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American Forest Foundation at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

American Forest Foundation

The mission of the AMERICAN FOREST FOUNDATION is to deliver meaningful conservation impact through the empowerment of family forest owners.

$3.4M
Granted FY2024still arriving
46
Grants FY2024still arriving
30
States reached
$458k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Environment$15MCommunity Improvement$4.4MEducation$2.6MFood & Nutrition$1.5MCrime & Legal$872kArts & Culture$612kHuman Services$369kRecreation & Sports$157kOther$0
02FY2024 · 46 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 46 grants below total $2,529,736, the rows itemized in this filing. The $3,360,113 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $830,377 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k14 grants · $98k
  • $10k–50k22 grants · $462k
  • $50k–250k7 grants · $785k
  • $250k+3 grants · $1.2M
$14,903
Median grant
30
States reached
$158M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY$457,942
PURDUE UNIVERSITY$402,720
CENTER FOR HEIRS PROPERTY PRESERVATION$324,190
UAPB SMALL FARM PROGRAM$203,186
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS - PINE$146,682
WINSTON COUNTY SELF HELP$110,003
MCINTOSH SEED$107,344
ROANOKE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE$97,916
FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN COOPERATIVES LAND ASSISTANCE FUND$60,000
MERIDIAN INSTITUTE$59,911
WALLOWA RESOURCES$43,328
VIBRANT PLANET PBC DBA VIBRANT PLANET INC$40,306
ALABAMA TREE FARM COMMITTEE$37,427
UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE$34,209
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT$34,140
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–24, $175k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%STATE TREE FARM COMMITTEE-TX: $27k → 16%WYOMING PLT: $10k → 11%STATE TREE FARM COMMITTEE-TX: $22k → 16%STATE TREE FARM COMMITTEE-TX: $22k → 16%STATE TREE FARM COMMITTEE-TX: $20k → 16%STATE TREE FARM COMMITTEE-TX: $20k → 16%TEXAS TREE FARM COMMITTEE: $19k → 16%STATE TREE FARM COMMITTEE-TX: $19k → 16%TEXAS TREE FARM COMMITTEE: $18k → 16%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
HI
LA
MS
AL
GA
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

86%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$22M · 79 repeat orgs$3.6M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +53% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

79 repeat relationships: 36 still active in FY2024, 43 since wound down; 8 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

79
77

Total granted

$22M
$3.4M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+53%
0%

Still filing today

52%
29%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 91% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $181k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EnvironmentAnimalsEducationCommunity ImprovementYouth DevelopmentFood & NutritionOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • NF
    NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION
    4× · 2017–2020 · $3.4M · revenue +62%
  • WALLOWA RESOURCES INC
    6× · 2019–2024 · $1.0M · revenue +128%
  • MS
    McIntosh Sustainable Environment and Economic Development Inc
    4× · 2021–2024 · $910k · revenue +189%

Funded once

  • CR
    CASCADE RESOURCE CONSULTANTS
    one grant, 2021 · $417k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2021 · $341k
  • PV
    PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2021 · $290k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
The Foundation for Sustainable Forests Inc
Philanthropy
2
Forests Today and Forever

To research, develop, and teach ecologically effective means to protect, manage, and restore forest lands.

Unclassified
3
National Association of State Foresters

Between federal government and forestry groups on forestry matters to develop and promote programs and activities, which will advance forest stewardship and use of forest resources.

—
4
Forest Landowners Association Inc

To support, through advocacy, education, and information, forest landowners' responsible management of their private property.

—
5
Washington Forest Protection Association

Wfpa advocates and advnances sustainable forestry in washington to protect and enhance the economic investment of private working forest landowners.

—
6
Idaho Forest Restoration Partnership
Environment
7
Georgia Forestwatch Inc

Our mission is to enhance the health of over 867,000 acres of georgias national forest by protecting our forests and streams, advocating for natural processes, and identifying opportunities to improve forest management.

Environment
8
Appalachian Society of American Forester

Advance the science, technology, education, and practice of forestry ensure the continued health and use of forest ecosystems and the present and futre availability of forest resources to benefit society

—
9
Santa Fe Forest Coalition

Educate the public on forest conservation issues in New Mexico

Environment
10
Center for Sustainable Economy

Promoting economic sustainability

Environment
11
Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine

Maine Woodland Owners supports woodland ownership and stewardship through education, advocacy, collaboration and conservation fo rthe benefit of landowners, wildlife, the environment, the pulic and the economy.

Environment
12
American Forest Foundation

The mission of the american forest foundation is to deliver meaningful conservation impact through the empowerment of family forest owners. through strong partnerships and advocacy, we strive to equip america's rural landowners with the…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is New England Forestry Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is McIntosh Sustainable Environment and Economic Development Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

70 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 70 of the 165 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

6
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
26
Early backer (in before they grew)
66/70
Grantees still filing
45/70
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

WARNER ENTERPRISES: $1,455,384 · OtherWARNER ENTERPRISESUNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT PINE BLUFF: $1,049,599 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT PINE BLUFFOregon Department of Forestry: $1,035,521 · OtherOregon Department of ForestryCOLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY: $789,576 · OtherPETERSON TIMBER SERVICES: $741,426 · OtherTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $726,615 · Other+119 more: $9,615,999 · Other+119 moreNATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION: $3,406,951 · AnimalsNATIONAL FISH A…+3 more: $50,330 · AnimalsALABAMA FORESTRY FOUNDATION: $728,052 · EnvironmentALABAMA FOR…United States Endowment for Forestry: $300,000 · EnvironmentUnited Stat…OREGON TREE FARM SYSTEM INC: $179,365 · EnvironmentOREGON TREE…VERMONT WOODLANDS ASSOCIATION: $178,734 · EnvironmentVERMONT WOO…COALITION FOR THE POUDRE RIVER WATERSHED: $153,325 · EnvironmentCOALITION F…SOUTH CAROLINA TREE FARM COMMITTEE: $149,678 · EnvironmentSOUTH CAROL…Golden Triangle Resource Conservation and Development Area Inc: $138,063 · EnvironmentSOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FORESTS: $125,845 · EnvironmentGREEN BLUE INSTITUTE: $104,260 · Environment+18 more: $609,680 · Environment+18 moreMcIntosh Sustainable Environment and Economic Development Inc: $910,047 · Community ImprovementMcIntosh …BLACK FAMILY LAND TRUST INC: $655,068 · Community ImprovementBLACK FAM…ROANOKE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INC: $564,481 · Community ImprovementROANOKE E…WALLOWA RESOURCES INC: $1,030,097 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $14,360 · Arts & CultureCenter for Heirs' Property Preservation: $872,173 · Crime & LegalWINSTON COUNTY SELF HELP COOPERATIVE: $302,803 · Food & NutritionFEDERATION OF SOUTHERN COOPERATIVES: $120,000 · Food & NutritionMississippi Association of Cooperatives Inc: $15,000 · Food & Nutrition
Other$15,414,120Animals$3,457,281Environment$2,667,002Community Improvement$2,129,596Arts & Culture$1,044,457Crime & Legal$872,173Food & Nutrition$437,803

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetNATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION: $3,406,951 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetWALLOWA RESOURCES INC: $1,030,097 over 6y, 13% of budgetMcIntosh Sustainable Environment and Economic Development Inc: $910,047 over 4y, 6.5% of budgetCenter for Heirs' Property Preservation: $872,173 over 4y, 6.4% of budgetALABAMA FORESTRY FOUNDATION: $728,052 over 8y, 21% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $726,615 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetBLACK FAMILY LAND TRUST INC: $655,068 over 2y, 54% of budgetROANOKE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INC: $564,481 over 4y, 26% of budgetNORTH AMERICAN FOREST PARTNERSHIP INC: $468,750 over 3y, 18% of budgetWINSTON COUNTY SELF HELP COOPERATIVE: $302,803 over 3y, 11% of budgetUnited States Endowment for Forestry: $300,000 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetGeorgia Forestry Foundation Inc: $255,383 over 7y, 17% of budgetWORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE: $223,588 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMISSISSIPPI FORESTRY ASSOCIATION: $221,619 over 7y, 5.6% of budgetARKANSAS FORESTRY ASSOCIATION: $221,604 over 8y, 6.5% of budgetOREGON TREE FARM SYSTEM INC: $179,365 over 8y, 73% of budgetVERMONT WOODLANDS ASSOCIATION: $178,734 over 7y, 12% of budgetTEXAS FORESTRY ASSOCIATION EDUCATIONAL FUND INC: $174,218 over 8y, 7.0% of budgetSOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTERS: $166,250 over 2y, 3.7% of budgetCOALITION FOR THE POUDRE RIVER WATERSHED: $153,325 over 2y, 17% of budgetLRLEAN INC: $150,385 over 2y, 31% of budgetCONSERVATION LEGACY: $150,340 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetSOUTH CAROLINA TREE FARM COMMITTEE: $149,678 over 8y, 32% of budgetLOUISIANA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION: $141,125 over 8y, 2.6% of budgetFLORIDA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION: $140,038 over 7y, 4.4% of budgetTHE FOREST STEWARDS GUILD: $140,021 over 2y, 4.3% of budgetGolden Triangle Resource Conservation and Development Area Inc: $138,063 over 3y, 4.1% of budgetVIRGINIA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION: $131,968 over 8y, 7.3% of budgetSOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FORESTS: $125,845 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetFEDERATION OF SOUTHERN COOPERATIVES: $120,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetCOLORADO FIRECAMP INC: $118,695 over 2y, 10% of budgetGREEN BLUE INSTITUTE: $104,260 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetFOREST EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $82,872 over 8y, 5.6% of budgetFOREST AND WOODLAND ASSOCIATION OF MISSOURI: $72,077 over 6y, 15% of budgetTENNESSEE FORESTRY ASSOCIATION: $70,119 over 6y, 6.3% of budgetKENTUCKY FOREST INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION INC: $64,451 over 7y, 7.5% of budgetMeridian Institute: $59,911 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE INC: $59,762 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetTHE PENNSYLVANIA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION: $57,800 over 6y, 7.2% of budgetMAINE TREE FOUNDATION: $52,778 over 4y, 3.7% of budgetAmerican Forests: $50,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetNatureServe: $48,900 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetMassachusetts Forest Trust Inc: $47,808 over 7y, 6.0% of budgetMINNESOTA FOREST INDUSTRIES INC: $41,500 over 4y, 2.3% of budgetALABAMA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION INC: $34,716 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetNEW ENGLAND FORESTRY FOUNDATION INC: $26,237 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ASSN OF ILLINOIS: $20,000 over 1y, 82% of budgetKENTUCKY ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: $18,325 over 1y, 7.5% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds WALLOWA RESOURCES INC ↗
  • Who funds McIntosh Sustainable Environment and Economic Development Inc ↗
  • Who funds Center for Heirs' Property Preservation ↗
  • Who funds ALABAMA FORESTRY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE NATURE CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds BLACK FAMILY LAND TRUST INC ↗
  • Who funds ROANOKE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INC ↗
  • Who funds NORTH AMERICAN FOREST PARTNERSHIP INC ↗
  • Who funds WINSTON COUNTY SELF HELP COOPERATIVE ↗
  • Who funds United States Endowment for Forestry ↗
  • Who funds Georgia Forestry Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds MISSISSIPPI FORESTRY ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds ARKANSAS FORESTRY ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds OREGON TREE FARM SYSTEM INC ↗
  • Who funds VERMONT WOODLANDS ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds TEXAS FORESTRY ASSOCIATION EDUCATIONAL FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTERS ↗
  • Who funds COALITION FOR THE POUDRE RIVER WATERSHED ↗
  • Who funds LRLEAN INC ↗
  • Who funds CONSERVATION LEGACY ↗
  • Who funds SOUTH CAROLINA TREE FARM COMMITTEE ↗
  • Who funds LOUISIANA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Sustainable Forestry …United States Endowme…National Fish and Wil…The Nature ConservancyAmerican ForestsNational Forest Found…French Fdn Tr UdeclDavis Conservation Fo…National Wildlife Fed…American Bird Conserv…The Conservation Fund…Rsf Social Finance Inc
Sustainable Forestry Initiative IncDC57.2× affinity25 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc · United States Endowment for Forestry · National Fish and Wildlife Foundation · The Nature Conservancy · American Forests · National Forest Foundation · French Fdn Tr Udecl · Davis Conservation Foundation · National Wildlife Federation · American Bird Conservancy · The Conservation Fund a Nonprofit Corporation · Rsf Social Finance Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization American Forest Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from American Forest Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%4%15%34%60%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 35%
  • Wallowa Resources Inc: 100% of income from government
  • New England Forestry Foundation Inc: 88% of income from government
  • Maryland Assoc for Environmental & Outdoor Educati: 35% of income from government
  • Vermont Woodlands Association: 21% of income from government
  • Connecticut Forest & Park Association: 16% of income from government
  • Florida Forestry Association: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
2rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 165 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on American Forest’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home