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Stewardship· Youth corps

American Conservation Experience

“Engage the next generation of conservationists through hands-on service.”

Home groundFlagstaff, AZ
Founded2004
KindStewardship 501(c)(3)
Led byLaura Herrin

Give to them ↗Every way to help ↓

The work

What they do

Conservation corps placing individual interns and crews on federal lands. Trail work, invasive species removal, wildlife monitoring, and facilities maintenance.

Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “TO PROVIDE REWARDING ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES THAT HARNESS THE IDEALISM AND ENERGY OF A VOLUNTEER LABOR FORCE TO HELP RESTORE ACA'S PUBLIC LANDS.”

Where the money went, FY2024

The work, and what it cost

Keeping wilderness wild

$40.0M

AMERICAN CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE (ACE) PROVIDES TRAINED, SUPERVISED, COST EFFECTIVE LONG TERM VOLUNTEER CREWS TO ACCOMPLISH ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION PROJECTS FOR FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, AND CITY LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES...

Read it as they filed it
AMERICAN CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE (ACE) PROVIDES TRAINED, SUPERVISED, COST EFFECTIVE LONG TERM VOLUNTEER CREWS TO ACCOMPLISH ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION PROJECTS FOR FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, AND CITY LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES. VOLUNTEERS SERVE IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS IN NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS, WILDLIFE REFUGES, WILDERNESS AREAS AND OTHER PUBLIC LANDS WHILE LEARNING CONSERVATION AND LEADERSHIP ROLES. ACE IS GROUNDED IN THE PHILOSOPHY THAT COOPERATIVE LABOR ON MEANINGFUL CONSERVATION PROJECTS FOSTERS CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND OPERATES ON THE BELIEF THAT CHALLENGING VOLUNTEER SERVICE UNITES PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS IN COMMON CAUSE. ACE PERFORMS CONSERVATION PROJECTS THROUGH CONTRACTS WITH VARIOUS AGENCIES INCLUDING THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE, AND BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. THE TWO LARGEST ACE PROGRAMS INCLUDE THE CONSERVATION CORPS AND THE EMERGING PROFESSIONALS IN CONSERVATION. 1. CONSERVATION CORPS PROGRAM - ORIGINALLY FORMED UNDER THE CONSERVATION CORPS MODEL, ACE PROVIDES A RANGE OF VOLUNTARY SERVICE PROGRAMS PARTICIPANTS. ACES CONSERVATION CORPS PROGRAM IS FOR AMERCIAN PARTICIPANTS, AGED 18-30 (up TO AGE 35 FOR VETERANS) WHO ARE CONSIDERING LAND MANAGEMENT AS A CAREER PATH OR POTENTIAL COURSE OF STUDY. CORPS MEMBERS SERVE IN PROFESSIONALLY SUPERVISED TEAMS AS THEY EXPLORE FUTURE OUTDOOR CAREERS, LEARN PRACTICAL SKILLS, AND DEVELOP CONFIDENCE AS EMERGING LEADERS IN THE FIELD OF CONSERVATION. CORPS MEMBERS ARE SUPPORTED DURING THEIR 3-12 MONTH SERVICE TERMS WITH COST OF LIVING ALLOWANCES, FOOD ON PROJECTS, AND FREE COMMON HOUSING ON OFF DAYS. 2. EMERGING PROFESSIONALS IN CONSERVATION PROGRAM (EPIC) - ACE EPIC Internships and Fellowships program provide young adults ages 18-30 (up to age 35 for veterans) with focused, hands-on opportunities to work alongside and under the guidance of land management agency mentors as they apply their knowledge of resource management on their path to becoming the next generation of resource and land managers. The EPIC program not only provides an invaluable step for those seeking a link between the academic and professional worlds but also allows members to explore, connect, and preserve America's natural and cultural resources as they gain professional skills and cultivate their careers in the resource management field. EPIC operates in coalition with partners such as the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other conservation focused groups. Positions available through EPIC and its partners are spread across a wide range of specialized conservation oriented vocations and typically last 3-12 months. EPIC members (interns) often have degrees and /or experience in disciplines such as, but limited to: conservation or wildlife biology, botany, ecology, entomology, forestry, geography, archeology, paleontology, geology, environmental sciences, recreation or natural resources management, or cultural resources.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.

Follow the dollar

90 cents of every dollar goes to the work

90¢
90¢ the work10¢ keeping the lights on0¢ finding the next member

That ratio is a good sign, not a scorecard. Plenty of great groups run leaner and lumpier. What matters is the extremes, and American Conservation Experience is nowhere near one.

$40,029,262 programs, $4,549,846 management, $0 fundraising. Form 990, FY2024.

The people

Who does the work

1,858paid staff
1,806volunteers last year
9board members
22years on the ground
Laura HerrinCeoComp $212,061, FY2024
Laura CraigCooComp $185,296, FY2024
Christopher JacksonCeapComp $138,972, FY2024
Jeanne Wade EvansBoard ChairVolunteer, 5 hrs a week, $0

Chairs the 9-member board.

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 ACE? Claim this page.

Those 1,806 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If ACE is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.

Make it 1,807

The filings

14 years of filings

14 years of filings

Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.

$25M$44.7M FY2420112024
Total revenue by fiscal year
YearRevenue
2011$4,455,197
2012$5,425,968
2013$6,115,221
2014$8,009,250
2015$9,740,744
2016$12,506,523
2017$16,642,393
2018$20,275,082
2019$21,291,175
2020$22,570,850
2021$27,606,484
2022$31,067,046
2023$40,985,967
2024$44,653,332

From $4.5M in 2011 to $44.7M in FY24, with no missed filing in 14 years. The 2024 peak of $44.7M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.

Stand with American Conservation Experience

22 years on the ground, 1,806 volunteers, 90 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.

Sources and methodFinancials, headcounts, and program text: IRS Form 990, FY2024 and 13 prior filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, EIN 37-1473291. Leadership and compensation: Form 990 Part VII and the return’s signature block, FY2024 filing. Org-reported figures are always labeled. Data verified as of 2026-09-23. Nothing on this page is pay-to-play.