Rights and Resources Institute Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
RRI'S MISSION IS TO SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' STRUGGLES AGAINST POVERTY AND MARGINALIZATION BY PROMOTING GREATER GLOBAL COMMITMENT AND ACTION TOWARDS POLICY, MARKET, AND LEGAL REFORMS THAT SECURE THEIR RIGHTS TO OWN, CONTROL AND BENEFIT FROM NATURAL RESOURCES, ESPECIALLY LAND AND FORESTS.
- Income
- $7.2 million
- Spending
- $19.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 92%
- Reserves
- 11.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 46%
- Employees
- 33
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $288,656, president
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 59 out of 100. Higher than 22% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 11.5 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 28% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 177% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 43% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1592% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 60% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 259 of 10 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
10 of 10Gave 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
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
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, 2024, 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 (4)
- $9.5 million spent. CLARIFI: AS RRI'S FUNDING MECHANISM, CLARIFI HAS COMMITTED OVER $26 MILLION FOR 168 PROJECTS SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES', AFRO-DESCENDANT PEOPLES', AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES' TENURE RIGHTS SINCE 2022. PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDIGENOUS-LED FUNDS, LIKE THE MESOAMERICAN TERRITORIAL FUND, AND NEW GOVERNANCE HIRES STRENGTHENED ITS CAPACITY TO MANAGE GROWING PROJECT PIPELINES AND EMPOWER RIGHTSHOLDER LEADERSHIP.
- $3.8 million spent. REGIONAL PROGRAMS:" AFRICA: RRI STRENGTHENED INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES' RIGHTS THROUGH HIGH-IMPACT LEGISLATIVE ADVANCEMENTS IN 2024. IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC), L'ALLIANCE NATIONALE D'APPUI ET PROMOTION DES AIRES ET TERRITOIRES DU PATRIMOINE AUTOCHTONE ET COMMUNAUTAIRE DU CONGO (ANAPAC), AND THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPED A ROADMAP FOR A NEW NATIONAL STRATEGY ON CONSERVATION OUTSIDE PROTECTED AREAS. THIS INITIATIVE AIMS TO ESTABLISH AN INCLUSIVE MODEL FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION BASED ON OTHER EFFECTIVE AREA-BASED CONSERVATION MEASURES (OECMS). IN LIBERIA, THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE (SDI), THE CIVIL SOCIETY WORKING GROUP ON LAND, AND RRI MAPPED 138 COMMUNITY LAND DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES-REPRESENTING MILLIONS OF HECTARES OF COMMUNITY LAND-ACROSS 14 OF THE COUNTRY'S 15 COUNTIES. THE PROJECT ESTABLISHED A FOUNDATIONAL STRUCTURE TO FURTHER ENHANCE COMMUNITY-BASED LAND MANAGEMENT IN LIBERIA AND BEYOND." ASIA: RRI'S COALITION ENGAGED INDIGENOUS AND LOCAL COMMUNITY YOUTH, AMPLIFYING THEIR LEADERSHIP BY ORGANIZING A VIRTUAL ASIA YOUTH SOLIDARITY WORKSHOP FOR TENURE RIGHTS. MORE THAN 40 YOUTH LEADERS FROM INDIA, NEPAL, INDONESIA, AND THE PHILIPPINES ATTENDED, MARKING THE BEGINNING OF A SOLIDARITY NETWORK AMONG YOUTH IN ASIA. RRI ALSO SUPPORTED WOMEN-LED INITIATIVES IN NEPAL AND INDONESIA TO STRENGTHEN INDIGENOUS AND LOCAL COMMUNITY WOMEN'S ROLES IN ADDRESSING INEQUALITY AND PROMOTING THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT. " LATIN AMERICA: RRI, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COALITION FOR THE TERRITORIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS OF AFRO-DESCENDANT PEOPLES OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, CONAQ, AND PCN, CREATED A PATHWAY TO POSITION AFRO-DESCENDANT PEOPLES AS CRUCIAL COUNTERPARTS IN CONSERVATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE EFFORTS BY ORGANIZING AN EVENT IN COLOMBIA, ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 400 PEOPLE. MORE THAN A DECADE OF SUPPORT FOR THE AFRO-DESCENDANT COALITION CULMINATED IN A HISTORIC WIN AT THE CBD COP16 IN OCTOBER, WHEN THEY BECAME PART OF A SUBSIDIARY BODY IN ARTICLE 8J WITH POLITICAL INFLUENCE IN NEGOTIATIONS. RRI ALSO CREATED PATHWAYS FOR 18 GRASSROOTS AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN NINE COUNTRIES TO STRENGTHEN REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES AND ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY THROUGH STRATEGIC PLANNING; PROJECT AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT; TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA; AND MORE." STRATEGIC RESPONSE MECHANISM: RRI'S SRM FUNDED 10 PROJECTS ACROSS EIGHT COUNTRIES, IN ADDITION TO SIX PROJECTS THAT CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION FROM 2023. THESE PROJECTS HELPED BUILD GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS' CAPACITY AND LEADERSHIP, AMPLIFIED NATIONAL ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS, AND INFLUENCED NATIONAL LEGISLATION. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDED THE CAMBODIA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' ASSOCIATION (CIPA) SUBMITTING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE MINISTRY OF LAND TO ENSURE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' VOICES ARE INCLUDED IN LEGISLATIVE PROCESSES AFFECTING THEIR LAND RIGHTS; AND THE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (FIDEPE) SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATING FOR THE FORMAL RECOGNITION OF 150 HECTARES OF SACRED FOREST BENEFITING OVER 60,000 PEOPLE IN CAMEROON.
- $2.9 million spent. THEMATIC PROGRAMS" GENDER JUSTICE: RRI STRENGTHENED THE WOMEN IN GLOBAL SOUTH ALLIANCE (WIGSA) BY ORGANIZING GLOBAL CONVENINGS, SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS, AFRO-DESCENDANT, AND LOCAL COMMUNITY WOMEN TO ATTEND NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL-LEVEL EVENTS, AND CONDUCTING NEW RESEARCH. FIFTEEN WOMEN LEADERS FROM 11 COUNTRIES MET IN KATHMANDU, NEPAL, FOR WIGSA'S SECOND ANNUAL STRATEGIC MEETING TO IDENTIFY WAYS TO ENSURE WOMEN'S VOICES ARE INCLUDED IN HIGH-LEVEL DECISION-MAKING SPACES. RRI AND WIGSA PUBLISHED PRELIMINARY FINDINGS TO PUBLISH A POLICY BRIEF ANALYZING DIRECT FUNDING REACHING GRASSROOTS WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS AT CBD COP16. " RIGHTS, CLIMATE, AND CONSERVATION: RRI PUBLISHED NEW RESEARCH AND HOSTED SEVERAL CONVENINGS TO SHINE A LIGHT ON THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN CARBON MARKETS AND COMMUNITY RIGHTS. RRI, NAMATI, AND SCHOLARS FROM MCGILL UNIVERSITY PUBLISHED A POLICY BRIEF ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES', AFRO-DESCENDANT PEOPLES', AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES' RIGHTS TO CARBON, ASSESSING NATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORKS ACROSS 33 TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FOREST COUNTRIES. THIS RESEARCH SERVES AS A TOOL TO HELP BOTH STATES AND RIGHTSHOLDERS PREPARE FOR CARBON MARKET INITIATIVES AND ENSURE COMMUNITIES' RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED. RRI, NAMATI, RIGHTS COLAB, AND JUST GROUND CONVENED A WORKSHOP AT UN CLIMATE WEEK IN NEW YORK TO DISCUSS THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING AN INDEPENDENT ADVISORY BODY THROUGH A BLIND POOLED MECHANISM TO PROVIDE LEGAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO COMMUNITIES AROUND CARBON MARKET INITIATIVES. THIS WORKSHOP SET THE STAGE FOR MORE DISCUSSIONS IN 2025 ON HOW TO CREATE AND OPERATIONALIZE A BLIND FUND THAT WOULD SUPPORT RIGHTSHOLDERS' SELF-DETERMINED PRIORITIES." RIGHTS AND LIVELIHOODS: RRI DEVELOPED NEW STRATEGY TOOLS TO MOBILIZE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT COLLECTIVE ACTION TO HELP ACHIEVE THE LIVELIHOODS AND POVERTY REDUCTION GOALS OF RRI'S STRATEGIC PROGRAM IV (SPIV). THE RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS COMPRISED A SCAN OF SOME 40 PROJECTS, 80 INTERVIEWS, AND CASE STUDIES OF RRI ENGAGEMENTS ON LIVELIHOODS SINCE 2013 AND ELABORATES A NICHE, VALUE-ADD, THEORY OF CHANGE, AND FUTURE PRIORITY AREAS OF INTERVENTION FOR THE COALITION. THE INTERLAKEN GROUP ALSO HOSTED A THREE-DAY STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, RESULTING IN A COLLECTIVE AGENDA AND ACTION PLAN TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE REALIZATION OF 2030 TARGETS ENSHRINED IN THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT AND GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK. " PATH TO SCALE INITIATIVE: AT UN CLIMATE WEEK IN NEW YORK, THE PATH TO SCALE POSITIONED ITSELF TO LEAD COORDINATION ON THE ROADMAP TO A NEW FOREST TENURE PLEDGE AT UNFCCC COP30 IN 2025. IT PUBLISHED A NEW FUNDING DASHBOARD, POLICY BRIEF, AND A SERIES OF CASE STUDIES, AND LAUNCHED THE PLEDGE WE WANT CAMPAIGN TO CATALYZE THE SYSTEMS AND PARTNERSHIPS NEEDED TO INFORM AND ADVANCE A NEW AND EQUITABLE FUNDING PLEDGE FOR RIGHTSHOLDERS.
- $2.0 million spent. COALITION AND COMMUNICATION PROGRAMS:
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 November 6, 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 2024.
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 November 2006.
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 November 4, 2026.
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