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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 6 of 220

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATIONSan ClementeCA$14.5M9
ENVIRONMENT AMERICA INCDenverCO$14.4M5
WHITETAILS UNLIMITED INCSturgeon BayWI$14.3M12
Friends of AcadiaBar HarborME$14.3M7
THE TENURE FACILITY FUNDNew YorkNY$14.2M1
APPAREL IMPACT INSTITUTEOaklandCA$14.2M6
Urban TilthRichmondCA$13.8M1
COLUMBIA LAND TRUSTVancouverWA$13.8M6
NORTHEAST WILDERNESS TRUST CORPORATIONMontpelierVT$13.8M1
Solar United Neighbors IncWashingtonDC$13.7M8
NATIONAL ENERGY FOUNDATION INCSalt Lake CityUT$13.7M6
SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATIONSanibelFL$13.6M4
NATURE AND CULTURE INTERNATIONALDel MarCA$13.5M6
Moore-Odom Wildlife Foundation IncOrangeTX$13.5M3
Land Legacy IncTulsaOK$13.5M1
Hi'ipaka LLCHaleiwaHI$13.4M2
FRIENDS OF THE OSAWashingtonDC$13.4M2
ISLAND CONSERVATIONSanta CruzCA$13.4M8
COASTAL BEND BAYS & ESTUARIES PROGRAM INCCorpus ChristiTX$13.3M1
FAIRCHILD TROPICAL BOTANIC GARDEN INCMiamiFL$13.3M3
RESEARCH CENTER ON NATURAL CONSERVATION INCHarrimanNY$13.3M0
SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FORESTSConcordNH$13.3M3
Shelterwood CollectiveCazaderoCA$13.2M3
ALABAMA ASSOCIATION OF RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT COUNCILSMontgomeryAL$13.1M0
SANTA BARBARA BOTANIC GARDENSanta BarbaraCA$13.1M7
SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE INCWashingtonDC$13.1M8
WEST CREEK CONSERVANCYParmaOH$12.9M2
THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORKNew YorkNY$12.9M1
OREGON CLIMATE TRUSTPortlandOR$12.9M7
LEWIS GINTER BOTANICAL GARDEN INCRichmondVA$12.8M4
HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCYAustinTX$12.8M4
California Farmland TrustElk GroveCA$12.8M1
FORTERRA NWSeattleWA$12.8M10
PATAGONIAORGVenturaCA$12.8M0
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens IncBoothbayME$12.8M4
JAPANESE GARDEN SOCIETY OF OREGONPortlandOR$12.7M8
Southern Utah Wilderness AllianceSalt Lake CityUT$12.7M2
LOMAKATSI RESTORATION PROJECTAshlandOR$12.7M4
LOWCOUNTRY LAND TRUST INCCharlestonSC$12.6M1
THE ROSE FOUNDATION FOR COMMUNITIES THE ENVIRONMENTOaklandCA$12.6M6
CARDINAL LAND CONSERVANCYLovelandOH$12.6M3
THREE RIVERS LAND TRUST INCSalisburyNC$12.6M1
RIGHTS AND RESOURCES INSTITUTE INCWashingtonDC$12.5M11
SOGOREA TE LAND TRUSTOaklandCA$12.5M2
WHIDBEY CAMANO LAND TRUSTGreenbankWA$12.5M2
MESA COUNTY LAND CONSERVANCY INCGrand JunctionCO$12.4M1
Breakthrough Energy Catalyst FoundationKirklandWA$12.4M0
Omaha Botanical Center IncOmahaNE$12.3M6
LARSEN-LAM CLIMATE CHANGE FOUNDATIONSan FranciscoCA$12.2M0
CLEAN AND PROSPEROUS AMERICASeattleWA$12.2M1