Friends of the Columbia Gorge
“Protect the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.”
The work
What they do
Advocacy, litigation, land acquisition, and stewardship to protect the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area from incompatible development.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “ENSURING THE GORGE REMAINS A VIBRANT, LIVING PLACE WONDROUS, WILD, AND ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL IS AT THE CORE OF WHAT WE DO. FRIENDS OF THE COLUMBIA GORGE WORKS TO PROTECT, PRESERVE, AND STEWARD THE COLUMBIA GORGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Bringing people into the fight
$573KA LARGE CROSS SECTION OF PUBLIC SUPPORT IS CRITICAL TO PRESERVE THE COLUMBIA GORGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
Read it as they filed it
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT - A LARGE CROSS SECTION OF PUBLIC SUPPORT IS CRITICAL TO PRESERVE THE COLUMBIA GORGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE, FRIENDS SEEKS TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR KEY CONSERVATION INITIATIVES, EXPOSE LOCAL YOUTH TO THE GORGES WONDERS, AND ILLUSTRATE THE GORGES SIGNIFICANCE AS AN ICON OF THE PACIFIC NW AND NATIONAL TREASURE.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Conservation
$476KFRIENDS WORKS TO PROTECT THE SCENIC AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE GORGE BY PROTECTING THE AIR QUALITY, LIMITING SPRAWL, AND PROTECTING FOREST AND FARMLANDS.
Read it as they filed it
CONSERVATION - FRIENDS WORKS TO PROTECT THE SCENIC AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE GORGE BY PROTECTING THE AIR QUALITY, LIMITING SPRAWL, AND PROTECTING FOREST AND FARMLANDS. AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT TO FRIENDS' SUCCESS HAS BEEN THE ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY BUILD A DIVERSE NETWORK OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND MOBILIZE THOUSANDS OF DEDICATED FRIENDS ACTIVISTS AND ALLIES ACROSS THE REGION.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Boots on the ground
$328KFRIENDS STAFF DEDICATES TIME, EXPERIENCE, AND KNOWLEDGE TO PROVIDE OUR MEMBERSHIP WITH A WELL-ROUNDED UNDERSTANDING IN THE HISTORY, LANDSCAPES, BIODIVERSITY, FLORA, FAUNA, AND TRAILS WITHIN THE COLUMBIA GORGE NATIONAL SC...
Read it as they filed it
MEMBER SERVICES - FRIENDS STAFF DEDICATES TIME, EXPERIENCE, AND KNOWLEDGE TO PROVIDE OUR MEMBERSHIP WITH A WELL-ROUNDED UNDERSTANDING IN THE HISTORY, LANDSCAPES, BIODIVERSITY, FLORA, FAUNA, AND TRAILS WITHIN THE COLUMBIA GORGE NATIONAL SCENIC AREA. SPENDING TIME WITH MEMBERS AND CREATING EXPERIENCES TO HELP THEM GRASP THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF THE WORK THE ORGANIZATION DOES TO PRESERVE, PROTECT, AND STEWARD THE GORGE.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Bringing people into the fight
$314KWHEN GORGE RESOURCES ARE THREATENED BY UNLAWFUL DECISIONS AND VIOLATIONS, FRIENDS EXERCISES ITS RIGHT TO IMPLEMENT SOPHISTICATED LEGAL STRATEGIES AND CUTTING-EDGE PUBLIC EDUCATION TOOLS TO PROTECT GORGE RESOURCES AND KEE...
Read it as they filed it
LEGAL - WHEN GORGE RESOURCES ARE THREATENED BY UNLAWFUL DECISIONS AND VIOLATIONS, FRIENDS EXERCISES ITS RIGHT TO IMPLEMENT SOPHISTICATED LEGAL STRATEGIES AND CUTTING-EDGE PUBLIC EDUCATION TOOLS TO PROTECT GORGE RESOURCES AND KEEP WATCH ON RECKLESS LAND DEVELOPMENT.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
80 cents of every dollar goes to the work
That ratio is a good sign, not a scorecard. Plenty of great groups run leaner and lumpier. What matters is the extremes, and Friends of the Columbia Gorge is nowhere near one.
$1,741,304 programs, $190,684 management, $232,361 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 Friends of the Columbia Gorge? Claim this page.
Those 317 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Friends of the Columbia Gorge is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 318The filings
15 years of filings
15 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $1,388,983 |
| 2012 | $811,738 |
| 2013 | $1,275,600 |
| 2014 | $3,104,435 |
| 2015 | $1,862,482 |
| 2016 | $4,185,589 |
| 2017 | $1,707,348 |
| 2018 | $1,227,686 |
| 2019 | $1,989,842 |
| 2020 | $1,874,125 |
| 2021 | $3,842,590 |
| 2022 | $724,334 |
| 2023 | $2,277,082 |
| 2024 | $827,745 |
| 2025 | $1,662,604 |
From $1.4M in 2011 to $1.7M in FY25, with no missed filing in 15 years. The 2016 peak of $4.2M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge files one related organization on its return: Friends Of The Columbia Gorge Land Trust (501(c)(3)). A related organization shares people or purpose; it does not share the books.
The Oregon congressional delegation averages 87 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
The Washington congressional delegation averages 79 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Ways in
How to help
80 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 Friends of the Columbia Gorge
46 years on the ground, 317 volunteers, 80 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.