Aldo Leopold Foundation
“Inspire an ethical relationship between people and land through Aldo Leopold’s legacy.”
The work
What they do
Conservation ethics education inspired by Aldo Leopold. Manages Leopold’s legacy property and promotes land ethic through education and community programs.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “FOSTERING A LAND ETHIC THROUGH THE LEGACY OF ALDO LEOPOLD.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Keeping the wild alive
$1.9MINCLUDES THE FOLLOWING RELATED PROGRAM ACTIVITIES:STEWARDSHIP - THE FOUNDATION OWNS AND MANAGES THE ORIGINAL ALDO LEOPOLD SHACK AND 600 SURROUNDING ACRES AND COORDINATES THE CONSERVATION PLANNING AND MONITORING ACROSS TH...
Including $100,451 granted onward, most of it $100,000 to Metropolitan Group Llc.
Read it as they filed it
STEWARDSHIP, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH - INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING RELATED PROGRAM ACTIVITIES:STEWARDSHIP - THE FOUNDATION OWNS AND MANAGES THE ORIGINAL ALDO LEOPOLD SHACK AND 600 SURROUNDING ACRES AND COORDINATES THE CONSERVATION PLANNING AND MONITORING ACROSS THE 12,000 ACRE LEOPOLD-PINE ISLAND IMPORTANT BIRD AREA. LAND STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVES DEMONSTRATE ACTIVITIES AND PRACTICES THAT PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE ECOLOGICAL AND ETHICAL USE OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LAND AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE TOTAL LAND COMMUNITY.EDUCATION - AS THE PRIMARY ADVOCATE AND INTERPRETER OF THE LEOPOLD LEGACY, THE FOUNDATION SERVES NEARLY 10,000 VISITORS ON-SITE EACH YEAR, IN ADDITION TO MANY THOUSANDS MORE THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, NEWSLETTER, AND OUTREACH PROGRAMMING. AS THE PRIMARY ADVOCATE AND INTERPRETER OF THE LEOPOLD LEGACY, THE FOUNDATION ALSO SERVES AS THE EXECUTOR OF ALDO LEOPOLD'S LITERARY ESTATE, ENCOURAGES SCHOLARSHIP ON ALDO LEOPOLD, AND SERVES AS A CLEARINGHOUSE FOR INFORMATION REGARDING ALDO LEOPOLD, HIS WORK, AND HIS IDEAS.ALDO LEOPOLD LEGACY CENTER - THE FOUNDATION'S HEADQUARTERS ARE LOCATED IN THE LEOPOLD LEGACY CENTER, LOCATED LESS THAN ONE MILE FROM THE LEOPOLD SHACK. OPENED IN 2007, THE LEOPOLD LEGACY CENTER WAS BUILT USING PINES THE LEOPOLD FAMILY PLANTED IN THE 1930S AND 1940S AND IMPLEMENTS A WIDE SPECTRUM OF GREEN BUILDING TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
71 cents of every dollar goes to the work
Read it as a snapshot, not a scorecard. Splits move year to year with grants and campaigns, and healthy shops live all across this range.
$1,909,641 programs, $495,425 management, $292,702 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at Aldo Leopold Foundation? Claim this page.
Those 95 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Aldo Leopold Foundation is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 96The filings
14 years of filings
14 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $1,608,019 |
| 2012 | $1,703,123 |
| 2013 | $1,476,131 |
| 2014 | $1,252,087 |
| 2015 | $1,505,191 |
| 2016 | $1,795,650 |
| 2017 | $3,136,964 |
| 2018 | $1,427,054 |
| 2019 | $1,567,990 |
| 2020 | $1,346,461 |
| 2021 | $2,015,417 |
| 2022 | $1,991,899 |
| 2023 | $2,182,766 |
| 2025 | $4,037,660 |
From $1.6M in 2011 to $4.0M in FY25, across 14 public filings. The 2025 peak of $4.0M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
The Wisconsin congressional delegation averages 33 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Ways in
How to help
71 cents of your dollar goes straight to the work above.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themFind their volunteer door on their own site.
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44 years on the ground, 95 volunteers, 71 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.