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Nonprofiteer
← ALASKA WILDERNESS LEAGUE

Form 990 for tax year 2023

Filed by ALASKA WILDERNESS LEAGUE.

Totals

Total revenue
$7,354,479
Total expenses
$3,338,085
Contributions and grants received
$7,129,205
Grants paid
$49,000
Program service revenue
$0
Investment income
$179,564
Other revenue
$45,710
Total assets, end of year
$10,287,979
Total liabilities, end of year
$1,411,502
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$8,876,477
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$2,426,477
Management and general expenses
$367,184
Fundraising expenses
$544,424
Program service expenses (Part III)
$2,426,477

Program services were 72.7% 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.

  • 1b · Membership dues

    $1,252,530

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $5,876,675

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $145,693

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $179,533 · excluded $179,533

  • 6a · Gross rents

    real property $42,128

  • 6b · Less rental expenses

    real property $0

  • 6c · Rental income or loss

    real property $42,128

  • 6d · Net rental income or loss

    total $42,128 · excluded $42,128

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $3,589,278

  • 7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

    securities $3,589,247

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities $31

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total $31 · excluded $31

  • 11a · Other revenue: CREDITS & REWARDS

    total $3,582 · excluded $3,582

  • 11e · Other revenue, total

    $3,582

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $28,000 · program services $28,000

  • 2 · Grants to domestic individuals

    total $21,000 · program services $21,000

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $314,689 · program services $259,494 · management and general $3,942 · fundraising $51,253

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $1,021,900 · program services $777,789 · management and general $121,071 · fundraising $123,040

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $29,491 · program services $22,436 · management and general $3,556 · fundraising $3,499

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $99,680 · program services $82,341 · management and general $6,055 · fundraising $11,284

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $101,255 · program services $78,615 · management and general $9,625 · fundraising $13,015

  • 11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

    total $70,550 · fundraising $70,550

  • 11f · Fees: investment management

    total $21,521 · management and general $21,521

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $489,860 · program services $378,333 · management and general $107,294 · fundraising $4,233

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $228,084 · program services $215,348 · management and general $89 · fundraising $12,647

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $58,822 · program services $28,648 · management and general $10,570 · fundraising $19,604

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $175,804 · program services $106,790 · management and general $9,639 · fundraising $59,375

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $208,261 · program services $162,127 · management and general $19,613 · fundraising $26,521

  • 17 · Travel

    total $67,330 · program services $56,203 · management and general $8,137 · fundraising $2,990

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $221,163 · program services $180,279 · management and general $36,353 · fundraising $4,531

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $422 · program services $328 · management and general $40 · fundraising $54

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $7,942 · program services $6,166 · management and general $755 · fundraising $1,021

  • 24a · Other expenses: DIRECT MAIL

    total $143,368 · program services $13,467 · fundraising $129,901

  • 24b · Other expenses: LICENSES AND FEES

    total $9,810 · management and general $1,459 · fundraising $8,351

  • 24c · Other expenses: DUES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

    total $9,757 · program services $7,988 · management and general $174 · fundraising $1,595

  • 24d · Other expenses: TRAINING AND DEVELOPMEN

    total $9,376 · program services $1,125 · management and general $7,291 · fundraising $960

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $534,291 · end of year $346,195

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $3 · end of year $0

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $180,000 · end of year $4,001,374

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $2,975 · end of year $5,823

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $16,300 · end of year $30,142

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

    $27,745

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

    $27,745

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $422 · end of year $0

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $4,152,141 · end of year $4,447,348

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $1,456,270 · end of year $1,457,097

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $147,893 · end of year $67,802

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $1,470,740 · end of year $1,343,700

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $4,187,604 · end of year $8,191,598

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $536,165 · end of year $684,879

Mission and programs · 2023

Mission

PROTECT ALASKA'S WILD LANDS AND WATERS BY INSPIRING BROAD SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL POLICY ACTION.

  • NPRA - ALASKA'S WESTERN ARCTIC IS HOME TO INCREDIBLE BIODIVERSITY, FEATURING SOME OF THE LONGEST MIGRATIONS LEFT ON EARTH. AT THE SAME TIME, THE NPRA IS INCREASINGLY THE FOCUS OF OIL AND GAS COMPANIES WHO SEEK TO EXTRACT BILLIONS OF BARRELS OF OIL IN THE DECADES TO COME. TO HELP PROTECT OUR CLIMATE, WILD PLACES, AND SUSTAINABLE HUMAN USES OF THE NPRA, WE ARE PUSHING THE ADMINISTRATION TO SHIFT THE MANAGEMENT DIRECTION OF THIS LANDSCAPE IN FAVOR OF CONSERVATION AND CLIMATE SMART POLICY. ON TOP OF DEPLOYING OUR NETWORKS OF SUPPORTERS, WE ARE ALSO HELPING TO CREATE AND LEAD ELEVATION STRATEGIES THAT INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT THIS RELATIVELY UNKNOWN AREA OF ALASKA'S ARCTIC, WHILE OPPOSING OIL AND GAS PROJECTS THAT WOULD LOCK THE REGION INTO OIL PRODUCTION THROUGH THE 2050S AND BEYOND.

    Expenses $887,249 · Grants $13,876

  • REFUGE - THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE HAS BEEN A PRIMARY FOCUS OF AWL SINCE OUR FOUNDING. EVER SINCE CONGRESS VOTED TO OPEN THE ARCTIC REFUGE COASTAL PLAIN UP FOR OIL AND GAS EXTRACTION IN 2017, OUR PRIMARY GOAL HAS BEEN RESTORING PROTECTIONS WHILE STOPPING & LIMITING DAMAGE FROM ANY AND ALL INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT. TO SECURE THIS GOAL, WE WORK WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND THE ADMINISTRATION ALIKE TO SECURE A WILDERNESS DESIGNATION AND MINIMIZE IMPACTS FROM THE 2017 TAX ACT, ALONG WITH OTHER POLICIES THAT PROTECT REFUGE LANDS FOR LONG TERM SUSTAINABLE USES. OUR WORK ALSO INCLUDES EDUCATING AND MOBILIZING AMERICANS - INCLUDING ALASKANS - IN OUR 100,000+ MEMBER AND SUPPORTER NETWORK, WHILE WE ALSO LEAD LIKEMINDED ORGANIZATIONS AND ENTITIES WHO ARE ALSO SEEKING LONG TERM PROTECTIONS FOR THIS ICONIC LANDSCAPE.

    Expenses $729,265 · Grants $32,633

  • ARCTIC REFUGE DEFENSE CAMPAIGN - ALASKA WILDERNESS LEAGUE HOUSES THE CENTRAL STAFF AND SERVES AS THE FISCAL SPONSOR FOR THIS COLLABORATIVE CAMPAIGN EFFORT INVOLVING NATIONAL AND STATE-BASED CONSERVATION GROUPS AS WELL AS INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS BASED IN ALASKA. FORMERLY THE ARCTIC REFUGE DEFENSE CAMPAIGN, THIS RECENTLY EXPANDED COLLABORATIVE EFFORT IS NOW AIMED AT PROTECTING BOTH THE NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE-ALASKA AND THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE FROM OIL EXTRACTION THREATS.

    Expenses $531,803

  • TONGASS. IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA, THE TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST HAS ALREADY TRANSITIONED TO A POST-CLEAR CUT LOGGING ECONOMY, BUT FOR THE PAST DECADE POLICIES OF THE GOVERNMENT HAVE LAGGED BEHIND. AWL WORKED HARD TO SECURE, AND ARE HEARTENED, BY PRESIDENT BIDEN'S "SOUTHEAST ALASKA SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY" ANNOUNCED DURING 2021, AND TODAY AWL IS WORKING TO SECURE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF IT. AT THE SAME TIME, AWL WORKS CLOSELY WITH PARTNERS - BOTH NATIONALLY AND IN-ALASKA - TO PUSH BACK AGAINST ANY LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PRIVATIZE CURRENTLY PUBLIC LANDS IN THIS FOREST.30X30. TODAY, IT'S A GLOBAL IMPERATIVE TO SECURE AT LEAST 30% OF LANDS AND WATERS FROM DESTRUCTION BY 2030, AND THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION HAS STATED AN INTENTION TO MAKE THIS A REALITY IN THE UNITED STATES. AS THE LEAGUE HAS BOTH NATIONAL AND IN-ALASKA PARTNERS, AWL WORKS TO HIGHLIGHT CRITICAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE ALASKA-CENTRIC TO HELP ACHIEVE THIS POLICY GOAL, WITH AN EYE TOWARDS SECURING CONSERVATION WINS FOR THE CAMPAIGNS LISTED ABOVE, ALONG WITH OTHER PRO-PUBLIC LAND POLICIES AND DECISIONS ACROSS THE STATE.RAPID DEFENSE. DEFENDING ALASKA'S PUBLIC LANDS REQUIRES CONSTANT ATTENTION. SOME THREATS - LIKE DRILLING THE ARCTIC REFUGE - ARE HIGH PROFILE, AND GARNER PUBLIC SCRUTINY THAT AWL WILL HELP TO SUPPORT THROUGH OUR LONG RUNNING ADVOCACY EFFORTS DESCRIBED ABOVE. HOWEVER, OTHER THREATS TO THE INTEGRITY OF ALASKA'S PUBLIC LANDS AREN'T AS OBVIOUS, THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS OR VIA ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION. WITH AWL'S POLICY EXPERTISE AND OFFICE IN ALASKA, AWL IS WELL EQUIPPED TO ANALYZE PUBLIC LAND THREATS STATEWIDE, WHILE AWL SIMULTANEOUSLY WORKS TO INFLUENCE FEDERAL DECISIONS IN WASHINGTON DC.

    Expenses $278,160 · Grants $2,492

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • Pat Pourchot

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2 + 2 related

  • Kit Deslauriers

    PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    10 + 2 related

  • Yvonne Besvold

    TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Toni Armstrong

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Ellen Ferguson

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2 + 2 related

  • Steve Barker

    DIRECTOR UNTIL 12/31/2023

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Brian O'Donnell

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Debbie Miller

    SECRETARY

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Jody Juneby Potts-Joseph

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • John Sterling

    VICE PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    4

  • Chad Brown

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Greg Moga

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Amy Roberts

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Gareth Martins

    DIRECTOR FROM 7/25/24

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Lisa Collins

    DIRECTOR FROM 1/1/24

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Nikki Buffa

    DIRECTOR FROM 1/1/24

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Leonard Steinberg

    DIRECTOR FROM 1/1/24

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Tonya Garnett

    DIRECTOR FROM 1/1/24

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Kristen Miller

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $209,157
    From this org
    $174,594
    From related orgs
    $10,652
    Other
    $23,911
    Hours/week
    37.7 + 2.3 related

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $164,594 + $10,652 related
    Bonus
    $10,000
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $5,623 + $343 related
    Nontaxable benefits
    $16,913 + $1,032 related
    Filer's total
    $197,130 + $12,027 related

  • Desiree Sorenson-Groves

    DIRECTOR OF ARDC

    Total calculated
    $117,560
    From this org
    $113,883
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $3,677
    Hours/week
    40

  • Mladen Mates

    SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

    Total calculated
    $143,695
    From this org
    $115,291
    From related orgs
    $17,993
    Other
    $10,411
    Hours/week
    34.6 + 5.4 related

  • Christopher Konish

    SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

    Total calculated
    $114,729
    From this org
    $110,541
    From related orgs
    $835
    Other
    $3,353
    Hours/week
    39.7 + 0.3 related

  • Monica Scherer

    SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CAMPAIGNS

    Total calculated
    $114,202
    From this org
    $80,652
    From related orgs
    $20,163
    Other
    $13,387
    Hours/week
    32 + 8 related

  • Andrew Moderow

    SENIOR DIRECTOR OF POLICY

    Total calculated
    $114,087
    From this org
    $73,505
    From related orgs
    $35,392
    Other
    $5,190
    Hours/week
    27 + 13 related

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

  • 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)

PART I, LINE 3
THE ORGANIZATION UTILIZES COMPARABLE PAY INFORMATION TO DETERMINE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMPENSATION ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. THE MOST RECENT COMPENSATION REVIEW WAS COMPLETED IN JANUARY 2024.

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

  • LOVE IS KING

    $25,000

    TO PLAN AND LEAD TRIP FOR FIVE BIPOC WOMEN LEADERS TO ALASKA, INCLUDING THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

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
2023
Filed
10 July 2025
IRS schema version
2023v6.0
Source object
202531959349301108

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