Everglades Foundation
“Restore and protect the greater Everglades ecosystem.”
The work
What they do
Science-based advocacy and policy for Everglades restoration. Works on water quality, Everglades restoration funding, and ecosystem protection.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “DEDICATED TO PROTECTING AND RESTORING THE GREATER EVERGLADES ECOSYSTEM.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Reading every lease sale
$3.5MPOLICY & ENGAGEMENT:USING INSIGHTS ROOTED IN SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS, THE POLICY & ENGAGEMENT TEAM WORKS TO EDUCATE AND CONVINCE KEY DECISION MAKERS AND PARTNERS TO TAKE ACTIONS THAT POSITIVELY IMPACT EVERGLADES RESTORATIO...
Including $1,581,104 granted onward, most of it $471,000 to The Everglades Trust.
Read it as they filed it
ADVOCACY - POLICY & ENGAGEMENT:USING INSIGHTS ROOTED IN SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS, THE POLICY & ENGAGEMENT TEAM WORKS TO EDUCATE AND CONVINCE KEY DECISION MAKERS AND PARTNERS TO TAKE ACTIONS THAT POSITIVELY IMPACT EVERGLADES RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION. THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION'S POLICY TEAM HAS PARTICIPATED IN INFLUENCING EVERY MAJOR EVERGLADES RESTORATION PROJECT SINCE 2008. THE POLICY DEPARTMENT ADVOCATES FOR FUNDING OF THE EAA RESERVOIR CONSTRUCTION, AS WELL AS OTHER KEY RESTORATION COMPONENTS WITHIN CEPP. WITH A VARIETY OF HIGH-IMPACT PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, THE TEAM TRACKS ISSUES THAT MAY IMPACT EVERGLADES RESTORATION AND ADVANCES COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS. SHARING SCIENCE AND ECONOMIC BASED EVIDENCE WITH COALITIONS OF REALTORS, CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, AND THE TOURISM BUSINESS HELPS ADVANCE SENTIMENT AND LEGISLATIVE ISSUES THAT SUPPORT RESTORATION.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Bringing people into the fight
$3.3MTHE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM SUPPORTS THE FOUNDATION’S PROGRAMMATIC PILLARS AND TEAMS BY CREATING AND EXECUTING A COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN THAT ADVANCES THE FOUNDATION’S MISSION.
Read it as they filed it
THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM SUPPORTS THE FOUNDATION'S PROGRAMMATIC PILLARS AND TEAMS BY CREATING AND EXECUTING A COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN THAT ADVANCES THE FOUNDATION'S MISSION. COMMUNICATIONS SHOWCASES AND PROMOTES, THROUGH A VARIETY OF MEDIUMS, MESSAGING AROUND KEY SCIENTIFIC, EDUCATIONAL, DEVELOPMENT, AND POLICY TOPICS AND EVENTS.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Guarding the water
$2.3MOUR SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE BEDROCK OF THE FOUNDATION, AND IT SERVES A CRITICAL ROLE IN ACHIEVING THE 2030 RESTORATION GOALS.
Including $236,333 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
SCIENCE:OUR SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE BEDROCK OF THE FOUNDATION, AND IT SERVES A CRITICAL ROLE IN ACHIEVING THE 2030 RESTORATION GOALS. THE FOUNDATION HAS A BUILT A NATIONALLY RESPECTED SCIENCE INSTITUTE MODEL WITH LEADING EXPERTS IN HYDROLOGY, ECOLOGY, WATER QUALITY, ECONOMICS AND RESILIENCY TO PROVIDE SCIENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR EVERGLADES RESTORATION AT THE STATE AND NATIONAL LEVELS. THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT BUILDS AND MAINTAINS RESEARCH EXPERTISE IN RESTORATION PROJECT PLANNING, WATER QUALITY MONITORING, HYDROLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF WATER MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS, AND VALUING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES LIKE FLOOD PROTECTION AND WATER SUPPLY. THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT WORKS WITH HIGHLY REGARDED EXTERNAL RESEARCH PARTNERS AND PUBLISHES A NUMBER OF PAPERS AND TECHNICAL COMMENT LETTERS ON PRIORITY RESTORATION TOPICS. THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION SCIENCE TEAM SHARES SCIENCE-BASED EVIDENCE AND CONVEYS THE COMPLEXITY OF EVERGLADES RESTORATION TO A VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS, DECISION MAKERS AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT FOR STRATEGIC RESTORATION OUTCOMES.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Guarding the water
$1.5MTHE EDUCATION TEAM SERVES TO EDUCATE AND EMPOWER PEOPLE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EVERGLADES ECOSYSTEM.
Including $70,234 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
EDUCATION:THE EDUCATION TEAM SERVES TO EDUCATE AND EMPOWER PEOPLE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EVERGLADES ECOSYSTEM. THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS TRAINED OVER 6,000 TEACHERS IN EVERGLADES LITERACY, RESULTING IN THE EVERGLADES EDUCATION OF OVER 200,000 STUDENTS ACROSS 30 COUNTIES IN FLORIDA. THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WORKS WITH OVER 50 CHAMPION SCHOOLS THAT HAVE INCORPORATED EVERGLADES CURRICULUM IN EVERY GRADE LEVEL OF THEIR SCHOOL. THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION LITERACY PROGRAM PROVIDES A PRE-K TO 5TH GRADE LEARNING JOURNEY, WITH SCALABLE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF FLORIDA. THE DEPARTMENT CONDUCTS TEACHER TRAININGS, UPDATES CURRICULUM AND CREATES DIGITAL CONTENT AND LEARNING AIDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE WITHOUT COST TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS THAT SEEK TO INCREASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE EVERGLADES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING AND PROTECTING CLEAN WATER FLOW.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
72 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.
Backed on the record by Robertson Foundation, latest filing FY24.
$10,662,168 programs, $2,085,998 management, $2,078,316 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.
The people
Who does the work
Took the helm from Eric Eikenberg President, who drew $493,200 in the final year on file.
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. This one caught a changing of the guard in the act: the FY2025 officer table lists Eric Eikenberg President, the return itself is signed by Eric Eikenberg. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at Everglades Foundation? Claim this page.
Those 36 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Everglades Foundation is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 37The 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 | $5,418,503 |
| 2012 | $5,009,187 |
| 2013 | $5,441,956 |
| 2014 | $6,199,041 |
| 2015 | $8,531,180 |
| 2016 | $10,095,045 |
| 2017 | $7,827,383 |
| 2018 | $10,959,365 |
| 2019 | $5,435,272 |
| 2020 | $11,845,707 |
| 2021 | $12,618,467 |
| 2022 | $28,299,195 |
| 2023 | $18,034,660 |
| 2025 | $25,498,786 |
From $5.4M in 2011 to $25.5M in FY25, across 14 public filings. The 2022 peak of $28.3M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
The record
On the Hill
Everglades Foundation has hired federal lobbyists: 2 filings in 2019. The filings, at the Senate.
Most filed on budget/appropriations and environment/superfund.
Their ground
The places they defend
See every threatened place on one map, and who stands for each.
The Florida congressional delegation averages 29 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Ways in
How to help
72 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.
Find it on their site ↗SpeakComment and callOpen comment windows and call scripts for fights like these, ready to send.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapStand with Everglades Foundation
33 years on the ground, 36 volunteers, 72 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.