, IN THE BONA INDIGENOUS VILLAGE IN THE NORTHERN BRAZILIAN STATE OF PARA, ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE TUMUCUMAQUE INDIGENOUS AREA, ACT SPONSORED MULTIPLE WORKSHOPS ENGAGING 90 INDIGENOUS REPRESENTATIVES TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FORMAL DOCUMENT THAT LAYS OUT AN EDUCATIONAL PLAN FOR A NETWORK OF 22 WAYANA AND APALAI INDIGENOUS VILLAGES AND THEIR SCHOOLS, KNOWN AS A PROJETO POLITICO PEDAGOGICO (PEDAGOGICAL AND POLITICAL PROJECT). THE PLAN MAPS OUT HOW WESTERN SCHOOLING WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH TRADITIONAL TEACHING THAT IS CULTURALLY ESSENTIAL TO THE COMMUNITIES. ONCE RATIFIED IN THE INDIGENOUS ASSEMBLY, THE DOCUMENT WILL BE SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL TO THE EDUCATIONAL SECRETARIAT OF AMAPA.-IN FEBRUARY 2025, IN SURINAME'S PARA DISTRICT, 23 VILLAGE LEADERS AND MEMBERS FROM SEVEN VILLAGES ASSEMBLED AT COLA KREEK FOR A WEEK OF LEADERSHIP TRAINING SPONSORED BY ACT. THE TRAINING FOCUSED ON OPTIMIZING NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT ON SHARED OBJECTIVES AND THE PRIORITIES OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES. -IN COLOMBIA'S SIERRA NEVADA DE SANTA MARTA, MULTIPLE WORKSHOPS WERE CARRIED OUT BETWEEN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND OTHER KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO BRING AWARENESS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SACRED SITES AND ECOSYSTEMS, ALONG WITH KNOWLEDGE-EXCHANGE DIALOGUE SESSIONS. THIS WORK ENABLED PROGRESS IN JOINTLY DEVELOPING PROTECTION PATHWAYS AND LED TO THE SIGNING OF INTERCULTURAL AND INTERETHNIC AGREEMENTS TO SAFEGUARD FOUR SACRED SITES OF THE LINEA NEGRA. THE SITES NOW BENEFIT FROM STRONGER MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION, AND THE EXCHANGE AND DIALOGUE SESSIONS HAVE HELPED STRENGTHEN UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR IMPORTANCE AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO ECOSYSTEM BALANCE. -SINCE 2012, IN COLOMBIA, ACT HAS WORKED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SIERRA NEVADA DE SANTA MARTA'S KOGUI, ARHUACO, WIWA, AND KANKUAMO PEOPLES TO EXPAND INDIGENOUS RESERVES, ACQUIRE PRIVATE LANDS TO SAFEGUARD SACRED SITES, RESTORE BIODIVERSITY, AND SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE. IN 2025, ACT CONTINUED OUR COMMITMENT TO THE AREA BY COLLABORATING WITH INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND THE AGUSTIN CODAZZI GEOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE (IGAC) TO RECORD THE ORAL HISTORIES OF 38 PRIORITIZED SACRED SITES. THESE STORIES-TOLD BY ELDERS AND ACCOMPANIED BY MAPPED DATA-WILL BE SHARED WITH THE COMMUNITIES THROUGH INTERACTIVE MAPPING PLATFORMS TO BE USED IN INDIGENOUS EDUCATIONAL SPACES, WHILE A SMALLER SELECTION WILL BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE TO RAISE AWARENESS.

  Expenses $2,455,577 · Grants $1,155,896

• COMMUNITY LIVELIHOODS AND WELL-BEING-FOR THE AWA COMMUNITY OF THE ITARO VILLAGE ON BRAZIL'S BANANAL ISLAND, ACT HAS SOUGHT TO INCREASE THE AWAS' FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND STRENGTHEN THEIR TRADITIONAL DIET THROUGH AN INCREASE IN THE AVAILABILITY AND DIVERSITY OF FOOD SPECIES, REDUCING CONSUMPTION OF PROCESSED FOODS BY THE SAME PROPORTION. IN 2025, ACT WORKED WITH VILLAGERS TO CONSTRUCT A SEEDLING NURSERY WITH CAPACITY FOR PRODUCTION OF 4,000 SEEDLINGS ANNUALLY. ACT ALSO PROVIDED THE COMMUNITY WITH SEEDS FOR 35 DIFFERENT SPECIES, WITH SEEDLINGS PLANTED IN THE RAINING SEASON. A LOCAL LABOR SYSTEM PROVIDES COMPENSATION TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR TIME DEDICATED TO THE PROJECT. THE PROJECT PROMOTES A PROCESS OF GREATER DIVERSIFICATION OF FOREST COVER IN THE SURROUNDINGS OF THE ITAR VILLAGE, CONTRIBUTING TO GREATER DIRECT CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND REDUCING DEFORESTATION PRESSURE IN OTHER AREAS. -IN 2025, ACT PROVIDED EMERGENCY AND RESILIENCE SUPPORT TO TWO INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES OF BRAZIL IMPACTED AND DISPLACED BY THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, THE WAUJA PEOPLE OF THE ULUPUENE VILLAGE OF THE XINGU AND THE AWA OF THE ITARO VILLAGE OF BANANAL ISLAND. HOUSING WAS REBUILT, AND FOOD AND ESSENTIAL ITEMS WERE SUPPLIED TO ADDRESS IMMEDIATE LIVING CONDITIONS, WHILE INDIGENOUS FIREFIGHTERS WERE EQUIPPED AND TRAINED FOR FIRE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE CAPACITY. FOR THE AWA, FIREFIGHTING TRAINING WAS COORDINATED WITH ICMBIO, THE GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTROLLING FIRES IN THE REGION, WHILE 24 MEMBERS OF THE WAUJA RECEIVED TRAINING THROUGH IBAMA, THE AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INSPECTION ACTIONS IN INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES. THE FIRE BRIGADES ARE CLOSELY LINKED TO ECOLOGICAL RECOVERY, AS FIRES ARE AMONG THE MAIN CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION IN THE REGIONS. -IN THE HEART OF SURINAME, COLOMBIA AND BRAZIL, SUSTAINABLE STINGLESS BEEKEEPING FOR CONSERVATION IS SUSTAINING LIVELIHOODS, PRESERVING CULTURAL TRADITIONS, AND PROTECTING VITAL ECOSYSTEMS. IN SURINAME, WITH ACT'S ONGOING TECHNICAL TRAINING AND SUPPORT, 80 DEDICATED BEEKEEPERS ACROSS FIVE VILLAGES ARE MANAGING APPROXIMATELY 480 HIVES OF VARIOUS STINGLESS BEE SPECIES. THE PROJECTS CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES THAT REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON DESTRUCTIVE GOLD MINING. LOCAL LEADERS ARE SPEARHEADING APIARIES AND PASSING KNOWLEDGE TO YOUNGER GENERATIONS, ENSURING BOTH CULTURAL CONTINUITY AND ECOLOGICAL STEWARDSHIP. IN COLOMBIA, ACROSS 11 MUNICIPALITIES AND 42 VILLAGES, AND FOUR INDIGENOUS RESERVES, 114 FAMILIES INTEGRATE STINGLESS BEEKEEPING INTO THEIR AGROFORESTRY PLOTS. IN THE MORE THAN 800 HIVES UNDER COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT, 15 BEE SPECIES ARE CULTIVATED. THE BEES BOOST THE PRODUCTIVITY OF NATIVE PLANTS AND FOOD CROPS, WHILE HONEY SALES PROVIDE A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TO DEFORESTATION-DRIVEN ECONOMIES SUCH AS CATTLE RANCHING AND COCA CULTIVATION.

  Expenses $1,322,593 · Grants $488,311

As filed on the 2025 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

• ACT-BRASIL

  CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES · BR · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by ACT-US

• ACT-EUROPE

  CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES · NL · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by ACT-US

• ACT-GUIANAS

  CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES · NS · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by ACT-US

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2025

Filed

28 July 2026

IRS schema version

2025v4.2

Source object

202602109349300310

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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