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International Union of Forest Research Organizations

EIN 98-1112260 · Austria

Public records raise at least one point you should look into before giving.

LegitimacyCautionRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak46 out of 100GovernanceFair60 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

IUFRO's mission is to promote global cooperation in forest-related research and to enhance the understanding of the ecological, economic and social aspects of forests and trees; as well as to disseminate scientific knowledge to stakeholders and decision-makers and to contribute to forest policy and on-the-ground forest management.

Income
$3.6 million
Spending
$3.8 million
Spent on programs
63%
Reserves
1.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 63%
Employees
0
Volunteers
0
Highest pay
$157,823, iufro 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

Weak: 46 out of 100. Higher than 10% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 1.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    5 of 20

    It owes 66% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 5% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 22% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    63% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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

Fair: 60 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    19 of 19 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    0 of 15

    Reports no written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no 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 (4)
  1. $849,567 spent. The mission of the Special Programme for Development of Capacities (SPDC) is to expand and foster forest research capacity in developing and economically disadvantaged countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America; The SPDC program involves training work-shops, thematic networking projects and a scientist assistance program (SAP). In 2024 scientist assistance to participate in IUFRO conferences and meetings was provided to 110 scientists from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Most support was directed to participation in the IUFRO World Congress 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden. Three pre-congress training workshops aiming to enhance essential skills for generating high-quality research results and for communicating such results to policy and practice were organised. In addition, an exhibition space was organised at the IUFRO World Congress 2024 presenting SPDC projects on capacity building for forest landscape restoration with examples from 12 Countries. Also four scientists were selected for scientific visits to IUFRO organisations for research collaboration.
  2. $747,819 spent. The former "Global Forest Expert Panels" Initiative (GFEP) has been integrated into an expanded Science-Policy Programme (Sci-Pol) providing objective and independent scientific assessments and synthesis products of key issues in order to support more informed decision-making at national, regional and the global levels. The assessments and synthesis projects are carried out by thematic expert groups of the IUFRO network from around the world. In 2024, SciPol finished its global study on International Forest Governance, which was published in May during a side event at the 19th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF19) in New York, USA. In addition, a new workstream was launched within SciPol named Science-Policy Information Networks (SPIN). SPIN brings together regional researchers and policymakers to foster collaboration, raise visibility, support science-based policies and facilitate bi-directional communication between science and policy making.
  3. $235,576 spent. The WOOD for GLOBE initiative aims at creating a global wood policy platform to support the use of sustainable wood for a carbon-neutral bioeconomy worldwide. To this end it is necessary to shape wood policies in a more structured way through dialogues by exchanging knowledge and good practices and mobilizing scientific evidence to support policy decision making. In 2024 a total of three events were organised within the framework of forest and wood-related conferences including Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable World policy dialogue "Advancing Sustainable Wood Policy and Science for Carbon-neutral and Resilient Economies" (25 March 2024), the high-level dialogue "WOOD for GLOBE: Leading Pathways to Carbon Neutrality and Resilience" (19 July 2024) hosted on the sidelines of the 27th session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) , and a side-event on "Fast-Growing Trees to Advance Wood in the Bioeconomy in Africa" (24 October 2024).
  4. $538,572 spent. Other program services: WFSE, ISR, TU4F/Mondi, WoodPop & various other projects (short term). WFSE: The comprehensive publication "Restoring forests for sustainable development - Policies, practices, impacts and ways forward" was completed and published as open access by Oxford University Press. ISR: This project implements the redesign of IUFRO's Knowledge and Information Systems. The aim is to restructure IUFRO's website to support dynamic data structures. TU4F/IUFRO-Mondi Partnership Project: The partnership, TEAMING UP 4 FORESTS is a science-business platform addressing key challenges for the sustainable provision of wood-based products to meet societal demands and thereby supporting the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The European Wood Policy Platform (WoodPoP) was launched in 2022 by Austria and Finland to foster collaboration among public administration, industry, and research. It aims to strengthen the role of wood as a renewable resource and help shape enabling conditions for sustainable wood-based value chains across Europe. Following a successful call for proposals under the Austrian Forest Fund, the Secretariat of WoodPoP has been hosted by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) since December 2023, leveraging IUFRO's global scientific network. In 2024, the platform endorsed the policy paper "A Wood-Based Circular Bioeconomy for a Sustainable Europe: Green Construction and Innovative Wood Solutions" during its Third High-Level Meeting held in Brussels in November. The paper was developed through a collaborative process, including a dedicated Policy Lab drafting session in July.In addition, the platform co-organized an expert conference on the role of wood in the built environment in November, and hosted a workshop on education and vocational training in December, further advancing dialogue and capacity-building in the wood-based sector.

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? Worth knowing.

    Status was revoked on May 15, 2010 for not filing returns for three years. The IRS now lists it as tax-exempt again.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Caution.

    The IRS master file records contributions to this 501(c)(3) charitable organization as not deductible.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, 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 2014.

    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.