Skip to the page content
Your donations
Passes our checks

American Rivers Inc

EIN 23-7305963 · Washington, DC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood71 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

AMERICAN RIVERS IS CHAMPIONING A NATIONAL EFFORT TO PROTECT AND RESTORE ALL RIVERS, FROM REMOTE MOUNTAIN STREAMS TO URBAN WATERWAYS. HEALTHY RIVERS PROVIDE PEOPLE AND NATURE WITH CLEAN, ABUNDANT WATER AND NATURAL HABITAT. FOR 50 YEARS, AMERICAN RIVERS STAFF, SUPPORTERS, AND PARTNERS HAVE SHARED A COMMON BELIEF: LIFE DEPENDS ON RIVERS. AMERICAN RIVERS IS THE ONLY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION DEDICATED ENTIRELY TO PROTECTING AND RESTORING THE RIVERS ALL LIFE DEPENDS ON. WITH A HALF-CENTURY OF EXPERIENCE ADDRESSING RIVER THREATS FROM COAST-TO-COAST, WE'VE PROTECTED MORE RIVERS AND REMOVED MORE DAMS THAN ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION. IN 2025, WE WORKED IN 50 STATES TO PROTECT HEALTHY RIVERS, RESTORE DAMAGED ONES, AND CHAMPION A POWERFUL RIVER MOVEMENT. WE REMOVED 108 DAMS, RECONNECTED OVER 2,500 RIVER MILES, PROTECTED 1,165 MILES FROM POLLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT, SAFEGUARDED 212,000 ACRES OF RIVERSIDE LAND, AND SUPPORTED 148 COMMUNITIES TO ENSURE CLEAN WATER AND SAFETY.

Income
$53.4 million
Spending
$41.4 million
Spent on programs
77%
Reserves
1.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 58%
Employees
131
Volunteers
25
Highest pay
$440,478, president

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 71 out of 100. Higher than 41% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 1.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 19% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 22% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 46% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    77% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    25 of 25 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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)
  1. $28.0 million spent. RESTORE DAMAGED RIVERS AND WATERS: WE NEED TO FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORM THE HEALTH OF RIVERS IN OUR COUNTRY. UP TO 85% OF ALL DAMS IN OUR COUNTRY ARE UNNECESSARY, HARMFUL, AND EVEN DANGEROUS. BECAUSE REMOVING A DAM IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPACTFUL WAY TO SECURE A RIVER'S FUTURE HEALTH, WE MUST REMOVE THOUSANDS OF THEM QUICKLY. OUR WORK TO REMOVE DAMS HAS BEEN CENTRAL TO AMERICAN RIVERS OVER THE PAST DECADES AND WILL BE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AS WE WORK TO RESTORE RIVERS IN THE DECADES AHEAD. WE ARE PRIORITIZING REMOVING 400 OUTDATED AND UNSAFE DAMS BY 2027 AND WILL KICKSTART THE REMOVAL OF 30,000 DAMS BY 2050. WE ALSO DRIVE NATIONAL SOLUTIONS TO FLOODING THAT PRIORITIZE COMMUNITIES' SAFETY, EQUITY, AND THE HEALTH OF RIVER HABITATS AND WILL RESTORE 20,000 ACRES OF FUNCTIONAL FLOODPLAINS BY 2027. IN ADDITION, WE WORK TO ENSURE CLEAN WATER BY WORKING IN CITIES TO CONNECT COMMUNITIES TO THEIR RIVERS, AND WE WORK TO RESTORE HEALTHY RIVER FLOWS, HABITAT, AND ACCESS BY ENGAGING IN HYDROPOWER RELICENSING AND REFORM.
  2. $2.4 million spent. MOBILIZE RIVER AND WATER MOVEMENT: AMERICAN RIVERS HAS ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN FOR OUR WILLINGNESS AND ABILITY TO WORK WITH EVERYONE, FROM LOCAL PARTNERS TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO DECISION-MAKERS, TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR RIVERS. WE KNOW THAT THE CHALLENGES TO RIVERS ARE INCREASING DRAMATICALLY. WE NEED A BROAD, POWERFUL, NON-PARTISAN RIVER MOVEMENT TO FACE THESE CHALLENGES AND DRIVE CHANGE THAT MAKES RIVERS HEALTHIER, WATER CLEANER, AND COMMUNITIES SAFER. WE WON'T STOP UNTIL EVERY RIVER HAS MULTITUDES OF CHAMPIONS SPEAKING UP FOR IT.
  3. $1.5 million spent. PROTECT HEALTHY RIVERS: SCIENTISTS SAY WE MUST PROTECT ONE-HALF OF THE PLANET TO SUSTAIN THE WEB OF BIODIVERSITY UPON WHICH ALL LIFE DEPENDS. BY DRIVING FEDERAL AND STATE PROTECTIONS, WE WILL SAFEGUARD 1 MILLION MILES OF RIVERS, FROM REMOTE MOUNTAIN STREAMS TO URBAN WATERWAYS. TO DO IT, WE ARE WORKING WITH LOCAL PARTNERS TO PROTECT OUR HEALTHIEST, MOST REMOTE, AND SCENIC RIVERS, AS WELL AS RIVERS IN URBAN AND SUBURBAN AREAS, THROUGH THE FEDERAL WILD AND SCENIC LEGISLATION AND OTHER APPROACHES.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since September 1984.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.