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The Pacific Forest Trust Incorporated

EIN 68-0292509 · San Francisco, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood71 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

ORGANIZATION MISSION OR SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES PACIFIC FOREST TRUST (PFT) IS DEDICATED TO SUSTAINING AMERICAS FORESTS. WE WORK WITH PARTNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE, INCENTIVE-BASED CONSERVATION SOLUTIONS TO SAFEGUARD OUR FORESTS, WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL TO CLIMATE PROTECTION, SAFE WATER SUPPLIES, WILDLIFE SURVIVAL, AND ECONOMIC STABILITY.

Income
$21.7 million
Spending
$20.5 million
Spent on programs
94%
Reserves
2 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 78%
Employees
17
Volunteers
50
Highest pay
$274,637, co-founder and president

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: 71 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 2.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 27% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 109% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    94% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 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: 90 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    14 of 14 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

    0 of 10

    Did not give 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 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 (5)
  1. $356,297 spent. Constituency Building The goals of this program area are to build a wide and diverse constituency of people committed to the conservation and stewardship of private forests using a variety of communications and educational tools.
  2. $532,374 spent. Program Development and Planning This includes the Organizations activities in annual and strategic planning, staff conferences and presentations, and executive coordination and oversight of the overall program development and implementation.
  3. $16.2 million spent. Forest Conservation The Organizations forest conservation program provides forest conservation services to private landowners, government agencies, and other conservation organizations in the region, with an emphasis on the design, acquisition and management of conservation easements on working forestlands.
  4. $1.8 million spent. Stewardship Forestry This program area includes research, education, technical assistance and demonstration projects that seek to promote the practical implementation of stewardship forestry and related forest conservation efforts.
  5. $377,733 spent. Incentives Through the incentives program, the Organization develops policy initiatives and analyses in support of incentives for long-term forest stewardship.

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

  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 December 2024.

    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 1993.

    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.