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Conservation International Foundation

EIN 52-1497470 · Arlington, VA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair58 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

CI WORKS TO SPOTLIGHT AND SECURE THE CRITICAL BENEFITS THAT NATURE PROVIDES TO HUMANITY.

Income
$308.7 million
Spending
$316.7 million
Spent on programs
87%
Reserves
1.1 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 55%
Employees
502
Volunteers
87
Highest pay
$1.3 million, chief executive officer

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: 58 out of 100. Higher than 42% of charities in its peer group (environment, over $100m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 1.1 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 40% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 14% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    87% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 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: 90 out of 100. Higher than 5% of charities in its peer group (environment, over $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    30 of 32 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

    0 of 10

    Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, 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 (7)
  1. $157.3 million spent. SEE SCHEDULE OFIELD PROGRAMS: - GLOBAL FIELD LEADERSHIP TEAM:THE GLOBAL FIELD TEAM ALIGNS AND MANAGES FIELD TEAMS ACROSS THE AMERICAS, AFRICA, AND ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONS, AS WELL AS GLOBAL OCEANS, TO SET STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND MOBILIZE AND ALLOCATE RESOURCES TO MAXIMIZE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS IN DELIVERY.- AMERICAS FIELD DIVISION: THE AMERICAS FIELD DIVISION COMPRISES FIELD OFFICES IN 9 COUNTRIES THROUGHOUT CENTRAL AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA AND THE CARRIBEAN WITH INVESTMENTS THROUGH PARTNERS IN ANOTHER 22 COUNTRIES. THE AMERICAS DIVISION FOCUSES ON PROTECTING AND RESTORING FORESTS, IMPROVING MANAGEMENT OF LANDS AND OCEANS, AND STRENGTHENING THE PROTECTION OF CRITICAL LANDSCAPES AND SEASCAPES IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES. FOCAL PROGRAMS SPAN SITES IN THE AMAZON BASIN, TROPICAL ANDES, ATLANTIC FOREST, BRAZILIAN COAST, CARRIBEAN AND EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC.- AFRICA FIELD DIVISION:THE AFRICA FIELD DIVISION HAS FIELD OFFICES IN 6 COUNTRIES (ANGOLA, BOTSWANA, LIBERIA, MADAGASCAR, KENYA AND SOUTH AFRICA), WITH INVESTMENTS THROUGH PARTNERS IN 39 OF THE 54 AFRICAN COUNTRIES. ACROSS THE AFRICAN CONTIENT, CI WORKS TO STRENGTHEN THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO IMPROVE LIVELIHOODS AND REDUCE BIOLOGICAL VARIETY LOSS. WORK INCLUDES BALANCING THE PROTECTION OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS WITH PRODUCTION PRIORITIES TO BUILD RESILIENT COMMUNITIES WHERE JOBS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ARE SUSTAINED BY NATURE.- ASIA-PACIFIC FIELD DIVISION:THE ASIA-PACIFIC FIELD DIVISION COMPRISES OF OFFICES IN 14 COUNTRIES AND INVESTMENTS THROUGH PARTNERS IN 24 COUNTRIES. THE ASIA-PACIFIC DIVISION AIMS TO PROTECT, RESTORE, FUND AND SCALE CONSERVATION AND SUPPORT LIVELIHOODS BY COMBINING FIELDWORK WITH INNOVATIONS IN SCIENCE, POLICY AND FINANCE. THE ASIA-PACIFIC PORTFOLIO COMPRISES LARGE-SCALE AND SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION MODELS IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE REGION. - CENTER FOR OCEANS: THE CENTER FOR OCEANS CONSERVES MARINE BIOLOGICAL VARIETY AND ECOSYSTEMS TO SECURE ECOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS FOR PEOPLE AND NATURE. THE TEAM APPLIES SCIENCE-BASED APPROACHES TO: (1) IMPROVE FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT IN 20 CRITICAL FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE AREAS, (2) CATALYZE THE CONSERVATION OF 18 MILLION SQUARE KILOMETERS OF OCEAN (OR 5% OF THE GLOBAL OCEAN SURFACE), (3) GROW FINANCING TEN-FOLD TO INCREASE GLOBAL MANGROVE COVER BY 20% BY 2030 AND (4) INNOVATE PLACE-BASED ACTIONS AND POLICY, FINANCE, AND MARKET-BASED SOLUTIONS.
  2. $61.3 million spent. SEE SCHEDULE OGRANTMAKING DIVISION:CI'S GRANTMAKING DIVISION IS MADE UP OF FOUR PROGRAMS:- CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP FUND (CEPF): CEPF IS A GLOBAL PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES GRANTS TO NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE-SECTOR PARTNERS TO PROTECT CRITICAL ECOSYSTEMS. CEPF'S GRANTS ARE GUIDED BY REGIONAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES DEVELOPED WITH STAKEHOLDERS; TARGET WILDLIFE HOTSPOTS IN DEVELOPING AND TRANSITIONAL COUNTRIES; GO DIRECTLY TO CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS TO BUILD THIS CONSTITUENCY FOR CONSERVATION; CREATE STRATEGIC WORKING ALLIANCES AMONG CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS, COMBINING UNIQUE CAPACITIES AND ELIMINATING DUPLICATION OF EFFORTS; AND ACHIEVE RESULTS THROUGH AN EVER-EXPANDING NETWORK OF PARTNERS.- NATURE FINANCE DIVISION (NFD): NFD DEVELOPS FINANCIAL MECHANISMS TO SUPPORT FIELD-LEVEL CONSERVATION AND ENSURE THAT ECONOMIC BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH CONSERVATION EFFORTS GO TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES. NFD CREATES ALLIANCES WITH LARGE-SCALE DONORS AND CORPORATIONS TO BOLSTER ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN CONSERVATION AND CREATE INVESTABLE OPPORTUNITIES TO PROTECT NATURE. NFD PIONEERS WAYS FOR LOCALCOMMUNITIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO DIRECTLY BENEFIT FROM CONTINUINGTO BE RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS OF NATURE. - GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF) AGENCY: THE CI-GEF AGENCY SERVES AS AN INTERMEDIARY BETWEEN THE GEF AND CI'S PARTNERS. THE AGENCY DESIGNS AND IMPLEMENTS A PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS TO ACHIEVE GLOBAL BENEFITS AND SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF PARTNER COUNTRIES. IT DEVELOPS COUNTRY-DRIVEN PROJECTS TO MAKE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE USE OF GEF RESOURCES, AND TO LEVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ALIGN WITH THE AGENCY'S GOALS.- GREEN CLIMATE FUND (GCF) AGENCY: CI'S GCF AGENCY WORKS DIRECTLY WITH PROJECT PROPONENTS, GOVERNMENTS AND PARTNERS TO DEVELOP HIGH-QUALITY FUNDING PROPOSALS AND OVERSEE IMPLEMENTATION OF GCF-FUNDED PROJECTS. THESE PROJECTS PROMOTE A PARADIGM SHIFT TO LOW-EMISSION AND RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT. CI-GCF ENSURES THAT THESE PROJECTS ACHIEVE POSITIVE OUTCOMES WHILE ADHERING TO GCF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
  3. $41.4 million spent. SEE SCHEDULE OGLOBAL PROGRAMS DIVISION:THE GLOBAL PROGRAMS DIVISION COMPRISES CI'S TECHNICAL TEAMS. THIS DIVISION CREATES THE ENABLING CONDITIONS, DEVELOPS BEST PRACTICES AND TOOLS, AND SCALES UP SOLUTIONS AND APPROACHES TO SUPPORT OTHER DIVISIONS' WORK AND TO HELP MEET CI'S AMBITIOUS GLOBAL GOALS. THE DIVISION COMPRISES FOUR CENTERS: THE MOORE CENTER FOR SCIENCE, CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE LANDS AND WATERS, AND GLOBAL POLICY & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.- THE BETTY AND GORDON MOORE CENTER FOR SCIENCE:CONSERVATION REQUIRES SCIENCE TO DETERMINE WHERE AND HOW TO PROTECT NATURE. THROUGH ITS BETTY AND GORDON MOORE CENTER FOR SCIENCE, CI PRODUCES AND APPLIES THE SCIENCE-BASED EVIDENCE AND SOLUTIONS TO PROMOTE NATURE CONSERVATION AND NATURE-BASED DEVELOPMENT. CI IS ONE OF THE FEW CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAS A GLOBAL SCIENCE TEAM DEDICATED SOLELY TO ADVANCING CONSERVATION SCIENCE.- CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE LANDS AND WATERS:CI'S CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE LANDS AND WATERS ORGANIZES AND ACCELERATES THE ORGANIZATION'S EFFORTS TO PROMOTE NATURE-BASED DEVELOPMENT.- GLOBAL POLICY & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS:CI'S GLOBAL POLICY & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIVISION ENGAGES GOVERNMENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS WORLDWIDE TO ADVANCE POLICIES CRITICAL TO OUR MISSION.
  4. $5.4 million spent. COMMUNICATIONS:CI'S BRAND & COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION DEVELOPS AND SHARES THE STORIES THAT ILLUSTRATE HOW CI IS PROTECTING NATURE FOR THE WELL-BEING OF HUMANITY. THE DIVISION OFFERS STRATEGIC EDITORIAL, MEDIA, DESIGN, VIDEO AND MARKETING SUPPORT TO EVERY CI PROGRAM TO DRIVE BRAND AWARENESS AND HELP SCALE IMPACT.
  5. $7.6 million spent. CENTER FOR COMMUNITIES AND CONSERVATION:CI'S CENTER FOR COMMUNITIES AND CONSERVATION WORKS TO MAKE CONSERVATION MORE PARTICIPATORY AND TRANSPARENT BY IMPROVING GOVERNANCE TO ACHIEVE MORE LASTING CONSERVATION AND HUMAN WELL-BEING OUTCOMES
  6. $377,435 spent. FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM:CI'S FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR CI TO WORK ALONGSIDE EXCEPTIONAL INDIVIDUALS WHO BRING IN NEW, CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO CONSERVATION CHALLENGES.
  7. $3.1 million spent. OTHER PROGRAMS

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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since September 1987.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.