Waterkeeper Alliance
“To fight for every community’s right to clean water.”
The origin
How they started
Waterkeeper Alliance is the hub of a worldwide movement of local Waterkeeper groups who patrol and defend specific rivers, bays, and coastlines, including the public waters running through forests and parks. It grew out of the Hudson River’s Riverkeeper and was founded in 1999 by a coalition of those early groups. By 2019 the network had grown to roughly 350 Waterkeeper organizations across 46 countries. It runs out of New York City.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “TO PROTECT OUR RIGHT TO CLEAN WATER IN COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Guarding the water
$2.4MTHE REMAINDER OF OUR PROGRAMS INCLUDES PROMOTING THE WATERKEEPER METHOD OF ADVOCACY AND ISSUES OF COMMON CONCERN TO WATERKEEPER GROUPS THROUGH DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS, PRINT PUBLICATIONS, AND OTHER MEDIA; LICENSING NEW WA...
Including $351,057 granted onward, most of it $42,000 to Riverkeeper.
Read it as they filed it
ALL OTHER PROGRAMS:THE REMAINDER OF OUR PROGRAMS INCLUDES PROMOTING THE WATERKEEPER METHOD OF ADVOCACY AND ISSUES OF COMMON CONCERN TO WATERKEEPER GROUPS THROUGH DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS, PRINT PUBLICATIONS, AND OTHER MEDIA; LICENSING NEW WATERKEEPER GROUPS; PROTECTING THE TRADEMARKED WATERKEEPER FAMILY OF NAMES; ADVOCATING FOR STRONGER ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, INCLUDING LEGISLATION SUCH AS THE CLEAN WATER RESTORATION ACT; AND UTILIZING EVENTS AND PUBLIC OUTREACH CAMPAIGNS TO INCREASE AWARENESS FOR THE WATERKEEPER MOVEMENT, THREATS TO CLEAN WATER, AND HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS VIA OUR CLEAN WATER DEFENSE CAMPAIGN. A SIGNIFICANT AREA OF ADVOCACY IS WATERKEEPER ALLIANCE'S CLIMATE AND SAFE ENERGY CAMPAIGN. THE CAMPAIGN'S FOCUS IS TO COMBAT THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CRISIS AND ADVOCATE FOR A NO-CARBON FUTURE. WATERKEEPER ALLIANCE ENGAGES IN LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS BUILT AROUND LEGAL ADVOCACY, GRASSROOTS MOBILIZATION, AND AGGRESSIVE MEDIA ATTENTION AND PUBLIC EDUCATION TOWARD A NO-CARBON FUTURE THAT UTILIZES CLEAN AND SAFE ENERGY.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Pressing the policymakers
$914KGLOBAL CONFERENCE& REGIONAL SUMMITS CORRECTED LANGUAGE - REGIONAL MEETINGS AFFORD WATERKEEPER GROUPS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP REGIONAL ADVOCACY STRATEGIES, SHARE RESOURCES, AND CONTINUE CAPACITY BUILDING AND TECHNICAL...
Including $42,306 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
GLOBAL CONFERENCE AND REGIONAL SUMMITS:GLOBAL CONFERENCE& REGIONAL SUMMITS CORRECTED LANGUAGE - REGIONAL MEETINGS AFFORD WATERKEEPER GROUPS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP REGIONAL ADVOCACY STRATEGIES, SHARE RESOURCES, AND CONTINUE CAPACITY BUILDING AND TECHNICAL LEARNING. A GLOBAL CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN SEPTEMBER 2024.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Pure Farms Pure Waters Campaign
$588KSEE SCHEDULE O.
Including $46,026 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
PURE FARMS PURE WATERS CAMPAIGN: SEE SCHEDULE O.
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
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.
Backed on the record by William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, latest filing FY23.
$5,743,844 programs, $695,550 management, $881,828 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 WKA? Claim this page.
Those 17 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If WKA is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 18The 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 | $3,295,505 |
| 2012 | $4,417,359 |
| 2013 | $4,056,835 |
| 2014 | $10,728,210 |
| 2015 | $9,921,169 |
| 2016 | $16,365,758 |
| 2017 | $20,082,608 |
| 2018 | $17,695,017 |
| 2019 | $15,589,366 |
| 2020 | $17,327,128 |
| 2021 | $11,721,218 |
| 2022 | $15,198,182 |
| 2023 | $8,822,541 |
| 2025 | $8,517,767 |
From $3.3M in 2011 to $8.5M in FY25, across 14 public filings.
Fights alongside Center for Biological Diversity (1 shared case), Environment America (1 shared case), Southern Environmental Law Center (1 shared case) and Surfrider Foundation (1 shared case). Same case, same side, on the federal docket.
The record
On the Hill
Waterkeeper Alliance has hired federal lobbyists: 6 filings from 2023 to 2024, naming 1 bill. The filings, at the Senate.
Most filed on environment/superfund.
Ways in
How to help
78 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 Waterkeeper Alliance
27 years on the ground, 17 volunteers, 78 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.