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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: August 2025 Expires: August 2027

WILD Foundation

Standards Not Met
Standards Not Met
3 7 14 16
(303) 442-8811
717 Poplar Avenue
Boulder, CO, 80304
https://wild.org/
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Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

WILD Foundation does not meet the following 4 Standards for Charity Accountability:

Standard 3 (Frequency and Attendance of Board Meetings)
An organization shall have a minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body with a majority in attendance, with face-to-face participation. A conference call of the full board can substitute for one of the three meetings of the governing body. For all meetings, alternative modes of participation are acceptable for those with physical disabilities.

WILD Foundation does not meet this Standard because:

  • The board of directors held one meeting during 2024.

Standard 7 (Board Approval of Written Report on Effectiveness)
Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.

WILD Foundation does not meet this Standard because:

  • The organization did not produce a written report outlining the results of its effectiveness assessment performed in May 2024.

Standard 14 (Budget)
Have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration.

WILD Foundation does not meet this Standard because, when the organization provided 2025 budget information, it indicated that the budget:

  • Did not identify total projected program service expenses.

Standard 16 (Annual Report)
Have an annual report available to all, on request, that includes: (a) the organization's mission statement, (b) a summary of the past year's program service accomplishments, (c) a roster of the officers and members of the board of directors, (d) financial information that includes (i) total income in the past fiscal year, (ii) expenses in the same program, fund raising and administrative categories as in the financial statements, and (iii) ending net assets.

WILD Foundation does not meet this Standard because the 2024 annual report did not include:

  • Total fundraising expenses.
  • Total administrative expenses.
  • Total end of year net assets.

WILD Foundation meets the remaining 16 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to protect and sustain wilderness and wildlife."

Year, State Incorporated:
1974, NY

Also Known As:
International Wilderness Leadership Foundation

WILD Foundation reports that it works to protect and restore wild nature globally through policy advocacy, grassroots partnerships, and public engagement by equipping leaders, communities, and networks to act purposefully and impactfully for the benefit of the wilderness and people. The organization's core programs include global policy initiatives, collaborative conservation projects, and youth leadership development. WILD Foundation's Nature Needs Half initiative promotes the science-based goal of protecting 50% of the planet to safeguard biodiversity, stabilize the climate, and sustain human well-being. The organization also leads and supports on-the-ground projects in biocultural landscapes in Mali, Sápmi, and the Brazilian Amazon. In Mali, WILD Foundation partners with local leaders to protect the last herd of desert elephants. In Sápmi, the organization supports Sámi communities’ efforts to secure rights to land and protect reindeer habitat. With the Yawanawa people of the Brazilian Amazon, WILD Foundation works to strengthen territorial protection and cultural renewal.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, WILD Foundation's program expenses were:

Program services $6,223,027
Total Program Expenses $6,223,027

Chief Executive
Amy Lewis, Managing Director

Compensation*
$119,875

Chair of the Board
Joel Holtrop

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Retired, Deputy Chief of the National Forest System

Board Size
10

Paid Staff Size
9

*2023 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Grant proposals, Internet, Direct mail appeals, Cause-related marketing (affinity credit cards, consumer product sales, etc.)

Fundraising costs were 1% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $5,706,318, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on WILD Foundation's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Source of Funds
Contributions $5,542,279
Event registrations $164,039
Other income $109,528
Interest and dividends $87,264
Unrealized gain on investments $78,320
Total Income $5,981,430

Programs: 95% Fundraising: 1% Administrative: 4%

Total Income $5,981,430
Total expenses: $6,526,623
  Program expenses $6,223,027
  Fundraising expenses $66,494
  Administrative expenses $237,102
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $-545,193
Beginning Net Assets $5,927,636
Other Changes In Net Assets $-13,417
Ending Net Assets $5,369,026
Total Liabilities $233,152
Total Assets $5,602,178

Note: As noted in the above financial section, "other changes in net assets" refers to loss on foreign currency translation (-$406) and loss on disposal of equipment (-$13,011).

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

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Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance