Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
“Protect the outdoors by teaching and inspiring people to enjoy it responsibly.”
1 funder on the record, 81 cents of every dollar to the work.
The work
What they do
Education and outreach on minimum-impact outdoor recreation. Partners with all federal land agencies on visitor education. Training programs and awareness campaigns.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “Grounded in science and driven by education and stewardship, leave no trace empowers people to protect the outdoor places we share, ensuring a sustainable future for the environment and our collective outdoor experiences.” as filed.
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Leave no trace leads a national
$2.1M, 81% of spendingAnd international movement empowering people to protect the outdoors through science-based education and stewardship.
Including $9,403 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
LEAVE NO TRACE LEADS A NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO PROTECT THE OUTDOORS THROUGH SCIENCE-BASED EDUCATION AND STEWARDSHIP. OUR PROGRAMS REACH EVERYONE WHO ENJOYS NATURE, WHETHER HIKING, CAMPING, FISHING, BIKING, HUNTING, CLIMBING, OR PADDLING, BY TEACHING PRACTICAL WAYS TO PREVENT AND MINIMIZE IMPACTS, ENSURING THAT OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES REMAIN HEALTHY AND ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
81 cents of every dollar goes to the work
A good sign, not a scorecard: what matters is the extremes, and this is nowhere near one.
$2,126,533 programs, $246,674 management, $246,322 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.
The backers
Backed on the record by REI Cooperative Action Fund, latest filing FY24.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. If it’s out of date, tell us. Work at LNT? Claim this page.
Those 30,000 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If LNT is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Find your way inThe filings
14 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at or tap the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $1,302,712 |
| 2012 | $1,180,586 |
| 2013 | $1,364,997 |
| 2014 | $1,391,373 |
| 2015 | $1,517,686 |
| 2016 | $1,456,379 |
| 2017 | $2,057,891 |
| 2018 | $2,209,876 |
| 2019 | $2,231,565 |
| 2020 | $1,940,423 |
| 2021 | $2,203,095 |
| 2022 | $3,087,765 |
| 2023 | $2,819,959 |
| 2025 | $2,670,656 |
From $1.3M in 2011 to $2.7M in FY25, across 14 public filings (none on record for 2024).
Their ground
LNT is not on our editors’ record for a threatened place yet. See every threatened place on one map, and who stands for each.
Ways in
How to help
Straight to their own donation page. Your dollar never passes through us.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themFind their volunteer door on their own site.
Find it on their site ↗FollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapStand with LNT
The mission is theirs. The backing is yours.