Sierra Club Foundation
“Fund environmental education and litigation through the Sierra Club.”
The work
What they do
501(c)(3) arm of Sierra Club. Funds litigation, education, and environmental programs. Major source of conservation legal funding.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “EDUCATE AND EMPOWER PEOPLE TO PROTECT AND IMPROVE THE NATURAL AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Bringing people into the fight
$19.2MTHE SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION PROVIDES A BROAD RANGE OF ADDITIONAL GRANTS TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE, EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC, LITERARY AND LEGAL ENDEAVORS THAT FURTHER ITS CHARITABLE MISSION.
Including $18,933,423 granted onward, most of it $43,795,738 to Sierra Club.
Read it as they filed it
THE SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION PROVIDES A BROAD RANGE OF ADDITIONAL GRANTS TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE, EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC, LITERARY AND LEGAL ENDEAVORS THAT FURTHER ITS CHARITABLE MISSION.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Holding the line in court
$11.6MTHIS PROJECT SUPPORTS THE STATE AND LOCAL CHAPTERS AND GROUPS OF THE SIERRA CLUB IN THEIR WORK TO ADVANCE ALL OF THE SIERRA CLUB’S STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK GOALS THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION, ORGANIZING, ADMINISTRATIVE ADVOCACY,...
Including $11,621,706 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
CHAPTER AND GROUP EDUCATION PROJECT - THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS THE STATE AND LOCAL CHAPTERS AND GROUPS OF THE SIERRA CLUB IN THEIR WORK TO ADVANCE ALL OF THE SIERRA CLUB'S STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK GOALS THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION, ORGANIZING, ADMINISTRATIVE ADVOCACY, COMMUNICATIONS, LITIGATION, AND OTHER CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES. THE SPECIFIC GOALS ARE TO ENABLE LOCAL GRASSROOTS ACTIVISTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES; DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT CONSERVATION CAMPAIGNS TO PROTECT THE NATURAL AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT; INFORM THE PUBLIC AND MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF LOCAL INTEREST; ENGAGE IN PUBLIC INTEREST LAWSUITS; AND GROW A BROADER BASE OF VOLUNTEERS AND LEADERS CONTRIBUTING TO COMMUNITY-INSPIRED AND-LED PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING TO INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH, CHILDREN, AND FAMILIES TO DEVELOP AND ENHANCE PERSONAL CONNECTIONS TO NATURE.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Reading every lease sale
$8.6MTHE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO REVERSE THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE BY DECARBONIZING THE ELECTRIC GRID BY 80 PERCENT BY 2030.
Including $8,614,895 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
BEYOND COAL - THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO REVERSE THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE BY DECARBONIZING THE ELECTRIC GRID BY 80 PERCENT BY 2030. THE PROGRAM'S SPECIFIC GOALS - WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ALLIED ORGANIZATIONS - ARE TO HELP TRANSITION AGING AND UNECONOMIC COAL PLANTS TOWARDS CLEANER ALTENATIVES THAT ALSO BENEFIT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Reading every lease sale
$5.2MTHIS PROJECT EDUCATES, ENGAGES, AND MOBILIZES THE PUBLIC IN ADMINISTRATIVE ADVOCACY ABOUT A RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES TO ADVANCE THE SIERRA CLUB’S STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK; PROVIDES PROGRAM, OPERATIONS, AND MANAGEMENT SUP...
Including $5,212,368 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
NATIONAL EDUCATION PROJECT - THIS PROJECT EDUCATES, ENGAGES, AND MOBILIZES THE PUBLIC IN ADMINISTRATIVE ADVOCACY ABOUT A RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES TO ADVANCE THE SIERRA CLUB'S STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK; PROVIDES PROGRAM, OPERATIONS, AND MANAGEMENT SUPPORT TO IMPLEMENT THE CHARITABLE PROJECTS OF THE SIERRA CLUB; AND WORKS IN COALITION AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND GROUPS TO ADVANCE OUTCOMES AT THE INTERSECTION OF CLIMATE, SOCIAL, AND RACIAL JUSTICE. IT IS A PROJECT THROUGH WHICH THE SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION WORKS TO ACHIEVE ITS MISSION TO EDUCATE AND EMPOWER PEOPLE TO PROTECT AND IMPROVE THE NATURAL AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
84 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 Sierra Club Foundation is nowhere near one.
Backed on the record by Wilburforce Foundation, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Kendeda Fund and 7 others, latest filing FY24.
$44,619,601 programs, $1,681,754 management, $6,829,536 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 Sierra Club Foundation? Claim this page.
Those 20 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Sierra Club Foundation is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 21The 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 | $47,163,599 |
| 2012 | $47,618,045 |
| 2013 | $58,503,816 |
| 2014 | $62,137,742 |
| 2015 | $90,844,476 |
| 2016 | $75,709,930 |
| 2017 | $71,524,157 |
| 2018 | $105,160,363 |
| 2019 | $120,488,815 |
| 2020 | $95,601,203 |
| 2021 | $108,646,694 |
| 2022 | $87,746,859 |
| 2023 | $89,068,739 |
| 2025 | $31,947,339 |
From $47.2M in 2011 to $31.9M in FY25, across 14 public filings.
Ways in
How to help
84 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 Sierra Club Foundation
66 years on the ground, 20 volunteers, 84 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.