Form 990 for tax year 2025

Totals

Total revenue

$6,019,529

Total expenses

$8,585,215

Contributions and grants received

$5,968,734

Grants paid

$676,687

Program service revenue

$0

Investment income

$44,424

Other revenue

$6,371

Total assets, end of year

$6,937,507

Total liabilities, end of year

$3,499,597

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$3,437,910

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$6,989,775

Management and general expenses

$1,522,806

Fundraising expenses

$72,634

Program service expenses (Part III)

$6,989,775

Program services were 81.4% 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

• FOREST POLICY, TRADE & FINANCE INITIATIVE: THE FOREST POLICY, TRADE AND FINANCE INITIATIVE WAS CREATED IN THE EARLY 2000S WHEN THE ORGANIZATION REALIZED THAT EMERGING MARKETS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND PRODUCTS WERE CONTINUING TO BE UNDERMINED BY CHEAP AND ILLEGAL FOREST PRODUCTS. SINCE THEN, THE FPTF PROGRAM HAS BEEN WORKING TO "SQUEEZE OUT" THE PROFITABILITY AND MARKET ACCESS OF ILLEGALLY SOURCED TIMBER AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. THE ULTIMATE AIM OF THE FPTF PROGRAM IS TO SUPPORT MARKET TRANSFORMATION AWAY FROM PRODUCTS SOURCED ILLEGALLY FROM FOREST AREAS, DEVELOPING EXCELLENT DATA AND POLICY ANALYSIS IN CONJUNCTION WITH STAKEHOLDERS, AND MENTORING AND CONVENING 'COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE' AT THE INTERSECTION OF GOOD FOREST GOVERNANCE, LAW ENFORCEMENT, TRADE CONTROLS, SECURE RESOURCE RIGHTS, AND SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT. THE INITIATIVE'S THEORY OF CHANGE HINGES UPON A COMBINATION OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND SIDE INTERVENTIONS AT THIS INTERSECTION OF POLICY, GOVERNANCE, TRANSPARENCY, AND SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE PRODUCTION.MEKONG: PREVENTING DEFORESTATIONS BEFORE IT HAPPENS THROUGH STOPPING ILLEGAL DEFORESTATION, FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE, CREATING NEW STRATEGIES IN TRACING ILLEGAL TIMBER AND WORKING BOTH WITH CONSUMERS AND PRODUCERS.

  Expenses $2,283,806

• WATER INITIATIVE: RECOGNIZING THE MULTIPLE VALUES, INCLUDING SUPPLIES OF CLEAN WATER, WHICH FORESTS PROVIDE TO PEOPLE, FOREST TRENDS HAS WORKED FROM INCEPTION TO PROMOTE THE USE OF INCENTIVES AND MARKET-BASED INSTRUMENTS TO PROTECT AND SUSTAINABLY MANAGE WATERSHED SERVICES. FOREST TRENDS HELPED ESTABLISH THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FUND, AN INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FOREST TRENDS, THE WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE, AND THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION, TO RESTORE AND PROTECT THE BAY'S WATER QUALITY. IN 2010, WE LAUNCHED THE FIRST STATE OF WATERSHED PAYMENTS REPORT, THE FIRST GLOBAL SURVEY OF INCENTIVE AND MARKET-BASED INSTRUMENTS FOR PROTECTING HYDROLOGICAL SERVICES.GLOBAL WATER IN 2018, USAID AND THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA MADE A MAJOR $28 MILLION COMMITMENT (IN 2013 THIS COMMITMENT WAS INCREASED TO $52,181,653 TO THE NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR WATER SECURITY PROJECT IN PERU, LED BY FOREST TRENDS AND PARTNERS. FOREST TRENDS ALSO CREATED THE FIRST-EVER COMPREHENSIVE ONLINE COURSE ON NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE WATER SECTOR IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF LATIN AMERICAN WATER UTILITY REGULATORS (ADERASA) AND FINANCING EXPERTS AT ECODECISIN. TO DATE, FOREST TRENDS HAS TRAINED 126 ENGINEERS AND WATER SERVICE PROVIDERS (70 MEN AND 56 WOMEN) IN 13 COUNTRIES IN DESIGNING AND EVALUATING NATURE-BASED INTERVENTIONS. THE COURSE IS IN ITS THIRD - PERENNIALLY OVERSUBSCRIBED - ITERATION. FTA RECEIVED A TERMINATION LETTER OF THESE PROGRAMS AS OF JANUARY 2025.

  Expenses $1,781,439 · Grants $145,404

• COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE: THE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE IS ONE OF THE FIRST INITIATIVES OF FOREST TRENDS. THE INITIAL FOCUS WAS ON RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS TO PROMOTE COMMUNITIES' FOREST/LAND TENURE. IN 2006 WE TRANSITIONED TO OUR CURRENT APPROACH OF WORKING DIRECTLY WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO STRENGTHEN THEIR CAPACITY TO SECURE AND MANAGE THEIR TRADITIONAL FOREST HOMELANDS.WE SUPPORT INDIGENOUS AND OTHER TRADITIONAL COMMUNITIES TO SECURE THEIR RIGHTS, MANAGE AND CONSERVE THEIR FORESTS AND IMPROVE THEIR LIVELIHOODS. FOCUSING ON RIGHTS, FORESTS, AND LIVELIHOODS, WE LINK LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN KEY GEOGRAPHIES TO OPPORTUNITIES AROUND EVOLVING POLICY, FINANCE, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. BY STRENGTHENING LOCAL COMMUNITIES' CAPACITY TO SECURE AND MANAGE THEIR FORESTS, THE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE IS ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION, CULTURAL SURVIVAL, AND TO THE CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY AND OTHER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.

  Expenses $1,356,235 · Grants $233,987

• CATALYTIC CAMPAIGN: THE FOREST SERVICE ACCOMPLISHES WORK UNDER THE CHALLENGE COST-SHARE AUTHORITY (DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT OF 1992, PUBLIC LAW 102-154) FOR THE PURPOSE OF COOPERATIVELY DEVELOPING, PLANNING, AND IMPLEMENTING PROJECTS WITH OUR PARTNERS THAT ARE OF MUTUAL INTEREST AND BENEFIT AND ENHANCE FOREST SERVICE ACTIVITIES. AS STATED IN THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT (22-CS-11132420), THE FOREST SERVICE SEEKS TO MODIFY ITS AGREEMENT WITH FOREST TRENDS TO EXPAND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS RELATED TO THE WILDFIRE CRISIS STRATEGY, MUTUALLY SUPPORTING PARTNERS' EFFORTS TO BUILD ENABLING CONDITIONS THAT ACCELERATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PRIORITY ON-THE GROUNDWORK IN WCS LANDSCAPES.

  Expenses $729,522

• ECOSYSTEM MARKETPLACE: LAUNCHED AS A WEB-BASED INFORMATION PLATFORM IN 2004, ECOSYSTEM MARKETPLACE PUBLISHES NEWSLETTERS, BREAKING NEWS, ORIGINAL FEATURE ARTICLES AND MAJOR REPORTS ABOUT MARKET-BASED APPROACHES TO CONSERVING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES. BEGINNING IN 2007, STAFF BEGAN COLLECTING SURVEY DATA TO INFORM THE FIRST-EVER "STATE OF THE VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKETS" REPORT; SINCE THEN, COVERAGE HAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE FOREST CARBON, WATERSHED INVESTMENTS AND BIODIVERSITY IN OUR SIGNATURE "STATE OF" MARKET ANALYSIS REPORT FORMAT. LATELY, EM HAS EXPLORED NEW TOPICS OF INTEREST TO OUR TRADITIONAL MARKETS (E.G., THE BUYERS' REPORT), EXPANDED OUR COVERAGE TO NEW FOCAL TOPICS (E.G., SUPPLY CHANGE, AND THE CONSERVATION INVESTMENT SURVEY), AND INCREASED OUR EXTERNAL ADVISING AND CONSULTING OPPORTUNITIES (E.G., GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR CLEAN COOKSTOVES, FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL).EM BELIEVES THAT TRANSPARENCY IS A HALLMARK OF ROBUST MARKETS AND THAT BY PROVIDING FREELY-ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION, WE CAN FACILITATE TRANSACTIONS (THEREBY LOWERING TRANSACTION COSTS) AND ALSO CATALYZE NEW THINKING AND SPUR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MARKETS AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS THEM. WITH EM'S HIGH QUALITY MARKET INTELLIGENCE, PROJECT DEVELOPERS CAN BETTER MANAGE AND SELL ECOSYSTEM SERVICES; BUYERS CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THE MARKETS AND THEIR LEGITIMACY; POLICY MAKERS CAN LEARN FROM PAST POLICIES TO CREATE MORE ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS FOR MARKETS; AND ACADEMICS CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THE REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES AND TRENDS OF PAYMENTS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.

  Expenses $541,477

• KATOOMBA: THE KATOOMBA GROUP, HOSTED BY FOREST TRENDS, IS A GLOBAL NETWORK OF PEOPLE WORKING TO MOBILIZE PUBLIC FUNDING AND PRIVATE CAPITAL TO CONSERVE AND RESTORE NATURE IN WAYS THAT ALSO EMPOWER INDIGENOUS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

  Expenses $297,296 · Grants $297,296

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

• THE KATOOMBA GROUP INC

  $297,296

  FORGIVENESS OF INTERCOMPANY BALANCE

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.

• THE KATOOMBA GROUP

  501(C)(3) · FACILITATE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS TO LAUNCH GREEN FOREST PRODUCTS · DC · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by FTA

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2025

Filed

5 June 2026

IRS schema version

2025v4.1

Source object

202611569349300141

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

The source document this was parsed from is served over the API, which is where bulk and document access live.