Washington · Nonprofit
BRAIDED RIVER
BRAIDED RIVER (Washington) receives grants from 19 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,420,381 to it, the largest being THE MARGOT MACDOUGALL FAMILY FOUNDATION ($1,250,000). 11 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $502k
- Funders on record
- 19
- Grants received
- $2.4M
- Net assets
- $445k
What Braided River does
Mission
We inspire people to protect wild places through images and stories that change perspectives, western north america's public lands are under threat. Using the power of beautiful images, we publish photography books and create multimedia advocacy campaigns to draw attention to these critical ecosystems. We work in concert with conservation photographers, writers, grassroots organizations and indigenous communities to build greater public awareness and turn awe into action.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
In the spirit of right and respectful relations this book, in the spirit of right and respectful relations, was written to promote dialogue with indigenous peoples, increase understanding, build relationships and momentum, and inspire action to support, protect, and restore our region's imperiled lands, waters, and lifeways. The book was inspired by an indigenous gathering, where those present spoke from the heart and the mind about what it means to be in right and respectful relations. The vision of in the spirit of right and respectful relations is to draw on ancestral knowledge to further empower and inspire indigenous-led environmental campaigns with non-indigenous allies and partners for the benefit of mother earth and all her relations down to the seventh generation. Published by se'si'le, with Braided River. Se'si'le is an indigenous-led, bellingham-based nonprofit that works to protect indigenous areas, resources, and sacred sites. The launch of this book included a panel event with lummi chairman jay julius, se'si'le, and Braided River that drew over 250 attendees, and more than 600 books were given away at community events uplifting indigenous sovereignty.
$32,802 spent7% of program spendingGuardians of life - guardians of life Braided River is projected to release and publish guardians of life in february 2026. The book is a visual journey that reveals indigenous communities as earth's most powerful protectors. The odyssey spans the globe, from palau's coral reefs and mongolia's steppes to greenland's sea ice. Guardians of life is powered by the collective wisdom of more than two dozen indigenous voices, including activist quannah chasinghorse and palauan statesman tommy remengesau jr. Their expertise is brought forward through national geographic photojournalist kiliii yyan's striking imagery, the powerful writing of bestselling author (1491) charles mann, and writer gleb raygorodetsky's insights. Together, this collection of powerful images and stories proves how traditional knowledge and modern innovation unite to safeguard the planet. The team facilitated event preparation and a media campaign in 2025 to prepare for the 2026 launch.
$64,719 spent14% of program spendingLiving river - this book and visual campaign released in april 2023 has been educating about the imperilled colorado river watershed. In 2024, the author dave showalter has presented at 15 in-person and digital events as part of the living river events series, reaching a total of 4,435 people in person in colorado, arizona, nevada, utah, wyoming, new mexico, and california. The largest in-person speaking event was a 60-person group at the utah din bikeyah summer gathering at the kigalia guard station campground in collaboration with the utah din bikyah. The media campaign has achieved over ten million impressions, reaching across the north american markets in print and radio interviews. The book had national audience reach in the natural history and literary space, with prominent features on nbc and affiliate stations, orion, and natural history magazine. Living river was awarded the independent book award for u.s. West-mountain best regional non-fiction, and also awarded the national outdoor book award and was a high plains book awards finalist. In 2025, the living river traveling museum exhibit was printed and placed at the headwaters museum in winter park, colorado, and the…
$193,441 spent41% of program spendingAmerica's arctic - Braided River is a media partner alongside a coalition of national conservation and indigenous nonprofits supporting science and cultural education around the alaskan arctic. In particular, the western arctic and the arctic national wildlife refuge have been a special focus. Through media campaigns, legislative action, and support for group trips to america's arctic, Braided River has provided education through media about protecting the arctic from unsustainable development. Braided River also worked closely with national geographic photographer florian schulz on fieldwork surrounding photography and film of some of the most remote places of the arctic. We are continuing to support the impact campaign for an educational giant screen film called "the arctic: our last great wilderness." the film has been shown to date at more than 20 theaters at major science centers, for more than 10,000 people, including several thousand school groups and educators. We have also supported film and storytelling efforts digitally, on social media and a web platform protectthearctic.orgc, which has more than 58,000 followers. Columbia river - this book and visual storytelling…
$180,301 spent$85,644 earned by the program38% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $471,263.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2022 to 2023, from $1.3M to $548k (−58%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2023 3% · 2024 0% · 2025 9%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
82% of BRAIDED RIVER’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (88% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 4 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Helen Cherullo
Executive director
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 6 funders to 11 funders, grant income rose $512k → $1.0M.
3 of 19 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 19% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of BRAIDED RIVER’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
BRAIDED RIVER leans on a few funders — its largest provides 52% of grant income and the top three 78%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 88% · 2018 53% · 2019 44% · 2020 38% · 2021 46% · 2022 72% · 2023 78% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
55% of BRAIDED RIVER's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 58% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
BRAIDED RIVER draws 89% of its grant income from funders outside Washington, across 6 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $462k arriving through sponsors registered in 3 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
BRAIDED RIVER is better cushioned than half of the 2,433 environment nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 2,433 environment nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2025
Organizations like BRAIDED RIVER
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Washington
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
82% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
41%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for BRAIDED RIVER: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds BRAIDED RIVER?
- BRAIDED RIVER (Washington) receives grants from 19 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,420,381 to it, the largest being THE MARGOT MACDOUGALL FAMILY FOUNDATION ($1,250,000). 11 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does BRAIDED RIVER have?
- IRS filings report 19 organizations giving $2,420,381 in grants to BRAIDED RIVER, 11 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of BRAIDED RIVER?
- THE MARGOT MACDOUGALL FAMILY FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $1,250,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like BRAIDED RIVER find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Washington. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Braided River →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 19 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing