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Nonprofiteer
← WESTERN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by WESTERN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION.

Totals

Total revenue
$14,580,557
Total expenses
$14,382,287
Contributions and grants received
$14,438,841
Grants paid
$7,581,562
Program service revenue
$0
Investment income
$141,716
Other revenue
$0
Total assets, end of year
$8,064,628
Total liabilities, end of year
$1,483,143
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$6,581,485
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$13,421,444
Management and general expenses
$799,646
Fundraising expenses
$161,197
Program service expenses (Part III)
$13,421,444

Program services were 93.3% 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.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $14,438,841

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $141,716 · excluded $141,716

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $7,581,562 · program services $7,581,562

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $584,547 · program services $213,743 · management and general $258,441 · fundraising $112,363

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $1,969,817 · program services $1,693,003 · management and general $275,204 · fundraising $1,610

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $244,340 · program services $209,138 · management and general $31,518 · fundraising $3,684

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $246,704 · program services $220,425 · management and general $25,659 · fundraising $620

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $239,657 · program services $185,266 · management and general $45,024 · fundraising $9,367

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $13,305 · program services $9,960 · management and general $2,767 · fundraising $578

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $2,759,704 · program services $2,734,419 · management and general $21,260 · fundraising $4,025

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $74,434 · program services $61,255 · management and general $11,101 · fundraising $2,078

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $266,504 · program services $199,498 · management and general $55,423 · fundraising $11,583

  • 17 · Travel

    total $212,121 · program services $158,788 · management and general $44,114 · fundraising $9,219

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $15,872 · program services $11,881 · management and general $3,301 · fundraising $690

  • 24a · Other expenses: STAFF MEETING & TRAINING

    total $110,951 · program services $85,771 · management and general $20,843 · fundraising $4,337

  • 24b · Other expenses: OTHER PROGRAM EXPENSES

    total $38,769 · program services $38,769

  • 24c · Other expenses: SPONSORSHIPS

    total $24,000 · program services $17,966 · management and general $4,991 · fundraising $1,043

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $7,361,321 · end of year $7,447,677

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $104,536 · end of year $249,422

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $3,776 · end of year $3,828

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $102,014

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $102,014

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $458,414 · end of year $363,701

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $519,483 · end of year $532,342

  • 18 · Grants payable

    beginning of year $605,500 · end of year $614,540

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $419,849 · end of year $336,261

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $3,385,128 · end of year $3,008,872

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $2,998,087 · end of year $3,572,613

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

BUILDING LEADERS TO PROTECT THE WEST'S LAND, AIR, AND WATER.

  • ACCOUNTABILITY: BUILDS CHAMPIONS FOR CONSERVATION BY BRINGING NEW VOICES TO THE CONSERVATION DEBATE, IDENTIFYING TIMELY ISSUES, AND EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT ACTIONS TAKEN BY PUBLIC OFFICIALS THAT IMPACT THE WESTERN UNITED STATES NATURAL RESOURCES.

    Expenses $12,985,502 · Grants $7,271,562

  • SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES: FUNDS PROJECTS THAT COMPLEMENT THE FOUNDATION'S MISSION BUT FALL OUTSIDE TARGETED GEOGRAPHIES.

    Expenses $435,942 · Grants $310,000

As filed on the 2024 return.

Listed in Part VII

  • Brendon Cechovic

    CEO

    Total calculated
    $314,956
    From this org
    $191,129
    From related orgs
    $72,621
    Other
    $51,206
    Hours/week
    28 + 12 related

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $191,129 + $72,621 related
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    $19,113 + $7,262 related
    Nontaxable benefits
    $7,652 + $17,179 related
    Filer's total
    $217,894 + $97,062 related
  • Shara Kaplin

    CHIEF OF STA

    Total calculated
    $264,418
    From this org
    $163,537
    From related orgs
    $56,963
    Other
    $43,918
    Hours/week
    28 + 12 related

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $163,537 + $56,963 related
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    $16,354 + $5,696 related
    Nontaxable benefits
    $8,393 + $13,475 related
    Filer's total
    $188,284 + $76,134 related
  • Leah Wieneke

    CHIEF OPS OF

    Total calculated
    $248,619
    From this org
    $145,161
    From related orgs
    $52,561
    Other
    $50,897
    Hours/week
    29 + 11 related

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $145,161 + $52,561 related
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    $14,516 + $5,256 related
    Nontaxable benefits
    $18,691 + $12,434 related
    Filer's total
    $178,368 + $70,251 related
  • Aaron Browning

    DIR FED PUBL

    Total calculated
    $243,880
    From this org
    $203,875
    From related orgs
    $6,125
    Other
    $33,880
    Hours/week
    39 + 1 related

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $203,875 + $6,125 related
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    $20,388 + $612 related
    Nontaxable benefits
    $11,430 + $1,450 related
    Filer's total
    $235,693 + $8,187 related
  • Monica Piergrossi

    PROGRAM DIRE

    Total calculated
    $213,111
    From this org
    $60,550
    From related orgs
    $112,450
    Other
    $40,111
    Hours/week
    13 + 27 related

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $60,550 + $112,450 related
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    $6,055 + $11,245 related
    Nontaxable benefits
    not reported + $22,811 related
    Filer's total
    $66,605 + $146,506 related
  • Brennan Bilberry

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2 + 2 related
  • Lisa Pawlek Jaguzny

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2 + 2 related
  • Chris Killingsworth

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Molly McUsic

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Bill Roberts

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

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

Answered yes

  • 1a · Payments for business use of a personal residence
  • 1b · Written policy on the line-1a expenses
  • 2 · Substantiation required before reimbursing expenses
  • 3 · Independent compensation consultant
  • 3 · Form 990 of other organizations
  • 3 · Compensation survey or study
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee

Answered no

  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

The filer's explanations (Part III)

SCHEDULE J, PAGE 1, PART I, LINE 3
THE ORGANIZATION IS A RELATED ORGANIZATION OF WESTERN CONSERVATION ACTION ("WCA"). IN 2024, WCA SHARED STAFF WITH WESTERN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION THROUGH A COST-SHARING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS. WCF PAID ALL COMPENSATION AND WCA PROMPTLY REIMBURSED WCF FOR ITS SHARE OF ALLOCABLE COMPENSATION PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT. WCF, AS THE COMMON PAYMASTER, NOT WCA, ISSUES THE W-2S. THE BOARD AND/OR COMPENSATION COMMITTEE OF WESTERN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION ESTABLISH THE COMPENSATION OF WESTERN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION'S CEO. WCA PAYS FOR ITS SHARE OF ANY OTHER OVERHEAD OR OTHER EXPENSES REASONABLY ALLOCATED TO ITS ACTIVITIES.

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

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

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.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
7 November 2025
IRS schema version
2024v5.0
Source object
202523119349302712

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

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