Mule Deer Foundation
“Ensure the conservation of mule deer, black-tailed deer, and their habitat.”
The work
What they do
Habitat conservation, research, and advocacy for mule deer. Works extensively on BLM and USFS lands in the West on migration corridors and habitat projects.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, HABITAT REVITALIZATION AND ENHANCEMENTPROJECTS, SPONSOR HUNTER EDUCATION CLINICS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS,PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOUNDATION MAGAZINE TO MEMBERSHIP ANDGENERAL PUBLIC. DEVELOP HABITAT STEWARDSHIP AND YOUTH PROGRAMS.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Bringing people into the fight
$16.2MMEMBERSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE ORGANIZATION REPRESENT THE BENEFITS PROVIDED TO ALL MULE DEER FOUNDATION MEMBERS. THE ORGANIZATION OFFERS MULTIPLE MEMBERSHIPS WITH DIFFERENT BENEFITS AT EACH LEVEL.
Read it as they filed it
MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE ORGANIZATION REPRESENT THE BENEFITS PROVIDED TO ALL MULE DEER FOUNDATION MEMBERS. THE ORGANIZATION OFFERS MULTIPLE MEMBERSHIPS WITH DIFFERENT BENEFITS AT EACH LEVEL. MEBMERS RECIEVE EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL AND ARE INVIDED TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL AND NATIONAL PROJECTS BY ATTENDING CHAPTER AND NATIONAL EVENTS HELD THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE WESTERN HUNTING AND CONSERVATION EXPO IS AN ANNUAL CONVENTION THAT INCLUDES VENDORS AND OUTFITTERS DISPLAYING AND SELLING THEIR PRODCUTS. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS THERE ARE EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS AND MEETINGS HELD REGARDING CONSERVATION. THESE MEETINGS ARE HELD WITH MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS AND STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Keeping the wild alive
$15.9MTHE MULE DEER FOUNDATION WORKS CLOSELY WITH ITS MEMBERS AND PARTNERS TO FACILITATE THE REHABILITATION OF MULE DEER, BLACK-TAILED DEER, AND THEIR HABITAT.
Read it as they filed it
THE MULE DEER FOUNDATION WORKS CLOSELY WITH ITS MEMBERS AND PARTNERS TO FACILITATE THE REHABILITATION OF MULE DEER, BLACK-TAILED DEER, AND THEIR HABITAT. THE ORGANIZATION ACCOMPLISHES THEIR MISSION THROUGH WILDLIFE HABITAT CONSERVATION, REVITALIZATION, AND ENCHANCEMENT PROJECTS. PROJECTS THAT THE ORGANIZATION ARE INVLOVED IN INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, WATER INSTALLATION (I.E. GUZZLERS), JUNIPER REMOVAL, RESEEDING, AND REHABILITATION OF FORAGE FOR DEER SPECIES.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Keeping the wild alive
$276KPRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ORGANIZATION PUBLICATION OF MULE DEERFOUNDATION MAGAZINE TO MEMBERSHIP AND GENERAL PUBLIC.
Read it as they filed it
PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ORGANIZATION PUBLICATION OF MULE DEERFOUNDATION MAGAZINE TO MEMBERSHIP AND GENERAL PUBLIC. THIS MAGAZINECONTAINS NUMEROUS ARTICLES ON WILDLIFE HABITAT CONSERVATION AND WAYS TOREVITALIZE AND ENHANCE NATURAL HABITAT. THIS MAGAZINE IS GIVEN AWAY.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
98 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 Mule Deer Foundation is nowhere near one.
$32,423,811 programs, $342,650 management, $366,237 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 MDF? Claim this page.
Those 500 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If MDF is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 501The 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 | $7,231,467 |
| 2012 | $6,402,003 |
| 2013 | $4,252,674 |
| 2014 | $8,866,699 |
| 2015 | $8,255,470 |
| 2016 | $10,937,778 |
| 2017 | $11,438,120 |
| 2018 | $14,805,663 |
| 2019 | $15,562,053 |
| 2020 | $15,966,836 |
| 2021 | $17,508,788 |
| 2022 | $1,480,053 |
| 2022 | $19,195,763 |
| 2025 | $33,166,362 |
From $7.2M in 2011 to $33.2M in FY25, across 14 public filings. The 2025 peak of $33.2M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
The record
On the Hill
Mule Deer Foundation has hired federal lobbyists: 30 filings from 2019 to 2026. The filings, at the Senate.
Most filed on natural resources.
Across the 10 states where they work, the congressional delegations average 65 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Ways in
How to help
98 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 Mule Deer Foundation
38 years on the ground, 500 volunteers, 98 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.