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Stewardship · Education

North Carolina Outward Bound

“Change lives through challenge and discovery on public lands.”

59 years on the ground, 78 cents of every dollar to the work.

Home groundAsheville, NC
Founded1967
Tax status501(c)(3)
Led byLaura Bea Armstrong

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The work

What they do

Outdoor education organization running wilderness courses on national forest and other federal lands. Develops environmental stewardship through experiential education.

Where the money went, FY2025

The work, and what it cost

During the fiscal year, ncobs engaged 2

$6.4M, 78% of spending

256 students in transformative learning experiences spanning 11,872 student participant days. Participants ranged from youth to teens to adults, educators, veterans, and professionals.

Including $1,494,201 granted onward.

Read it as they filed it
DURING THE FISCAL YEAR, NCOBS ENGAGED 2,256 STUDENTS IN TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES SPANNING 11,872 STUDENT PARTICIPANT DAYS. PARTICIPANTS RANGED FROM YOUTH TO TEENS TO ADULTS, EDUCATORS, VETERANS, AND PROFESSIONALS. FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA AND THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES TO THE ASTONISHING LANDSCAPES OF PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA, STUDENTS BUILT CONFIDENCE, RESILIENCE, AND CONNECTIONS THAT WILL ENDURE WELL BEYOND THE END OF COURSE.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.

Follow the dollar

78 cents of every dollar goes to the work

78¢
78¢ the work18¢ keeping the lights on4¢ raising the next dollar

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.

$6,430,805 programs, $1,450,293 management, $359,143 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.

The people

Who does the work

162paid staff
30volunteers last year
27board members
Laura Bea ArmstrongExecutive DirectorComp $185,582, FY2025
Karen SareHR DirectorComp $108,787, FY2025
Jan LetendreCFOComp $104,865, FY2025
Rev Janet Hatfield LegroBoard ChairVolunteer, 2 hrs a week, $0

Chairs the 27-member board.

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 If it’s out of date, tell us.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 North Carolina Outward Bound? Claim this page.

Those 30 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If North Carolina Outward Bound is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.

Find your way in

The filings

13 years of filings

Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at or tap the line for any year.

$5M$10M$7.5M FY2520122025
Total revenue by fiscal year
YearRevenue
2012$5,883,599
2013$9,525,322
2014$8,064,228
2015$12,253,832
2016$10,238,713
2017$9,189,944
2018$10,592,998
2019$9,100,465
2020$11,146,154
2021$4,369,466
2022$8,824,225
2023$5,805,307
2025$7,504,454

From $5.9M in 2012 to $7.5M in FY25, across 13 public filings (none on record for 2024).

Their ground

North Carolina Outward Bound is not on our editors’ record for a threatened place yet. See every threatened place on one map, and who stands for each.

Where and what
Federal landsU.S. Forest Service · National Park Service
Active inNorth Carolina · Tennessee · Virginia · Florida
Who writes the rules where they work

Across the 4 states where they work, the congressional delegations average 33 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard

More groups in North Carolina

Ways in

How to help

Stand with North Carolina Outward Bound

The mission is theirs. The backing is yours.

Sources and methodFinancials, headcounts, and program text: IRS Form 990, FY2025 and 12 prior filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, EIN 56-0857708. Leadership and compensation: Form 990 Part VII and the return’s signature block, FY2025 filing. Org-reported figures are always labeled. Data verified as of 2026-09-23. Nothing on this page is pay-to-play.