Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Sep 1984.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
73 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
37 people listed on the 990; $1.1M paid to officers and key staff.
Thomas Kiernan’s $388K as President is at the 80th percentile of top reported officer pay among 324 $10–100M environment nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Kiernan | $387,622 | $372,290 | $314,575 | $264,598 | — | — |
| Wm Robert Irvin | — | — | — | — | $244,632 | $240,452 |
| Kristin May | $233,263 | $187,073 | $175,548 | $167,955 | $164,196 | $160,247 |
| Paula Wolferseder Yabar | $231,725 | $219,939 | $197,840 | $186,481 | $182,591 | — |
| Heather Taylor-Miesle | $216,565 | $193,751 | $150,715 | — | — | — |
| Jennifer Marshall | $186,499 | $163,307 | $170,992 | $166,259 | $162,229 | $146,820 |
| Melissa Lewis | $179,672 | $165,432 | $146,033 | — | — | — |
| Jennifer Hoffner | $179,026 | $170,685 | $156,116 | $126,124 | $114,911 | $106,494 |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
See American Rivers INC executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Protects and restores rivers nationwide by removing dams, conserving riverside land, and securing federal and state protections to ensure clean water and healthy habitats.
Questions for American Rivers INC
Your first name shows with your question. American Rivers INC answers here, for everyone.
River Restoration
The river restoration program brings rivers back to life by removing dams, replacing culverts, and restoring floodplains through practice, policy, and strategic capacity building. With aging infrastructure and climate change impacts including increased flooding of vulnerable communities, this work is critical to community and ecosystem…
Federal River Management (hydropower Reform)
Our hydropower reform work focuses on the reform of hydropower operations throughout the country. While hydropower helps us supply much needed fossil-free energy, it is not without impacts. Hydropower dams block rivers and can leave several miles of river sections dry.
Clean Water Supply
American rivers' clean water supply program is committed to ensuring clean and reliable water for communities and the rivers on which they depend by creating equitable, climate resilient and integrated water management systems in cities across the us.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
Federal money
Plus 17 smaller programs.
The auditor reported 2 findings: a material weakness in money controls.
Plus 21 smaller programs.
The auditor reported 40 findings: a weakness in money controls.
Plus 10 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 14 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY20 | FY19 | FY18 | FY17 | FY16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $2.2M | $2.2M | $2.2M | $2.1M | $2.0M |
| Given inLn 1b | $2K | $2K | $1K | ||
| SpentLn 1d–1f | $98K | $93K | $91K | $88K | $86K |
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $4.2M | $9.1M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $3.2M | $3.2M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $88K | $82K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $17.2M | $17.5M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $4.2M | $4.2M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $13.0M | $13.3M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $1.5M | $1.5M | ||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $14K | $14K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $807K | $199K | $558K | $49K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $4.5M | $3.2M | $336K | $981K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $133K | $95K | $10K | $28K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $1.8M | $1.2M | $273K | $344K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $457K | $296K | $74K | $87K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $94K | $93K | $650 | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $40K | $40K | ||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $7K | $7K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $4.9M | $4.4M | $66K | $434K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $25K | $10K | $5K | $11K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $881K | $216K | $58K | $607K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $755K | $361K | $242K | $152K |
| TravelLn 17 | $352K | $295K | $11K | $47K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $104K | $70K | $17K | $17K |
| InterestLn 20 | $98 | $98 | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $17K | $11K | $3K | $3K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $49K | $10K | $25K | $14K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $16.4M | $11.9M | $1.7M | $2.8M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Mar 31, 2026 | $53.4M | $41.4M | $12.0M | $32.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS May 15, 2025 | $36.6M | $34.0M | $2.6M | $20.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Feb 7, 2024 | $21.8M | $20.8M | $975K | $16.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Feb 6, 2023 | $18.6M | $16.3M | $2.3M | $15.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Jan 19, 2022 | $19.3M | $19.3M | −$22K | $13.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 ViewingFiled with the IRS Jan 19, 2021 | $16.7M | $16.4M | $296K | $13.3M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $16,657,900 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 28 of 28 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $16,657,900 across 12 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $16,362,145 across 19 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $17,492,357 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $13,260,393 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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