Amazon Frontlines
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
AMAZON FRONTLINES BUILDS POWER WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TO DEFEND THEIR RIGHTS TO LAND, LIFE AND CULTURAL SURVIVAL IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST.
- Income
- $5.0 million
- Spending
- $5.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 86%
- Reserves
- 7.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 99%
- Employees
- 8
- Volunteers
- 5
- Highest pay
- $176,527, executive director
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
Good: 82 out of 100. Higher than 56% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 7.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 11% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 11% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 30% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1586% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 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: 93 out of 100. Higher than 49% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 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
0 of 7Reports no 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)
- $2.1 million spent. DEFENDING RIGHTS AND SECURING LAND TENURE: WE CONTINUE TO WAGE HARD-HITTING LEGAL BATTLES AND ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS WITH OUR INDIGENOUS PARTNERS THAT UPEND BAD LAWS AND CLOSE LOOPHOLES, JAM DESTRUCTIVE PROJECTS, AND ADVANCE INDIGENOUS RIGHTS, REGIONALLY AND GLOBALLY, THROUGH LEGAL PRECEDENT AND IMPROVED LEGAL FRAMEWORKS. IN 2024, WE SUCCESSFULLY ORGANIZED AND CAMPAIGNED WITH ECUADORIAN CIVIL SOCIETY TO PERMANENTLY BAN OIL DRILLING IN THE YASUNI RAINFOREST IN EASTERN ECUADOR AND PROVIDED ON-THE-GROUND EMERGENCY RELIEF AND HUMANITARIAN AID TO SIONA COMMUNITIES IN THE MIDST OF ARMED CONFLICT IN SOUTHERN COLOMBIA. WE ALSO WORKED WITH THE KOFAN AND WAORANI NATIONS TO UPHOLD THE INDIGENOUS RIGHT TO FREE, PRIOR AND INFORMED CONSENT (FPIC) - OR THE RIGHT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TO DECIDE THE FUTURE OF THEIR TERRITORIES - AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL IN ECUADOR.IN 2024, WE IMPLEMENTED A LAND-TITLING PROGRAM IN ECUADOR CALLED "ALLPAMANTA" (TERRITORY IS LIFE IN KICHWA), ALONGSIDE INDIGENOUS FEDERATIONS CONAIE AND CONFENIAE TO RECOVER INDIGENOUS TENURE OVER GOVERNMENT HELD LANDS IN NATIONAL PARKS WHICH SPAN 1.5 MILLION HECTARES OF FORESTS NATIONWIDE, THEREBY ENFORCING INDIGENOUS RIGHTS AND RETAINING PROTECTED STATUS, BUT WITH GREATER INCENTIVES FOR INDIGENOUS USE, PROTECTION AND LAND MANAGEMENT. IN PERU, WE ARE ALSO ADVANCING LAND-TITLING PROCESSES ALONGSIDE THE AMAZONIAN INDIGENOUS FEDERATION AIDESEP, WITH THE REGIONAL INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATION ORPIO, THE SIEKOPAI NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OISPE, AS WELL AS NONPROFITS LIKE INSTITUTE FOR LEGAL DEFENSE AND RAINFOREST FOUNDATION US, IN ORDER TO FORM A BROAD COALITION EFFORT TO SECURE A NATIONAL IMPACT ON POLICY THAT WILL BENEFIT ALL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN PERU IN RECOVERING AND PROTECTING THEIR TERRITORIES.
- $1.4 million spent. BUILDING AUTONOMY AND SCALING PARTNERSHIPS: AMAZON FRONTLINES IS EXPANDING OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES TO ACHIEVE A MUCH WIDER IMPACT IN PROTECTING THE UPPER AMAZON. AS WE SCALE OUR FRONTLINE MODEL WITH NEW ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE REGION, IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE STAY TRUE TO OUR CORE MISSION OF ENSURING THAT OUR INDIGENOUS PARTNERS ARE LEADING, LEARNING, AND OWNING THE PROCESSES THAT DIRECTLY RESPOND TO THEIR OWN VISIONS FOR THE WELL-BEING OF THEIR COMMUNITIES AND TERRITORIES. OUR PARTNERSHIP DEPARTMENT WORKS TOGETHER WITH THE LEADERSHIP AND STAFF OF REGIONAL INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS TO BUILD THEIR ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY THROUGH TAILORED TRAINING IN PROGRAM MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND ACCOUNTING, AS WELL AS SUPPORTING THEM IN ACCESSING GLOBAL NETWORKS AND FUNDING TO STRENGTHEN THEIR FIGHT TO PROTECT THEIR CLIMATE-CRITICAL TERRITORIES.THROUGH OUR GRANTMAKING FACILITY WE DIRECTLY PROVIDE INDIGENOUS LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS WITH THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO SUPPORT A WIDE ARRAY OF ACTIVITIES, RANGING FROM CONVENING EVENTS AND COMMUNITY ASSEMBLIES CRUCIAL FOR ORGANIZATIONAL STRENGTHENING AND COMMUNITY COHESION, TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF SCHOOLS IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNICATION MATERIALS AND TERRITORIAL DEFENSE TRAINING PROGRAMS, ALL OF WHICH CONTINUED IN 2024. WE CONTINUE MAKING GRANTS FOR HUMANITARIAN AID IN RESPONSE TO REGIONAL CONFLICTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RAPIDLY REGRANT EMERGENCY FUNDS TO INDIGENOUS SIONA COMMUNITIES IN RESPONSE TO THE ONGOING ARMED CONFLICT IN COLOMBIA'S PUTUMAYO PROVINCE WHICH IS CURRENTLY DISPLACING AND THREATENING THE LIVES OF SIONA COMMUNITIES.
- $328,628 spent. BUILDING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE: IN EFFORTS TO UPLIFT INDIGENOUS WOMEN AS LEADERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND DEVELOP ECONOMIC ALTERNATIVES TO FOSSIL FUEL EXTRACTION, WE EMPOWER ASPIRING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS FROM ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH OUR WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SCHOOL, OFFERING WORKSHOPS ON LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING FOR WOMEN-LED ASSOCIATIONS, INTRODUCTIONS TO BASIC IT, COMPUTER SKILLS, ACCOUNTING, FINANCES, E-COMMERCE AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS.SINCE 2023, WE HAVE SUPPORTED INDIGENOUS NATIONALITIES, CURRENTLY THE WAORANI, KOFAN AND SIEKOPAI, TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT THEIR OWN INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION MODELS. THESE PROCESSES INVOLVE ENTIRE COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS, FROM ELDERS TO PARENTS TO INDIGENOUS AUTHORITIES, UNIFYING A COLLECTIVE STRUGGLE FOR THE CULTURAL SURVIVAL OF THEIR PEOPLES, AND THE PASSING DOWN OF THEIR ANCESTRAL FOREST KNOWLEDGE TO INDIGENOUS YOUTH, WHO ULTIMATELY WILL BE THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS FIGHTING ON THE FRONTLINES OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS TO DEFEND THE AMAZON RAINFOREST.
- $910,820 spent. AS WE SCALE OUR IMPACT ACROSS THE UPPER AMAZON, WE ARE STRENGTHENING AMAZON FRONTLINES' OPERATIONAL CAPACITY BY EXPANDING OUR TEAMS, PLANNING PROCESSES, PARTNERSHIPS, AND LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY, AS WELL AS HELPING OUR INDIGENOUS PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TO BOLSTER THEIR GOVERNANCE, COMMUNICATIONS, ADVOCACY, AND CLIMATE LEADERSHIP ON THE REGIONAL AND GLOBAL STAGE. AS PART OF THIS, WE ARE GROWING OUR TRAINING AND MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS THAT ENABLE INDIGENOUS LEADERS AND YOUTH TO DOCUMENT THEIR REALITIES, SHARE ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE, AND AMPLIFY THEIR VOICES WORLDWIDE THROUGH INNOVATIVE MEDIA PRODUCTIONBUILDING THE VISIBILITY AND INFLUENCE NEEDED TO DEFEND THEIR TERRITORIES AND DRIVE TRANSFORMATIVE CLIMATE ACTION.
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 May 2016.
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.
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.