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Updated through 2024NTEE C · Environment

Environment nonprofitexecutive pay

Median top-executive pay across 4,948 environment nonprofits, 2020 – 2024. Each organization is counted once at its most recent filing, using the highest-paid leader reported on IRS Form 990, Schedule J.

Organizations that preserve and protect the natural environment through conservation, pollution control, beautification, and environmental education.

Median executive pay
$88,398
The typical environment nonprofit's highest-paid executive earns $88,398 in total reported compensation.
25th pct
$46k
75th pct
$143k
90th pct
$226k
4,948 organizations · 2020 – 2024
Percentile distribution

Where the middle 50% lands.

Half earn between $46k and $143k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $226k, roughly 2.6 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.

PercentileTotal compMeans
90th$225,726Top 10% of earners
75th$143,08825% earn more than this
50th · median$88,398The typical executive
25th$46,28125% earn less than this
10th$16,50010% of executives earn less than this
By organization size

Bigger budgets, bigger paychecks.

Median executive pay rises with organization revenue. Each band shows the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of top-executive pay for environment nonprofits in that revenue range.

Revenue band25thMedian75thOrgs
Under $1M$28k$57,983$86k2,750
$1M – $10M$98k$131,977$184k1,862
$10M – $100M$179k$265,392$387k312
$100M – $500M$353k$548,640$859k22
Revenue bands with fewer than 5 organizations are not shown.
By role

Benchmark a specific Environment role

Drill into median pay for individual leadership roles within environment nonprofits.

Board & trustee pay

Environment board & trustee pay norms

8% of environment nonprofits pay at least one board member or trustee, with a typical per-person payment of $38,679 across a median board of 4 paid members.

Organizations paying board members
8%
Median board pay
$38,679
Median paid board size
4
By filing type
Form 990: 9%
Form 990-EZ: 5%
Form 990-PF: 8%
Directory

Conservation groups, environmental advocacy organizations, botanical gardens, and wildlife preservation nonprofits. Includes pollution control, land conservation, and environmental education. There are 10,983 environment organizations in our database with compensation data from IRS Form 990 filings. Use the table below to browse them, or sort by revenue, location, or number of reported executives.

Organizations in Environment

10,983 organizations · Page 16 of 220

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
COALITION FOR RAINFOREST NATIONS SECRETARIATNew YorkNY$4.8M3
CAPITOL LAND TRUSTTumwaterWA$4.8M1
Tennessee State Parks ConservancyNashvilleTN$4.8M1
PHASE 2 EXPANDED TRUSTNavajoNM$4.8M1
NORTHWEST ABORTION ACCESS FUNDPortlandOR$4.8M1
HOLDEN ARBORETUM TRUSTBrooklynOH$4.8M1
FRIENDS OF THE CHARLES DARWIN FOUNDATION FOR THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDSJefferson ValleyNY$4.8M0
Golden Triangle Resource Conservation and Development Area IncDawsonGA$4.8M1
BLUE RIDGE CONSERVANCYBooneNC$4.8M1
ECOLOGY CENTERAnn ArborMI$4.8M2
CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGYChicagoIL$4.8M6
ECOCENTER INCSan Juan CapistranoCA$4.8M1
VENUES PARKS & ARTS FOUNDATIONSouth BendIN$4.8M0
AMAZON CONSERVATION ASSOCIATIONWashingtonDC$4.8M5
TILTH ALLIANCESeattleWA$4.7M1
WILDLANDS CONSERVANCY INCEmmausPA$4.7M3
Breakthrough Energy Action IncKirklandWA$4.7M0
MIDWEST ENERGY EFFICIENCY ALLIANCEChicagoIL$4.7M6
SANTA LUCIA CONSERVANCYCarmelCA$4.7M1
Counterspark IncWashingtonDC$4.7M4
INATURALISTSan RafaelCA$4.7M8
FOOD & WATER ACTION FUNDWashingtonDC$4.7M6
MOHONK PRESERVE INCGardinerNY$4.7M2
MZC FOUNDATION INCAtlantaGA$4.7M10
AUDUBON CANYON RANCH INCStinson BeachCA$4.7M6
ENVIRONMENT AMERICA RESEARCH AND POLICY CENTER INCDenverCO$4.7M0
COASTAL STATES STEWARDSHIP FOUNDATIONWashingtonDC$4.7M2
FRESHWATER LAND TRUSTBirminghamAL$4.7M1
CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS FORUMWashingtonDC$4.7M0
HOMEWORLD COLLECTIVE INCSomervilleMA$4.7M3
HIGH COUNTRY NEWSPaoniaCO$4.7M2
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN LAND CONSERVENCY INCGalesburgMI$4.6M1
TRUST FOR HIDDEN VILLALos Altos HillsCA$4.6M4
AUDUBON SOCIETY OF RHODE ISLANDSmithfieldRI$4.6M2
FRIENDS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVERSt PaulMN$4.6M2
ATHENS LAND TRUST INCAthensGA$4.6M3
SKYTRUTHShepherdstownWV$4.6M9
Global Forest GenerationArlingtonVA$4.6M2
WALNUT CREEK PRESERVE INCRutherfordtonNC$4.6M0
Western Maryland Resource Conservation and DevelopmentHagerstownMD$4.6M1
CRADLE OF FORESTRY IN AMERICA INTERPRETIVE ASSOCIATIONPisgah ForestNC$4.6M1
COMPOSITE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY CENTERPort AngelesWA$4.6M1
FREEDOMWORKS FOUNDATION INCWashingtonDC$4.6M8
CAPITAL CROSSROADS SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT OF COLUMBUS INCColumbusOH$4.6M1
Coastal Rivers Conservation TrustDamariscottaME$4.6M1
FRIENDS OF RADNOR LAKENashvilleTN$4.6M1
ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVEMinneapolisMN$4.6M6
North Cascades InstituteSedrowoolleyWA$4.6M1
CREO FAMILY OFFICE SYNDICATE INCNew YorkNY$4.6M9
BLACK SWAMP CONSERVANCYPerrysburgOH$4.6M1