Rails to Trails Conservancy
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY IS THE NATIONS LARGEST TRAILS ORG. WITH A GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY MORE THAN 1 MIL. STRONG DEDICATED TO BUILDING A NATION CONNECTED BY TRAILS, REIMAGINING PUBLIC SPACES TO CREATE SAFE WAYS FOR EVERYONE TO WALK, BIKE & BE ACTIVE OUTDOORS.
- Income
- $13.3 million
- Spending
- $14.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 75%
- Reserves
- 10.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 86%
- Employees
- 58
- Volunteers
- 25
- Highest pay
- $365,031, president
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 73 out of 100. Higher than 44% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.1 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 27% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 6% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 10% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1575% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 20 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 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 2518 of 18 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 September 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 (5)
- $4.9 million spent. TRAIL DEVELOPMENT: SINCE ITS INCEPTION, RTC HAS WORKED TO REIMAGINE PUBLIC CORRIDORS AND RIGHTS OF WAY FOR PEOPLE TO WALK, BIKE AND BE ACTIVE OUTSIDE CREATING VIBRANT PUBLIC SPACES THAT ENGAGE, INSPIRE AND EMPOWER COMMUNITIES FROM COAST TO COAST. THIS WORK EMBODIES BEST PRACTICES AND LEADING-EDGE INITIATIVES TO GUIDE TRAIL DEVELOPMENT IN WAYS THAT PROMOTE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, BRING INNOVATION TO TRAIL DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING, AND PRIORITIZE TRAIL NETWORKS AND THE CONNECTIONS THAT TRAILS CAN DELIVER BETWEEN PEOPLE AND PLACES.THROUGH OUR TRAILNATION PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS, RTCS CREATING NATIONAL MODELS THAT SHOWCASE THE OUTSIZED BENEFITS THAT CONNECTED TRAILS AND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION ROUTES CAN DELIVER - LOCALLY, REGIONALLY AND NATIONALLY. THE PORTFOLIO IS FOCUSED ON NINE PLACES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT ARE DIVERSE IN THEIR GEOGRAPHY, CULTURE, SIZE, AND SCOPE - SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN, THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, THE INDUSTRIAL HEARTLAND (WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, WEST VIRGINIA, OHIO AND NEW YORK STATE), GREATER PHILADELPHIA, MARYLAND, WASHINGTON, D.C., MIAMI, NORTHERN NEW JERSEY AND NEW ENGLAND. THE LESSONS FROM TRAIL NATION ARE SHARED AMONG RTC'S TRAIL NATION COLLABORATIVE, A NATIONWIDE PEER LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT BRINGS TOGETHER ADVOCATES, LEADERS, AND PROFESSIONALS FROM ACROSS DISCIPLINES TO ESTABLISH AND ACCELERATE TRAIL NETWORKS ACROSS AMERICA. THE COLLABORATIVE PROVIDES PROVEN TOOLS, METHODS, AND RESOURCES, COMBINED WITH RTC'S EXPERTISE AND NETWORK OF PARTNERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, TO ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONNECTED TRAIL SYSTEMS. THE GREAT AMERICAN RAIL TRAIL IS A FLAGSHIP TRAIL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. IT WILL BE THE NATION'S FIRST CROSS-COUNTRY MULTIUSE TRAIL, STRETCHING MORE THAN 3,700 MILES BETWEEN WASHINGTON, D.C., AND WASHINGTON STATE. THIS TRAIL IS AN ICONIC PIECE OF AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL CONNECT THOUSANDS OF MILES OF RAIL-TRAILS AND OTHER MULTIUSE TRAILS, SERVING TENS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LIVING ALONG THE ROUTE AS WELL AS THOSE WHO VISIT THE TRAIL FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. RTC PROVIDES THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ON THE GROUND SUPPORT - THE WORK TO ORGANIZE PEOPLE, PLANS, AND IDEAS; TRAIL PLANNING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT; AND THE ADVOCACY AND MARKETING TO EVENTUALLY COMPLETE THE GREAT AMERICAN RAIL TRAIL. RTC CONTINUES TO SUPPORT TRAIL BUILDERS NATIONWIDE IN SEVERAL WAYS, INCLUDING MANAGING AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TO NOTIFY STAKEHOLDERS OF UPCOMING RAILWAY ABANDONMENTS; CREATING STATEWIDE TRAIL INVENTORIES AND DEVELOPMENT PLANS; PROVIDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND GRANTS FOR LOCAL TRAIL DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT PROJECTS; AND PROVIDING BEST PRACTICES TRAINING AND EDUCATION.
- $3.0 million spent. PUBLIC INFORMATION/EVENTS: RTC SERVES AS THE VOICE OF THE TRAIL'S MOVEMENT, SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF TRAILS, ENCOURAGING THEIR USE, AND GENERATING DEMAND FOR TRAILS NATIONWIDE. RTC'S FLAGSHIP INITIATIVE, TRAILLINK.COM SERVED MILLIONS OF VISITORS IN 2025 PROVIDING ACCESS TO MORE THAN 5,300 TRAILS REPRESENTING 41,000 MILES THROUGH ITS WEBSITE AND FIVE-STAR RATED APPS. THIS TRAIL CONTENT IS ALSO OFFERED IN A SERIES OF PRINT GUIDEBOOKS. THROUGH STORYTELLING AND DIRECT ENGAGEMENT, RTC SHARES INFORMATION ABOUT TRAILS ACROSS A VARIETY OF PUBLIC CHANNELS THAT COLLECTIVELY REACH MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING ITS MAGAZINE, MONTHLY NEWS, SOCIAL MEDIA, WEBSITE, NEWS MEDIA AND PUBLICATIONS. RTC ALSO SPEARHEADS TRAIL USE CAMPAIGNS AND EVENTS DESIGNED TO ENGAGE AND INSPIRE THE PUBLIC TO USE TRAILS, INCLUDING OUR CELEBRATE TRAILS DAY EVENT, TRAIL MOMENTS CAMPAIGN AND SHARE THE TRAIL CAMPAIGN.
- $1.9 million spent. TRAIL POLICY: AS THE NATION'S FOREMOST ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION FOR TRAILS AND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION, RTC SEEKS TO GROW AND SAFEGUARD PUBLIC FUNDING FOR TRAILS, WALKING AND BICYCLING AT EVERY LEVEL - FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL - ENSURING THE INVESTMENTS NEEDED TO CREATE A TRANSFORMATIVE 21ST CENTURY ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN AMERICA AND PROMOTING POLICIES THAT MAKE TRAIL BUILDING POSSIBLE. AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, RTC LEADS EFFORTS TO GROW AND PROTECT THE LEGACY TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM (WHICH INCLUDES THE RECREATIONAL TRAILS PROGRAM) - THE LARGEST SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR TRAIL DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE - AND ADVOCATES FOR INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC FUNDING INCLUDING CHAMPIONING THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PROGRAM, WHICH ESTABLISHES COMPETITIVE GRANTS THAT WILL STRATEGICALLY INVEST IN PROJECTS THAT CONNECT TRAILS AND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE. AS THE COUNTRY'S ONLY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION SOLELY COMMITTED TO DEFENDING THE PRESERVATION OF FORMER RAILROAD CORRIDORS FOR CONTINUED PUBLIC USE, RTC HAS HELPED SHAPE THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK AROUND RAIL TRAILS AND CONTINUES TO DEFEND THE FEDERAL RAILBANKING STATUTE IN CONGRESS AND THE COURTS AS AN ESSENTIAL TOOL TO PRESERVE UNUSED RAIL CORRIDORS. RTC ALSO MONITORS LITIGATION ON CASES INVOLVING ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL LAWS RELATED TO RAILBANKING.
- $626,521 spent. MEMBER PROGRAMS: IN ADDITION TO THE PROGRAMS PROVIDED THROUGH PUBLIC INFORMATION AND EDUCATION, RTC ALSO DIGITIZES MEMBER AND CONSTITUENT INFORMATION IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE ORGANIZATION'S COMPREHENSIVE GIS DATABASE OF MORE THAN 45,000 MILES OF TRAILS, CREATING A CENTRALIZED RESOURCE THAT ASSISTS THE ORGANIZATION IN IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LINKING TRAIL SYSTEMS, AND MOBILIZING GRASSROOTS SUPPORT OF TRAIL PROJECTS. OTHER ACTIVITIES INCLUDE DELIVERY OF MEMBER BENEFIT AND SERVICE PROGRAMS.
- $131,633 spent. RESEARCH: RTC'S RESEARCH PROGRAM FOCUSES ON CREATING INNOVATIVE TOOLS THAT EMPOWER COMMUNITIES TO ADVANCE TRAIL SYSTEMS IN THEIR CITIES, TOWNS AND REGIONS, WHILE ALSO MONITORING THE BENEFITS TRAILS BRING TO COMMUNITIES, THE IMPACT TRAILS HAVE ON PEOPLE AND PLACES, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF STATE AND FEDERAL PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE THE FUNDING AND RESOURCES TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN TRAILS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 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 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 September 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 April 1986.
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.