Friends of the Smokies
“Preserve and protect Great Smoky Mountains National Park.”
The work
What they do
Major fundraising and support organization for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Funds trails, wildlife, education, and infrastructure.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “ASSIST THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE IN ITS MISSION TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK BY SECURING FINANCIAL AND VOLUNTEER SUPPORT.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Bringing people into the fight
$3.8MEDUCATIONAL AND VISITOR SERVICES, BACK COUNTRY PROGRAMS, HISTORICAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE PRESERVATION
Including $3,418,468 granted onward, most of it $3,418,468 to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Read it as they filed it
EDUCATIONAL AND VISITOR SERVICES, BACK COUNTRY PROGRAMS, HISTORICAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE PRESERVATION
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
73 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.
$3,838,592 programs, $687,689 management, $749,917 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 Smokies? Claim this page.
Those 170 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Friends of the Smokies is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 171The 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 | $2,735,417 |
| 2012 | $2,675,683 |
| 2013 | $2,366,915 |
| 2014 | $2,620,932 |
| 2015 | $2,721,819 |
| 2016 | $5,430,854 |
| 2017 | $4,028,075 |
| 2018 | $3,812,121 |
| 2019 | $4,568,765 |
| 2020 | $4,273,468 |
| 2021 | $4,762,551 |
| 2022 | $8,430,227 |
| 2023 | $5,859,494 |
| 2025 | $7,753,428 |
From $2.7M in 2011 to $7.8M in FY25, across 14 public filings. The 2022 peak of $8.4M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
The Tennessee congressional delegation averages 13 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
The North Carolina congressional delegation averages 28 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Ways in
How to help
73 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 Smokies
33 years on the ground, 170 volunteers, 73 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.