Grand Canyon Conservancy
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
AS THE OFFICIAL PHILANTHROPIC AND COLLABORATIVE PARTNER OF THE GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, GRAND CANYON CONSERVANCY'S MISSION IS TO INSPIRE GENERATIONS OF PARK CHAMPIONS TO CHERISH AND SUPPORT THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL WONDER OF THE GRAND CANYON.
- Income
- $17.1 million
- Spending
- $14.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 70%
- Reserves
- 18.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- other income, 59%
- Employees
- 174
- Volunteers
- 18
- Highest pay
- $228,900, interim chief exec officer
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
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 18.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 4% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 15% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 21% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1570% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 30 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. Higher than 16% 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
0 of 10Did not give 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)
- $8.5 million spent. GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK ONGOING PRIORITIES 1. PREVENTIVE SEARCH AND RESCUE (PSAR) THE PSAR PROGRAM LAUNCHED AN INNOVATIVE HIKE SMART FILM TO ENHANCE HIKING SAFETY AWARENESS AMONG VISITORS. IN 2024, THE TEAM COMPLETED 4,550 PATROL HOURS AND ASSISTED 858 HIKERS, NEARLY DOUBLE THE NUMBER ASSISTED IN 2023! PSAR VOLUNTEERS CONTACTED OVER 140,000 VISITORS ON THE TRAIL, RESULTING IN 30,442 PREVENTIVE ACTIONS. 2. DARK SKIES THE 34TH ANNUAL GRAND CANYON STAR PARTY OCCURRED IN JUNE ON BOTH THE SOUTH AND NORTH RIMS. ON THE SOUTH RIM, THERE WERE OVER 50 TELESCOPES SET UP EACH OF THE EIGHT NIGHTS. A TOTAL NIGHTTIME ATTENDANCE OF ABOUT 9,016 WAS RECORDED. ON THE NORTH RIM, 15 VOLUNTEER ASTRONOMERS GAVE EIGHT SPECIAL GUEST TALKS. IN A SPECIAL CEREMONY, DARK SKY INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED AN AWARD ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE PARK HAD MADE MORE THAN 90% OF ITS EXTERIOR LIGHTS DARK-SKY FRIENDLY. AS THE NUMBER OF EXTERIOR LIGHTING FIXTURES (5,094) IS UNPRECEDENTED IN SCALE FOR A NATIONAL PARK, THIS REPRESENTS AN IMPRESSIVE MILESTONE. 3. RESIDENCY PROGRAM EIGHT RESIDENTS REACHED OVER 6,000 VISITORS THROUGH VARIOUS PROGRAMS, INCLUDING STARGAZING, CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS, SHORT FILM FESTIVALS, SCREENINGS, DANCE PERFORMANCES, ASTRONOMY TALKS, AND MORE. GCC PUBLISHED ITS FIRST POETRY BOOK, IN OLD SKY, BY NEW MEXICO POET LAUREATE AND ASTRONOMER IN RESIDENCE ALUM, LAUREN CAMP. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS IS AN EPIC POEM CRAFTED FROM HUNDREDS OF RESPONSES BY VISITORS DURING CAMP'S RESIDENCY, CREATING A UNIQUE NARRATIVE OF COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE. 4. BUTTERFLY PROJECTS THE PARK'S VEGETATION PROGRAM INSTALLED THREE NEW MONARCH BUTTERFLY HABITATS IN 2024, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF HABITATS TO FIVE. THIS VITAL WORK HELPS PROTECT THESE INCREDIBLE MIGRATORY SPECIES AND SUPPORTS THE BROADER ECOLOGICAL HEALTH OF THE REGION. IN JULY, 24 VOLUNTEERS JOINED PARK STAFF AND THE GCC FIELD INSTITUTE TO CONDUCT THE ANNUAL BUTTERFLY COUNT, CONTRIBUTING TO VITAL RESEARCH ON THESE ESSENTIAL POLLINATORS. UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF EXPERTS, PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFIED 39 SPECIES AND OBSERVED 281 INDIVIDUAL BUTTERFLIES. THESE FINDINGS MONITOR CHANGES IN BUTTERFLY POPULATIONS AND CATALOG SPECIES RICHNESS AND ABUNDANCE OF BUTTERFLIES IN THE GRAND CANYON REGION. 5. COLORADO RIVER MANAGEMENT IN NOVEMBER, STAFF FROM ALL NPS WORKGROUPS AND HUALAPAI CULTURAL RESOURCES PARTICIPATED IN THE COLORADO RIVER MANAGEMENT PLAN RIVER MISSION. THE MISSION'S FOCUS WAS MAINTENANCE AT CAMPSITES, TRAILS, AND POPULAR ATTRACTION SITES ALONG THE RIVER CORRIDOR. EXPERTS FROM THE DIVISION OF SCIENCE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND THE NPS TRAILS PROGRAM LED THE FIELDWORK, AND LOCATIONS INCLUDED SOUTH CANYON, UNKAR DELTA, GRANITE CAMP, AND DEER CREEK. 6. GRAND CANYON CONSERVANCY FIELD INSTITUTE (GCCFI) GCCFI OFFERED 234 TRIPS IN 2024, ENGAGING OVER 2,000 PARTICIPANTS IN VARIOUS ACTIVITIES ABOVE AND BELOW THE RIM, FROM RAFTING ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER TO SUNSET PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES AND HISTORIC VILLAGE TOURS ALONG THE RIM. 7. NORTH RIM BISON TRANSFER IN SEPTEMBER, GRAND CANYON WILDLIFE MANAGERS AND STAFF SUCCESSFULLY RELOCATED 100 BISON FROM THE NORTH RIM. ALL BISON WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE INTER-TRIBAL BUFFALO COUNCIL, TRANSPORTING THE ANIMALS TO THE CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE IN SOUTH DAKOTA. NPS STAFF USED A REMOTE CAMERA SYSTEM THAT ALLOWED PARK MANAGERS TO MONITOR THE PEN AND REMOTELY CLOSE THE GATE WHEN BISON ENTERED THE CORRAL. GCC FUNDED RENTING THE REMOTE CAMERA SYSTEM, CONTRIBUTING TO A RECORD-HIGH CAPTURE AND TRANSFER RATE THIS YEAR. 8. EDUCATION EFFORTS TO REACH STUDENTS AT TRIBAL AND TITLE I SCHOOLS IN GATEWAY COMMUNITIES WITHIN 2-4 HOURS OF THE PARK WERE SUCCESSFUL. IN 2024, APPROXIMATELY A THIRD OF THE STUDENTS WHO VISITED GRAND CANYON WERE FROM COCONINO COUNTY. THERE WERE MORE STUDENTS FROM NAVAJO AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES THAN YEARS PRIOR, AND THE EDUCATION PROGRAM SERVED STUDENTS FROM APACHE AND MOJAVE COUNTIES FOR THE FIRST TIME. FORTY-TWO RANGER-LED FIELD TRIPS WERE HOSTED AT THE SOUTH RIM, CONNECTING OVER 1,200 KIDS WITH THE CANYON'S CULTURAL AND NATURAL WONDERS. MORE THAN 75% OF THE SCHOOLS THAT SIGNED UP FOR RANGER-LED FIELD TRIPS WERE FROM TITLE I SCHOOLS. BUS TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED FOR ALL FIELD TRIPS THROUGH GRANT FUNDING PROVIDED BY GCC, REMOVING A BARRIER THAT PREVENTED MANY SCHOOLS FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE PAST. 9. TRAILS BRIGHT ANGEL POINT TRAIL SAW SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS MADE IN 2024, REOPENING TO THE PUBLIC IN NOVEMBER 2024. GCC SUPPORTED THE TRAIL MAINTENANCE CREW WITH THE TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT THEY NEEDED THIS PAST YEAR TO REPAIR WEATHER-DAMAGED TRAIL SECTIONS. THE UNSUNG HEROES ON THE COMPOSTING CREW EVACUATED 39,700 LBS. OF COMPOST FROM THE INNER CANYON CAMPGROUNDS.
- $907,350 spent. CLIMATE RESILIENCY (PEOPLE HEALTH, FOREST HEALTH, AND RIVER HEALTH) 1. LIDAR AND HYDROLOGY STUDIES * GRAND CANYON NEGOTIATED A GCC-FUNDED AGREEMENT WITH USGS TO COLLECT HIGH-RESOLUTION AIRBORNE LIDAR DATA OVER ALL REMAINING UN-SURVEYED AREAS OF THE PARK. THE DATA WILL BE COLLECTED IN THE SUMMER OF 2025 AND SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR ANALYSIS AND APPLICABLE TO A WIDE RANGE OF PARK RESOURCES IN LATE 2025. 2. DYE TRACING * PARK HYDROLOGISTS COMPLETED THE FIRST ROUND OF A DYE TRACE STUDY OF THE KAIBAB PLATEAU AQUIFER. THIS WAS THE MOST EXTENSIVE DYE TRACE STUDY EVER CONDUCTED IN NORTH AMERICA AND IS ALREADY PROVIDING CRITICAL INSIGHTS INTO WATER FLOW PATHWAYS AND VULNERABILITIES FOR SPRING ENVIRONMENTS BENEATH THE PLATEAU AND THE SPRING-DEPENDENT PARK DRINKING WATER SUPPLY. A SECOND ROUND OF GCC-SUPPORTED DYE TRACE IS UNDERWAY IN 2025. 3. PALEONTOLOGY * GCC SUPPORTED PALEONTOLOGY RESEARCH, WHICH RESULTED IN THE DISCOVERY OF ENTIRELY NEW FOSSIL SPECIES AND PROVIDED SCIENTISTS WITH CUTTING-EDGE INSIGHTS INTO LIFE, PALEOENVIRONMENTS, AND CLIMATE IN THE PARK'S GEOLOGIC HISTORY.
- $533,402 spent. HISTORIC PRESERVATION 1. KOLB STUDIO ROOF REPLACEMENT BUILT IN 1905 BY BROTHERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS EMERY AND ELLSWORTH KOLB, KOLB STUDIO BECAME ONE OF THE CANYON'S FIRST TOURIST ATTRACTIONS. BUT AGE TAKES ITS TOLL, AND TO REMAIN OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, THE STUDIO'S ROOF REQUIRED CRITICAL SAFETY AND STRUCTURAL WORK. THE ROOF WAS REPLACED IN NOVEMBER WITH CERTIFIED HAND-SPLIT, HAND-SAWN, AND FIRE-TREATED CEDAR ROOFING SHINGLES TO ENSURE THAT KOLB STUDIO RETAINS AS MUCH OF ITS ORIGINAL CHARACTER AS POSSIBLE.
- $264,343 spent. INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS1. WE ARE GRAND CANYON FILM "WE ARE GRAND CANYON" WAS CREATED JOINTLY BY THE INTERTRIBAL WORKING GROUP, GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AND GCC, AND FILMED AND EDITED BY RYAN CHRISTENSEN OF BRISTLECONE MEDIA.THIS MOVING AND HEARTFELT FILM WELCOMES VISITORS TO GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK FROM THOSE WHO HAVE CALLED IT HOME SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL - THE 11 GRAND CANYON TRIBAL COMMUNITIES.IN APRIL, THE PARK AND GCC CO-HOSTED A SPECIAL VIP PREMIERE EVENT FOR TRIBAL MEMBERS FEATURED IN THE FILM AND THEIR FAMILIES, CULMINATING IN THE FILM'S FIRST-EVER SCREENING.VISITORS CAN NOW VIEW THE FILM AT THE SOUTH RIM VISITOR CENTER THEATER AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR. THE FILM CAN ALSO BE VIEWED ONLINE.GCC AND GRCA RECEIVED AN AWARD FOR BEST CULTURAL AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN ARIZONA FROM THE ARIZONA OFFICE OF TOURISM FOR WORK ON THE DESERT VIEW INTER-TRIBAL CULTURAL HERITAGE SITE AND THE FILM "WE ARE GRAND CANYON."2.CULTURAL DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMTHE CULTURAL DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM BEGAN AT GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK IN 2014 WITH ONLY FOUR DEMONSTRATORS. A DECADE LATER, THE PROGRAM HAS OVER 200 TRIBAL MEMBERS FROM THE 11 TRIBAL COMMUNITIES AT GRAND CANYON.IN JULY, THE PARK HOSTED A 10TH-ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AT THE DESERT VIEW INTER-TRIBAL CULTURAL HERITAGE SITE, WHERE 17 INDIGENOUS ARTISTS SHARED THEIR CULTURE AND CONNECTION TO THE CANYON.3. TRIBAL YOUTH ENGAGEMENT GCC, GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AND THE YAVAPAI-APACHE NATION PARTNERED TO DELIVER A 10-DAY RIVER TRIP FOR 12 YAVAPAI AND APACHE YOUTH. THE TRIP ENGAGED PARTICIPANTS IN PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT THROUGH INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES AND KNOWLEDGE. IN MAY 2024, THE ARIZONA TRAILS ASSOCIATION SEEDS OF STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM VISITED THE PARK WITH 4TH- AND 5TH-GRADE NAVAJO AND HOPI STUDENTS, PARTNERING WITH PARK STAFF TO PROVIDE THEM WITH POSITIVE OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES.THE ZUNI YOUTH ENRICHMENT PROJECT LED A THREE-DAY BACKPACKING TRIP TO PHANTOM RANCH.4. NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE DAYSHOSTED AT THE NORTH RIM IN AUGUST, 26 TRIBAL MEMBERS REPRESENTING THE HOPI TRIBE, PUEBLO OF ZUNI, DIN (NAVAJO), SAN JUAN SOUTHERN PAIUTE TRIBE, AND THE KAIBAB BAND OF PAIUTE INDIANS PROVIDED SPECIAL PROGRAMMING AND DEMONSTRATIONS.VISITORS ATTENDED TRADITIONAL DIN DANCES AND SONGS BY THE DINE'TAH NAVAJO CULTURAL PROGRAM, WHILE THE GRAND CANYON LODGE AUDITORIUM HOSTED INSIGHTFUL TALKS BY NOTABLE SPEAKERS LIKE GERALD DAWAVENDEWA, RAMSON LOMATEWAMA, AND RICHARD GRAYMOUNTAIN.
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 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 December 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 August 1962.
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.