Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever's mission is to conserve pheasants, quail, and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public access, education, and conservation advocacy.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
84¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$1.7M paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2020 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
5 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $4.6M a year · 5% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 5 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
84%
of spending
Looks good: 84% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$1.7M
to officers and key staff · 3% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 3% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
3 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $19.3M in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Fine: 2.7 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
3
named funders · $109K
Looks good: 3 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$15.5M
30% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 30% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
15
of 16 voting members
Looks good: 15 of 16 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$67.6M
Spent
$68.0M
To programs
84%
Net assets
$36.2M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$67.6M
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$67.6M
FY2021$80.5M
FY2022$87.0M
FY2023$89.6M
FY2024$132.7M
FY2025$118.6M
Expenses
$68.0M
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$68.0M
FY2021$73.2M
FY2022$80.2M
FY2023$85.3M
FY2024$125.6M
FY2025$116.4M
Net assets
$36.2M
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$36.2M
FY2021$43.4M
FY2022$48.5M
FY2023$53.4M
FY2024$61.3M
FY2025$64.4M

From the FY2020 Form 990 (year ending June 2020) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2020 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Dec 1986.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

84 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 84% · $57.3M Management & general 4% · $2.6M Fundraising 12% · $8.1M

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

25 people listed on the 990; $1.7M paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2019); the FY2020 filing did not itemize Part VII
President and CEO
$349,204Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Governmental Affairs
$225,573Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Financial Officer
$221,386Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Field Operations
$181,198Pt VII · Sec A
VP Development
$171,771Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President of Marketing
$136,396Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President of Education & Outreach
$118,285Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Finance
$118,224Pt VII · Sec A

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Howard K Vincent—$365,985$387,911$378,291$350,102$349,204
Marilyn Vetter$366,374$284,127————
James M Koerber$307,380$279,970$261,680$242,790$227,573$221,386
David Bue$265,026$235,360$211,269$191,354$177,191$171,771
David E Nomsen————$264,146$225,573
Richard Young———$262,067$191,226$181,198
Ron Leathers$228,141$198,572$177,247$153,375$108,895$105,336
Ariel Wiegard$203,897—————

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.

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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

Conserves pheasants, quail, and other wildlife by improving habitats, expanding public access, advocating for conservation, and supporting a national network of volunteer chapters.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $55.9M · in their own filed words · FY2019
01

Wildlife Habitat Initiatives

During the 2020 fiscal year, Pheasants Forever, Inc. completed more than 10,000 habitat projects impacting 190,000 acres. Since its inception in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $886 million and completed 561,000 habitat projects.

$47.2Mprogram expense
02

Public Awareness, Education and Outreach

The education and outreach component of Pheasants Forever provides year-round youth programs that offer a pathway of activities that cultivate and grow land stewards and hunting conservationists of all ages. The focus is on hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation.

$6.4Mprogram expense
03

Field Operations

Pheasants Forever's region field representatives provide support, information, hands-on education to the public, and work on implementation of wildlife habitat development and restoration. PF's representatives also assist members and chapter volunteers to improve wildlife habitat in the most efficient and effective way.

$2.4Mprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 3 funders$109K
See all 3 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2020 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$67.6M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$56.0M
Other incomeLn 4–11$8.5M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$2.9M
Money outPt IX
$68.0M
Ln 25
Programscol B$57.3M
Managementcol C$2.6M
Fundraisingcol D$8.1M
Owns and owesPt X
$36.2M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$15.0M
Total assetsLn 16$51.7M
LiabilitiesLn 26$15.5M
PeoplePt VI, VII
25
listed · VII A
PaidVII A10
Voting boardVI 1a16
IndependentVI 1b15
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$56.0M
Government grantsLn 1e$42.1M
Noncash giftsLn 1g$1.6M
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$0
Fees for servicesLn 2g$2.9M
Investment incomeLn 3$292K
Other incomeLn 4–11$8.5M
Gains on assetsLn 7$60K
Total revenueLn 12$67.6M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$13.9M
SavingsLn 2$1.1M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$15.0M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$19.3M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$2.3M
Other assetsLn 15$1.8M
Total assetsLn 16$51.7M
LiabilitiesLn 26$15.5M
Net assetsLn 32$36.2M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 5769
VolunteersI 64,000
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY20End FY20
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$10.0M$15.0M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$20.3M$19.3M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$2.2M$2.3M
Total assetsLn 16$47.1M$51.7M
LiabilitiesLn 26$10.2M$15.5M
Net assetsLn 32$36.8M$36.2M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$0$0
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$1.4M$820K$298K$305K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0$0$0$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$18.4M$14.2M$1.3M$2.8M
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$884K$657K$83K$143K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$1.6M$1.3M$85K$218K
Payroll taxesLn 10$1.4M$1.1M$108K$223K
Management feesLn 11a$172K$75K$45K$51K
Legal feesLn 11b$13K$0$13K$0
Accounting feesLn 11c$147K$0$147K$0
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0$0$0$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0$0$0$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$0$0$0$0
Advertising and promotionLn 12$623K$0$0$623K
Office expensesLn 13$2.7M$1.7M$158K$816K
Information technologyLn 14$0$0$0$0
RoyaltiesLn 15$0$0$0$0
OccupancyLn 16$51K$13K$8K$30K
TravelLn 17$1.9M$1.2M$35K$651K
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0$0$0$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$78K$41K$31K$6K
InterestLn 20$11K$0$11K$0
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0$0$0$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$292K$182K$32K$78K
InsuranceLn 23$529K$416K$52K$61K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$36.2M$35.1M$62K$1.0M
All other expensesLn 24e$1.7M$589K$58K$1.0M
Total functional expensesLn 25$68.0M$57.3M$2.6M$8.1M

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $118.6M$116.4M$2.2M$64.4M 990 PDF
FY2024 $132.7M$125.6M$7.2M$61.3M 990 PDF
FY2023 $89.6M$85.3M$4.3M$53.4M 990 PDF
FY2022 $87.0M$80.2M$6.8M$48.5M 990 PDF
FY2021 $80.5M$73.2M$7.2M$43.4M 990 PDF
FY2020 Viewing $67.6M$68.0M−$361K$36.2M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support M · Noncash J · Pay O · Explanations
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $67,643,527 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $47,288,482$55,955,801
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $4,802,435$2,921,340
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $383,452$292,144
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $10,266,826$8,474,242
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $62,741,195$67,643,527
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $20,822,753$23,689,742
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $40,080,916$44,315,256
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $60,903,669$68,004,998
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $1,837,526−$361,471
Part VI · Governance 15 of 16 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body16
VI-1b Independent voting members15
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $67,643,527 across 16 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $3,560,989 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1a Federated campaigns$9,601
VIII-1b Membership dues$5,019,375
VIII-1c Fundraising events$0
VIII-1d Related organizations$0
VIII-1e Government grants$42,055,494
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$8,871,331
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$1,619,522
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$55,955,801
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $2,921,340 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$2,921,340
VIII-3 Investment incomeRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $232,514$232,514
VIII-5 RoyaltiesRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $209,530$209,530
VIII-6 Net rental income or lossRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $63,904$63,904
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $59,630$59,630
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising eventsUnrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $3,408,996$3,408,996
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Related to mission $142,747 · Unrelated business $1,088,076 · Excluded from tax $0$1,230,823
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $3,885,401 · Unrelated business $1,302,932 · Excluded from tax $6,499,393$67,643,527
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $68,004,998 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $0$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $0$0
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsPrograms $0$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for membersPrograms $0$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $819,753 · Management $297,680 · Fundraising $305,262$1,422,695
IX-6 Pay of disqualified personsPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $14,230,889 · Management $1,329,867 · Fundraising $2,842,321$18,403,077
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $656,824 · Management $83,337 · Fundraising $143,379$883,540
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $1,277,036 · Management $85,139 · Fundraising $218,040$1,580,215
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $1,069,705 · Management $108,009 · Fundraising $222,501$1,400,215
IX-11a Management feesPrograms $75,110 · Management $45,415 · Fundraising $51,296$171,821
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $0 · Management $12,743 · Fundraising $0$12,743
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $0 · Management $146,737 · Fundraising $0$146,737
IX-11d Lobbying feesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-11e Professional fundraising feesFundraising $0$0
IX-11f Investment management feesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $623,182$623,182
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $1,684,389 · Management $158,070 · Fundraising $815,783$2,658,242
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-15 RoyaltiesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $13,189 · Management $7,763 · Fundraising $29,550$50,502
IX-17 TravelPrograms $1,181,546 · Management $34,593 · Fundraising $651,122$1,867,261
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officialsPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $40,677 · Management $31,307 · Fundraising $5,559$77,543
IX-20 InterestPrograms $0 · Management $11,337 · Fundraising $0$11,337
IX-21 Payments to affiliatesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $182,056 · Management $32,299 · Fundraising $77,599$291,954
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $416,176 · Management $51,994 · Fundraising $60,507$528,677
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $35,110,835 · Management $61,512 · Fundraising $1,011,806$36,184,153
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $589,038 · Management $57,743 · Fundraising $1,044,323$1,691,104
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $57,347,223 · Management $2,555,545 · Fundraising $8,102,230$68,004,998
Part X · Balance sheet $51,710,315 assets, 24 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $4,998,877$13,945,551
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $5,007,110$1,092,840
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $1,498,358$2,234,208
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $8,393,274$8,467,129
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $2,152,380$1,182,517
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $750,557$1,409,741
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $2,200,294$2,271,812
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $13,877,514$10,379,020
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $0$0
X-13 Program-related investmentsStart of year $6,451,362$8,883,341
X-14 Intangible assetsStart of year $0$0
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $1,735,702$1,844,156
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $47,065,428$51,710,315
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $5,092,382$5,843,911
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $0$0
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $521,636$249,406
X-20 Tax-exempt bond liabilitiesStart of year $0$0
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $0$0
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $4,066,139$5,194,084
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $10,217,260$15,481,441
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $27,671,581$26,010,533
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $9,176,587$10,218,341
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $36,848,168$36,228,874
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $47,065,428$51,710,315
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $36,228,874 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$67,643,527
XI-2 Total expenses$68,004,998
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$361,471
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$36,848,168
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments−$257,823
XI-6 Donated services and use of facilities$0
XI-7 Investment expenses$0
XI-8 Prior period adjustments$0
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$36,228,874

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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