Defenders of Wildlife
“To protect and restore imperiled species and their habitats.”
4 live lawsuits, 71 comments to the agencies, 71 cents of every dollar to the work.
The origin
How they started
Defenders of Wildlife concentrates on native species and the habitat they need, with deep, long-running work on the Endangered Species Act, gray wolves, grizzlies, and the national wildlife refuge system. Founded in 1947, it combines science, advocacy, and litigation to keep federal wildlife protections intact. When a species protection is rolled back, Defenders is typically among the first to respond.
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Conservation and Restoration of Imperiled
$14.7M, 38% of spendingBiodiversity in North America: Defenders of Wildlife focuses on the conservation of imperiled species and keystone or umbrella species that help restore the integrity and health of ecosystems.
Including $548,266 granted onward, the largest share ($120,114) to County of Dare.
Read it as they filed it
Conservation and Restoration of Imperiled Biodiversity in North America: Defenders of Wildlife focuses on the conservation of imperiled species and keystone or umbrella species that help restore the integrity and health of ecosystems. Our focus on wildlife and habitat conservation and the safeguarding of biodiversity defines our important niche in the environmental and conservation community. Long known for our leadership on endangered species issues, our programs emphasize imperiled species and their habitat throughout North America because of the irreparable loss that species extinction represents. We believe in the inherent value of wildlife and the natural world. To realize our conservation vision, Defenders of Wildlife engages in policy analysis and advocacy, litigation, innovative science, technology development, and conservation activities in the field. Our work is aimed at the prevention of species and habitats from becoming imperiled, the protection of endangered and threatened species and their habitats, and the restoration of the health of vulnerable species and their habitats. We are known for our innovative and pragmatic responses to a constantly changing political, economic and social environment. Our staff of scientists, wildlife policy experts, lobbyists, communications experts, and attorneys work in the halls of Congress, state legislatures, the courts, and local communities, and in the field across the country. We develop and advocate for innovative "up-stream" management solutions for public and private lands that encourage conservation of entire ecosystems and interconnected habitats. We emphasize collaboration with other groups as a means of bringing to bear as much collective influence as possible on policymakers and processes which are often subjected to relentless pressure from special interests. The shared goal of all of our activities is to make Defenders of Wildlife the nation's most effective champion of imperiled wildlife in an era of climate change and habitat loss, leading the way in meeting the challenges and seizing the opportunities that tomorrow presents to leave a rich and diverse natural legacy for future generations.
IRS Form 990 Part III for fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Mobilization of a Broader Constituency for Wildlife Conservation
$12.5M, 33% of spendingDefenders of Wildlife implements nation-wide conservation initiatives and place-based conservation programs that are rooted in the communities in which we work.
Including $61,168 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
Mobilization of a Broader Constituency for Wildlife Conservation: Defenders of Wildlife implements nation-wide conservation initiatives and place-based conservation programs that are rooted in the communities in which we work. We focus on strategic areas where we can have a positive impact on wildlife and landscapes. We are driven by our responsibility to mobilize and grow a movement for conservation that will endure for generations to come. We issue a monthly email publication, as well as an Impact Report, sent to all members who have provided us with their email address. It features informative articles on important wildlife and land management conservation issues, editorial comments, and updates on current activities taken by the organization. Our educational outreach projects include: providing the public with up-to-date information on wildlife and habitat protection issues; maintaining an activist network and alerting activists to contact elected officials on key wildlife conservation issues; and providing information to students and teachers on wildlife issues. We also reach the public by briefing the local and national media on important wildlife topics, by producing high quality video and participating in various podcasts, media interviews, and events highlighting America's wildlife and public lands. We also engage supporters on our social network channels and through our online blog. Defenders of Wildlife's website and social media platforms offer extensive information on wildlife species and related conservation issues. The website, www.defenders.org, serves as a resource for learning more about wildlife, understanding current policy issues, and getting involved.
IRS Form 990 Part III for 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.
$27,214,524 programs, $6,301,439 management, $4,787,205 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.
The backers
Backed, each with its source, by Wilburforce Foundation, Alaska Conservation Foundation, Give Lively Foundation and 34 others, latest filing FY25.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. The FY2025 filing lists two people as president & ceo (from 8/24), Andrew Bowman and Jamie Rappaport Clark, usually a handover inside the year. The FY2025 filing lists two people as executive director, Andrew Bowman and David Anderson as interim, usually a handover inside the year. If it’s out of date, tell us. Work at Defenders of Wildlife? Claim this page.
Those 80 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Defenders of Wildlife is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Find your way inThe record
The court record
And 27 more in our case database: a selection we track, not their full docket.
Fights alongside Center for Biological Diversity (14 shared cases), Sierra Club (13 shared cases), Natural Resources Defense Council (9 shared cases), Alaska Wilderness League (7 shared cases) and The Wilderness Society (5 shared cases) and 20 more. Same case, same side, on the federal docket.
The filings
14 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year as filed. Point at or tap the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $30,229,512 |
| 2012 | $24,838,978 |
| 2013 | $33,192,322 |
| 2014 | $30,239,920 |
| 2015 | $30,657,331 |
| 2016 | $29,405,742 |
| 2017 | $33,911,198 |
| 2018 | $39,116,128 |
| 2019 | $33,422,742 |
| 2020 | $34,498,515 |
| 2021 | $43,244,805 |
| 2022 | $42,802,063 |
| 2023 | $35,880,686 |
| 2025 | $48,550,195 |
From $30.2M in 2011 to $48.6M in FY25, across 14 public filings (none on record for 2024).
The returns as e-filed with the IRS, 3 years:
- FY2025Download the return
- FY2024Download the return
- FY2023Download the return
Source: IRS Form 990 e-file data, each return by its IRS object id, served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. A year in the chart without a link here is read from a later return’s own history table; its return is on ProPublica’s page for the group.
On the Hill
Defenders of Wildlife files its own federal lobbying reports: 35 filings from 2019 to 2026, naming 277 bills. The filings at the Senate.
Most filed on wildlife, natural resources and the budget.
The record
On the record with the agencies
71 comments on federal decisions since 2023, each filed under the group’s own name on regulations.gov. The latest on decisions we track:
Year by year
In order
- 1947Defenders of Wildlife is formed.the return, formation year
- 20012001 to 2026: 28 cases filed, all since closed: Center for Biological Diversity v. Lee Zeldin; State of Montana v. Haaland and 26 more.the docket
The other 26
2024, Defenders of Wildlife v. Haaland, closed; 2023, Defenders of Wildlife v. United States Forest Service, closed; 2023, Center for Biological Diversity v. Bureau of Land Management, closed; 2023, Colorado Conservation Alliance v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, lost; 2022, Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project v. Jeffries, closed; 2022, DOW v. USFWS, closed; 2012, Federal Forest Resource Coalition v. Vilsack, closed; 2005, Karuk Tribe v. United States Forest Service, won; 2008, Wyoming v. United States Department of Agriculture, closed; 2017, Citizens for Clean Energy v. U.S. Department of the Interior, closed; 2021, Defenders of Wildlife v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on appeal; 2021, Alaska Wildlife Alliance v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, closed; 2020, Wild Virginia v. Council on Environmental Quality, closed; 2020, Organized Village of Kake v. Vilsack, closed; 2020, Friends of Alaska Nat’l v. Debra Haaland, closed; 2018, Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. v. U.S. Department of the Interior, closed; 2018, Southeast Alaska Conservation Council v. Stewart, closed; 2014, Defenders of Wildlife v. Jewell, closed; 2019, SalmonState v. Hladick, closed; 2011, State of Alaska v. United States Department of Agriculture, closed; 2001, Kootenai Tribe of ID v. Glickman, closed; 2025, Defenders of Wildlife v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, closed; 2025, American Farm Bureau Federation v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, closed; 2025, Defenders of Wildlife v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, closed; 2026, Center for Biological Diversity v. Burgum, closed; 2026, Environmental Protection Information Center v. National Marine Fisheries Service, closed.
- 2017Wilderness Society v. Donald J. Trump: plaintiff, still in court.the docket
- 2020Gwich’in Steering Committee v. United States Department of the Interior: plaintiff, still in court.the docket
- 2022First appears in the grants of Wilburforce Foundation and M W C Foundation N M & F.the funders’ returns
- 2023State of Alaska v. The United States Department of Agriculture: intervenor, still in court.the docket
- 8 comments, most to the Fish and Wildlife Service, under the group’s own name.regulations.gov
- First appears in the grants of Cigna Foundation, Fanwood Foundation, Holocene Foundation and Idm Foundation.the funders’ returns
- 20247 comments, most to the Fish and Wildlife Service, under the group’s own name.regulations.gov
- First appears in the grants of Alaska Conservation Foundation and Give Lively Foundation.the funders’ returns
- 2025Defenders of Wildlife v. Burgum: plaintiff, still in court.the docket
- 34 comments, most to the Fish and Wildlife Service, under the group’s own name.regulations.gov
- 202622 comments, most to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, under the group’s own name.regulations.gov
Rust, a case still in court. Green, a funder’s return. Hollow, a filing. Every row comes from a public record: 32 federal cases with the group on the docket, 71 comments filed under its own name, 37 funders whose returns name it. Nothing here is written from memory.
Their ground
The places they defend
Filed its own protest against the revocation of the bison grazing permits
Who’s defending it On the record · Critical threatIzembek National Wildlife RefugeHas fought every round of Izembek road litigation since 2013 and filed its own suit over the 2025 exchange
Who’s defending it On the record · Critical threatArctic National Wildlife RefugeCo-plaintiff defending the refuge’s coastal plain
Who’s defending it On the record · Critical threatCabinet Mountains WildernessNamed plaintiff in the Rock Creek Mine case, which turned on threatened grizzly bears and bull trout
Who’s defending it On the record · Threat developingColorado BLM Lease SaleJoined the March 2026 challenge to the replacement oil and gas lease sale
Who’s defending it On the record · On watchBerryessa Snow Mountain National MonumentIts California program spent nearly two decades advocating for the landscape and pushed the 2024 Molok Luyuk expansion to protect the Mendocino to Cache Creek wildlife corridor.
Who’s defending itMost urgent first: open comment windows, then live federal cases, then the threat level. See every threatened place on one map, and who stands for each.
Defenders of Wildlife files one related organization on its return: Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund (501(c)(4)). A related organization shares people or purpose; it does not share the books.
The wire
What they’ve done lately
- Sat, Nov 7 · StatementRevised Permitting Bill Fails to Address Threats to Endangered Species Act
- Wed, Nov 4 · StatementWave of Change in Midterm Results Brings Lifeline to Wildlife
- Wed, Nov 4 · Court filingMINUTE ORDER: Plaintiffs' 240 Unopposed Motion for Extension of Time to File Proposed Notice Order is GRANTED for good cause shown. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(b)(1)(A). The parties shall file a Joint Proposed Order by 11/13/2026. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 11/4/2026. (lcmk)Bears Ears National Monument
- Tue, Nov 3 · Court filingUnopposed MOTION for Extension of Time to File Proposed Notice Order by CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, CONSERVATION LANDS FOUNDATION, DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE, GRAND CANYON TRUST, GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE PARTNERS, GREAT OLD BROADS FOR WILDERNESS, NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION...Bears Ears National Monument
- Mon, Nov 2 · Comment filedBicycle Use in Park Areas
- Fri, Oct 30 · StatementAfter Endangered Species Act changes, NC’s unique animals may be at risk
- Fri, Oct 30 · StatementMontana, federal government agree to drop lawsuit over Yellowstone bison management plan
- Wed, Oct 28 · Court filingMINUTE ORDER: Federal Defendants' 239 Unopposed Motion for Extension of Time is GRANTED. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(b)(1)(A). By 11/3/2026, the parties shall file a joint proposed order detailing the specifics of the notice Federal Defendants must provide relating to any...Bears Ears National Monument
- Fri, Oct 23 · Court filingCASE REFERRED to Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse for Discovery. (shy, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 10/23/2026)
- Sat, Oct 17 · Court filingTRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS before Judge Tanya S. Chutkan held on 10/15/2026; Page Numbers: 1-23. Date of Issuance:10/17/2026. Court Reporter Rebecca Monroe, email: rebecca_monroe@dcd.uscourts.gov, Transcripts may be ordered by submitting the Transcript Order FormBears Ears National Monument
- Thu, Oct 15 · Case statusMANDATE ISSUED to Clerk, U.S. District Court. [24-5101, 24-5156, 24-5159]
- Thu, Oct 15 · Court filingMinute Entry for proceedings held before Judge Tanya S. Chutkan: Status Conference held on 10/15/2026. Parties update the Court on the posture of the case. Joint Proposed Briefing Schedule due by 11/16/2026. (Court Reporter Rebecca Monroe.) (zcll)Bears Ears National Monument
- Thu, Oct 15 · Comment filedDocket FWS-R1-ES-2024-0165
- Tue, Oct 13 · Court filingMOTION for Leave to File Second Amended Complaint by CONSERVATION LANDS FOUNDATION, GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE PARTNERS, SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY. (Attachments: (1) Partners Plaintiffs' Proposed Second Amended and Supplemental Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive...Bears Ears National Monument
- Tue, Sep 29 · StatementGov. Newsom Signs Landmark Legislation Creating California Wildlife Coexistence Program
- Fri, Sep 11 · StatementRecreation, Conservation Groups Unite Against Forest Service Travel Rule Rollback
- Fri, Sep 11 · Statement‘One-Way Ticket to Extinction’: Trump Admin Again Guts Endangered Species Act
- Fri, Sep 11 · StatementWild pups’ birth marks milestone in NC Red Wolf recovery, officials say
- Wed, Sep 2 · Court filingMOTION to Reopen Case, MOTION to Lift Stay by CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, GRAND CANYON TRUST, GREAT OLD BROADS FOR WILDERNESS, NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION, NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL, INC., SIERRA CLUB, SOUTHERN UTAH WILDERNESS ALLIANCE, WESTERN...Bears Ears National Monument
- Mon, Aug 17 · Comment filedWilderness Administration and Resource Stewardship; Request for Information
Ways in
How to help
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The mission is theirs. The backing is yours.