Friends of Baxter State Park
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Friends of Baxter State Park strives to inspire passion for the Park's wild character in the spirit of Percival Baxter. We promote exemplary use, natural resource stewardship, and a healthy Katahdin region to ensure the Park forever remains a refuge.
- Income
- $506,876
- Spending
- $480,497
- Spent on programs
- 57%
- Reserves
- 10.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 93%
- Employees
- 17
- Volunteers
- 35
- Highest pay
- $95,600, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 86 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 4% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 28% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1557% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 29 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 87 out of 100. Higher than 69% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2514 of 14 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
12 of 15Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $111,912 spent. Support for Park Activities: Our Baxter Youth Conservation Corps (BYCC) completed six weeks of full-time trail work in Baxter State Park, for a total of 1,671 hours of donated services. Crews completed projects and maintenance work on the Sandy Stream Pond, Chimney Pond, Doubletop, Elbow Pond, Mount OJI, and other trails. Our BYCC Conservation Fellow completed 320 hours of independent study focused on the fisheries biology of Baxter State Park. We also made a direct contribution of $4,595.50 to Baxter State Park, which represents 50% of the net proceeds from our annual fundraising sign auction.
- $138,378 spent. Education and Outreach: We offered an expanded Maine Youth Wilderness Leadership Program which enabled twenty Maine high school students to experience a nine-day leadership training program in spectacular wilderness. Participants in this program learned from specialists in botany, photography, geology, environmental advocacy, watercolor painting, storytelling, history, and recreation. The goal of this program is to inspire and cultivate the next generation of Maine's environmental leaders. We sent ten issues of our email newsletter to a mailing list of approximately 2,700 people. We published the 2026 Baxter State Park calendar in partnership with Baxter State Park and a local company. We revised and printed 10,000 copies of our Know Before You Go brochure to be distributed statewide. We produced and distributed eleven podcast episodes containing over ten hours of audio content focused on Baxter State Park. We hosted two webinars, one focused on iNaturalist and the other focused on a new book called Loving the North Woods. We hosted three evening gatherings in Patten, Freeport, and Portland for our members and the general public.
- $24,056 spent. Advocacy for the Park: We attended four meetings of the Baxter State Park Authority, three meetings of the Katahdin Collaborative and related groups, and two meetings of the BSP - AT Task Force. We delivered written and oral testimony at one legislative hearing. We also monitored several ongoing policy challenges and opportunities facing Baxter State Park.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 2000.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.