Pheasants Forever Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever's mission is to conserve pheasants, quail, and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public access, education, and conservation advocacy.
- Income
- $118.6 million
- Spending
- $116.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 86%
- Reserves
- 3.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 65%
- Employees
- 769
- Volunteers
- 4,000
- Highest pay
- $398,075, president and ceo
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
Fair: 68 out of 100.
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.8 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 23% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 11% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1586% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 12 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.
Independent board
25 of 2516 of 17 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 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 (4)
- $88.0 million spent. Wildlife Habitat Initiatives: During the 2025 fiscal year, Pheasants Forever, Inc. completed over 2,500 habitat projects impacting 88,600 acres. Since its inception in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $1.34 billion and completed 589,000 habitat projects. These projects include land acquisitions, shelterbelts, wetlands, food plots, nesting cover, tree planting, maintenance and include the purchase of habitat equipment. Following are current year highlights of the various projects completed by Pheasants Forever: Land Acquisitions-Land acquired by, or with the help of, Pheasants Forever is generally donated to state and federal wildlife agencies for public wildlife management areas. During the year, Pheasants Forever spent $16.9 million to help purchase 941 acres of land, including conservation easements Since inception, Pheasants Forever has helped purchase, and put into public domain, more than 205,000 acres of land at a cost of $341 million. Shelterbelts- A well designed shelterbelt can effectively protect wildlife from exposure to harsh weather conditions. Shelterbelts also provide loafing, feeding, roosting and escape cover for pheasants and other upland wildlife throughout the year. In harsh winters, shelterbelts become rescue cover, allowing a nucleus of breeding individuals to survive the winter and repopulate the rural landscape the next spring. During the year, Pheasants Forever expended $4.8 million to plant trees and has spent $32.7 million on planted trees since 1982. Wetlands - Wetlands provide an excellent source of winter cover and provide the best overall survival rates for pheasants. A wetland's dense network of stems provides effective insulation from cold temperatures and wind chill and provides shelter from blowing and drifting snow. Pheasants Forever restored 410 acres of wetlands during the year and 89,751 acres of wetlands since inception. Food Plots- Winter cover is much more effective with a high energy food source nearby. Well-placed food plots establish safe foraging patterns, restrict unnecessary movements, and provide a dependable food source. A dependable high energy food source is needed to carry female birds through harsh winters in good condition and leads to a reduction in mortality rate during the following spring nesting season. During the year, Pheasants Forever planted 53,223 acres of food plots and has planted 2,351,900 acres of food plots since 1982. Nesting Cover - Throughout the pheasant range, nesting cover is the single most important limiting factor for wildlife populations. Establishing the right vegetation and managing it properly will provide pheasants with concealment from predators and protection from various weather conditions. Additionally, our nesting and brood-rearing projects that plant prairie grasses and forbs (flowering plants) also improve habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Pheasants Forever established or improved 18,162 acres of nesting cover during the year, and more than 3,245,000 acres since 1982. Maintenance - During fiscal year 2025 Pheasants Forever completed 452 projects to maintain quality habitat on over 15,000 acres. Since 1999 the organization has completed more than 59,000 maintenance projects covering more than 3,763,000 acres. Equipment - Pheasants Forever chapters purchase specialized habitat equipment which is either donated to local wildlife agencies or made available to local landowners to aid in establishing and/or maintaining their own habitat projects. During the year, Pheasants Forever expended $985,000 to purchase habitat equipment and has spent $23.3 million on habitat equipment since inception. Farm Bill Biologist Program - Pheasants Forever has developed a network of more than 350 trained biologists that work directly with local landowners, state and federal agencies and others around the country. These Farm Bill Biologists, Coordinating Wildlife Biologists, Habitat Specialists and others assist landowners and property managers in designing, developing, and funding habitat improvements on private lands and public lands. PF Biologists and other trained field staff possess the knowledge of federal, state, and local programs to assist landowners in finding the right program to meet their personal habitat and land use goals. Through a unique partnership, Farm Bill Biologists are located in local USDA service centers in priority habitat areas throughout the pheasant and quail range. During fiscal year 2025, Pheasants Forever biologists worked with more than 43,600 landowners to improve wildlife habitat on more than 2.04 million acres.
- $8.2 million spent. Public Awareness, Education and Outreach: The education and outreach component of Pheasants Forever provides year-round youth programs that offer a pathway of activities that cultivate and grow land stewards and hunting conservationists of all ages. The focus is on hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation. This initiative is carried on in part through the No Child Left Indoors(R) Initiative and other outreach activities. The organization's publications, The Pheasants Forever Journal of Upland Conservation (published four times a year) and The Quail Forever Journal of Quail Conservation (published four times a year) and the joint Upland Hunting SUPER issue (published once for both PF and QF audiences) are distributed to members along with a variety of printed and electronic communications disseminated to educators, chapter leaders, and other stakeholders. These periodicals contain information pertaining to the need for wildlife habitat development and restoration, the benefits of water and soil conservation, current issues and policies affecting conservation and the tradition of hunting, chapter activities and other special features. During the 2025 fiscal year, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever hosted over 2,000 outreach events that introduced habitat education, our hunting heritage, shooting sports and conservation engagement to 44,253 youth and 45,876 adult participants across the country. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever outreach events include events, workshops, educational materials and resources. Education & Outreach efforts support PF and QF chapters in community activities that engage youth and their families in outdoor, hands-on activities aimed at recruiting, retaining & reactivating hunter conservationists and engaged advocates for wildlife habitat. Such events include hunter safety classes, learn to hunt events, pollinator habitat projects, summer camps, shooting programs and outdoor field days. Youth 17 or younger can become Ringnecks and/or Whistler members. Over 11,000 youth members receive the youth publication Upland Tales four times a year. Youth leadership is encouraged at the local level and through state youth leadership councils. Educational brochures also are available on subjects such as habitat and pheasant population dynamics.
- $3.2 million spent. Chapter, Volunteer and Member Services: Pheasants Forever's regional field representatives provide support, information, hands-on education to the public, and work on implementation of wildlife habitat development and restoration. PF's representatives also assist members and chapter volunteers to improve wildlife habitat in the most efficient and effective way. In addition, Pheasants Forever provides support for and informs and updates, the more than 165,000 members and nearly 750 chapters, as to the need for ongoing work in wildlife conservation and provides assistance to accomplish that goal.
- $954,408 spent. Pheasants Forever's governmental affairs function provides policy advice on and advocates for issues impacting wildlife habitat throughout the United States.
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
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since December 1986.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.