Friends of the Desert Mountains
“Acquire and preserve pristine desert habitat in the Coachella Valley.”
The work
What they do
Land acquisition and stewardship in the California desert. Works on BLM lands, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, and desert conservation.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “THE MISSION OF THE FRIENDS OF THE DESERT MOUNTAINS IS TO PRESERVE LAND TO SUPPORT EDUCATION, CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY, AND TO ACT AS THE SUPPORT ORGANIZATION FOR THE SANTA ROSA & SAN JACINTO MOUNTAINS NATIONAL MONUMENT.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Bringing people into the fight
$349KFROM SCENIC GUIDED HIKES TO ENGAGING LECTURES AND INTERACTIVE PRESENTATIONS, WE OPEN EYES AND INSPIRE HEARTS-ALL AT NO COST TO THE PUBLIC.
Read it as they filed it
EDUCATION: FROM SCENIC GUIDED HIKES TO ENGAGING LECTURES AND INTERACTIVE PRESENTATIONS, WE OPEN EYES AND INSPIRE HEARTS-ALL AT NO COST TO THE PUBLIC. OUR PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED FOR ALL AGES AND ABILITIES, CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH THE DESERTS RICH AND NATURAL HERITAGE AND EMPOWERING THEM TO BECOME STEWARDS OF THE LAND. BEHIND THE SCENES, WE ALSO INVEST IN RIGOROUS TRAINING FOR OUR TEAM AND VOLUNTEERS, DEEPENING THEIR EXPERTISE IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND THE UNIQUE STORY OF CALIFORNIAS DESERT LANDSCAPES.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Bringing people into the fight
$284KWE BELIEVE THAT CONSERVATION THRIVES WHEN PEOPLE CARE DEEPLY-AND THEY CAN NOT CARE IF THEY DONT KNOW.
Read it as they filed it
COMMUNITY OUTREACH: WE BELIEVE THAT CONSERVATION THRIVES WHEN PEOPLE CARE DEEPLY-AND THEY CAN NOT CARE IF THEY DONT KNOW. THAT IS WHY FRIENDS OF THE DESERT MOUNTAINS IS EVERYWHERE: SPEAKING AT COMMUNITY EVENTS, CRAFTING COMPELLING MEDIA STORIES, AND SHARING OUR MISSION WITH ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN-FROM EARLY MORNING ROTARY CLUBS TO LOCAL CLASSROOMS. OUR PASSIONATE STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS ARE RELENTLESS ADVOCATES, KEEPING THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC LANDS AND DESERT PRESERVATION AT THE FOREFRONT OF COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Keeping the wild alive
$184KSINCE 1987, FRIENDS OF THE DESERT MOUNTAINS HAS BEEN A DRIVING FORCE IN PROTECTING THE BREATHTAKING LANDSCAPE OF THE COACHELLA VALLEY-SAFEGUARDING OVER 63,000 ACRES OF PRISTINE DESERT.
Read it as they filed it
LAND ACQUISITION: SINCE 1987, FRIENDS OF THE DESERT MOUNTAINS HAS BEEN A DRIVING FORCE IN PROTECTING THE BREATHTAKING LANDSCAPE OF THE COACHELLA VALLEY-SAFEGUARDING OVER 63,000 ACRES OF PRISTINE DESERT. WE WORK HAND-IN-HAND WITH WILLING LANDOWNERS TO PURCHASE UNDEVELOPED, ECOLOGICALLY VITAL PROPERTIES AT FAIR MARKET VALUE. EACH ACRE WE CONSERVE HELPS ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF THE COACHELLA VALLEY MULTIPLE SPECIES HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN, PROTECTING THE REGIONS RARE WILDLIFE AND FRAGILE ECOSYSTEM FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
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 Desert Mountains is nowhere near one.
Backed on the record by REI Cooperative Action Fund, latest filing FY24.
$816,132 programs, $153,203 management, $49,671 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 Desert Mountains? Claim this page.
Those 100 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Friends of the Desert Mountains is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 101The 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 | $8,312,414 |
| 2012 | $305,578 |
| 2013 | $940,854 |
| 2014 | $441,620 |
| 2015 | $266,177 |
| 2016 | $792,049 |
| 2017 | $774,395 |
| 2018 | $1,308,630 |
| 2019 | $588,153 |
| 2020 | $338,009 |
| 2021 | $734,472 |
| 2022 | $501,216 |
| 2023 | $906,532 |
| 2025 | $1,045,172 |
From $8.3M in 2011 to $1.0M in FY25, across 14 public filings. The 2011 peak of $8.3M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
Their ground
The places they defend
See every threatened place on one map, and who stands for each.
The California congressional delegation averages 81 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 Desert Mountains
39 years on the ground, 100 volunteers, 80 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.