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Top Rated

American Forests

CharityWatch report issued
June 2021

Top-Rated Charity
A-
CharityWatch Grade
Our independent grade based
on a number of factors.
 
81%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$16
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

American Forests
1220 L Street, NW
Suite 750
Washington, DC 20005

Other Names

None

Tax Status

501(c)3

Stated Mission

Creates healthy and resilient forests, from cities to wilderness, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water and wildlife.

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Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 09/30/2020

Program Percentage: 81%

The percentage of American Forests's cash budget it spends on programs relative to overhead (fundraising, management, and general expenses).

$11,000,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $16

How many dollars American Forests spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$10,000,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Joint Costs

American Forests' rating was adjusted for Joint Costs. If you are a donor who considers direct mail, telemarketing, and other Joint Cost solicitations to be true charitable programs, the below efficiency ratios, which were not adjusted for joint costs, may better reflect your goals.

Program % Cost to Raise $100
83% $14
Accounting rules allow charities to report some telemarketing, direct mail, and other solicitation costs as Program expenses. CharityWatch believes that most donors do not consider a charity's solicitation activities to be the Programs they are intending to support with their donations. We therefore adjust such expenses out of a charity's reported Program expense and add it to Fundraising expense prior to calculating its rating.

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
American Forests IRS Form 990 53-0196544
American Forests Audited Financial Statements 53-0196544
Entity: American Forests
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 53-0196544
Entity: American Forests
Document Type: Audited Financial Statements
Tax ID: 53-0196544

Governance & Transparency

CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
This charity is Top-Rated
What does it mean to be Top-Rated?
 
American Forests
meets governance benchmarks.
 
American Forests
meets transparency benchmarks.
Transparency
Provides Financial Information
Audit Accessibility
Governance: Policies
Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy
Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts
Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy
Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy
Governance: Financials
Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS
Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant
Governance: Board of Directors
Reports at least 5 voting board members
51% or more of voting board members reported as independent
Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy Opt-Out Policy  

  Name Title Compensation
1 Jad Daley President/CEO $272,504
2 Peter Hutchins VP/COO $192,412
3 Jennifer Broome VP Philanthropy $181,748
1
Name: Jad Daley
Title: President/CEO
Compensation: $272,504
2
Name: Peter Hutchins
Title: VP/COO
Compensation: $192,412
3
Name: Jennifer Broome
Title: VP Philanthropy
Compensation: $181,748

CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.

According to the American Forests (AF) audit of September 30, 2020 (Note 2 re: Revenue Recognition, Contributions of services), AF received in-kind contributed services in fiscal 2020 on which it placed a value of $35,640. The contributed services "principally consist of legal, web hosting, and restoration planning services." In addition, AF reports receiving "donated advertising services" in fiscal 2020 on which it placed a value of $105,758.

[Note: CharityWatch generally excludes the value of in-kind (non-cash) donations of goods and services from its calculations of Program % and Cost to Raise $100. More information on how grades are calculated and the treatment of in-kind donations can be found on the Our Process page.]

According to the American Forests (AF) audit of September 30, 2020 (Note 4, Concentrations of Risk, Revenue Risk):

"AF received a substantial portion of its revenue and support from one and two organizations during the years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, which represented approximately 13% and 21%, respectively, of AF's total revenue and support."

According to the American Forests (AF) audit of September 30, 2020 (Note 12, Commitments and Contingencies, Employment Agreement):

"AF has a signed employment agreement with the President and Chief Executive Officer that contains terms that require a severance payment upon the occurrence of certain contractual events."

According to the American Forests (AF) audit of September 30, 2020 (Note 8, Loan Payable – Paycheck Protection Program):

"AF applied for a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) pursuant to...the CARES Act, which was enacted on March 27, 2020. The PPP is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll through the COVID-19 coronavirus, for which AF qualified. After the loans are granted, the Small Business Administration (SBA) will forgive loans if all employee retention criteria are met, and the funds are used for eligible expenses...

"The loan was granted to AF on June 5, 2020 in the amount of $496,553 and management has used the entire loan amount for qualifying expenses in order to apply for full forgiveness...

"If AF is not approved for full forgiveness by the SBA, the loan would bear interest at a fixed rate of 1.00%, which is payable monthly commencing on December 5, 2020 and maturing on May 5, 2022. To date, no principal or interest payments have been made on the loan as full forgiveness is expected by the SBA during 2021..."

According to the American Forests (AF) audit of September 30, 2020 (Note 2 re: Subsequent Events):

"In preparing these [audited] financial statements, AF has evaluated events and transactions for potential recognition or disclosure through February 9, 2021, the date the financial statements were available to be issued.

"The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States and around the world has caused business disruption due to mandatory lockdowns implemented in most states in order to slow down the spread of the virus. AF's management has been monitoring the situation and implementing certain changes in its operations and upcoming events in order to mitigate the impact of this pandemic. While the disruption is currently expected to be temporary, there is considerable uncertainty around its duration, and the full financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time."


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