Our programs cultivate understanding of Judaisms earth-based roots, inspire appreciation for Creation, and offer skills that empower participants to engage in Tikkun Olam (healing the world) by living sustainably in the modern world.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
66¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$56K 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
1 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $115K a year · 14% of revenue · last 6 filings
Concern: a surplus in 1 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
66%
of spending
Fine: 66% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$56K
to officers and key staff · 7% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 7% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
4 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 4.5 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $1K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$164K
34% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 34% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
8
of 8 voting members
Looks good: 8 of 8 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$515K
Spent
$856K
To programs
66%
Net assets
$313K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$515K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$515K
FY2021$1.3M
FY2022$997K
FY2023$1.0M
FY2024$598K
FY2025$515K
Expenses
$856K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$856K
FY2021$1.1M
FY2022$1.3M
FY2023$1.2M
FY2024$734K
FY2025$541K
Net assets
$313K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$313K
FY2021$555K
FY2022$285K
FY2023$125K
FY2024$109K
FY2025$83K

From the FY2020 Form 990 · 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 Aug 2013.

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

Where the money goes

66 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 66% · $567K Management & general 21% · $180K Fundraising 13% · $108K

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

9 people listed on the 990; $56K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Exec Director
$55,799Pt VII · Sec A
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Itamar Cohen’s $112K as Int Exec Dir is at the 87th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1989 $100K–1M 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 · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Itamar Cohen$111,754$78,754————
Kevin Golden——$91,392$91,392$81,386$55,799

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 Wilderness Torah executive salaries →

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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

Connects people to earth-based Jewish traditions, fostering self, community, and spiritual growth.

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Provided by the organization

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2 programs · $567K · in their own filed words · FY2020
01

Our ProgramsWilderness Torah serves more than 2,000 people a year through 15 programs in four areas: holiday retreats; K-12 education; religious services; and national field-building, training and consulting.

$567Kprogram expense
02

Our VisionThe modern yearning to connect is not going away; rather its becoming increasingly apparent to Jews everywhere. To heed this call, our vision is to build a thriving Bay Area center for earth-based Judaism that reconnects our community to nature all year round, providing a hub for our community programs, a permaculture village…

Pt IX · col B

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 1 funder$1K

By the numbers

The FY2020 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$515K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$358K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$157K
Investment incomeLn 3$189
Money outPt IX
$856K
Ln 25
Programscol B$567K
Managementcol C$180K
Fundraisingcol D$108K
Owns and owesPt X
$313K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$321K
Total assetsLn 16$477K
LiabilitiesLn 26$164K
PeoplePt VI, VII
9
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a8
IndependentVI 1b8
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$358K
Government grantsLn 1e$12K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$4K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$157K
Investment incomeLn 3$189
Gains on assetsLn 7$0
Total revenueLn 12$515K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$215K
SavingsLn 2$106K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$321K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$0
Other assetsLn 15$3K
Total assetsLn 16$477K
LiabilitiesLn 26$164K
Net assetsLn 32$313K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 515
VolunteersI 610
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
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$375K$321K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$0
Total assetsLn 16$762K$477K
LiabilitiesLn 26$109K$164K
Net assetsLn 32$653K$313K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$0
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$89K$33K$37K$19K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$446K$319K$65K$63K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$48K$32K$9K$7K
Payroll taxesLn 10$40K$26K$8K$6K
Management feesLn 11a$0
Legal feesLn 11b$0
Accounting feesLn 11c$42K$42K
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$1K$1K
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$14K$10K$2K$2K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$4K$3K$981$367
Office expensesLn 13$8K$4K$3K$1K
Information technologyLn 14$7K$4K$3K$1K
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$27K$15K$8K$4K
TravelLn 17$253$125$101$27
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$3K$2K$848$370
InterestLn 20$683$683
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$0
InsuranceLn 23$5K$3K$963$774
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$120K$116K$800$3K
All other expensesLn 24e$146$27$119
Total functional expensesLn 25$856K$567K$180K$108K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $515K$541K−$26K$83K 990 PDF
FY2024 $598K$734K−$136K$109K 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.0M$1.2M−$162K$125K 990 PDF
FY2022 $997K$1.3M−$269K$285K 990 PDF
FY2021 $1.3M$1.1M$241K$555K 990 PDF
FY2020 Viewing $515K$856K−$341K$313K 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 O · Explanations
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $514,669 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $1,047,755$357,927
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $225,749$156,553
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $64$189
I-11 Other revenue$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $1,273,568$514,669
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $538,043$622,909
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $41,419$1,081
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $391,591$231,816
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $971,053$855,806
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $302,515−$341,137
Part VI · Governance 8 of 8 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body8
VI-1b Independent voting members8
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 $514,669 across 11 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$11,500
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$346,427
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$4,000
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$357,927
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $156,553$156,553
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $189$189
VIII-5 Royalties$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or loss$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assets$0
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising events$0
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $156,553 · Excluded from tax $189$514,669
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $855,806 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individuals$0
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipients$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for members$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $32,522 · Management $37,457 · Fundraising $18,580$88,559
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $318,640 · Management $64,808 · Fundraising $63,022$446,470
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$0
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $31,988 · Management $8,773 · Fundraising $7,241$48,002
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $26,260 · Management $7,554 · Fundraising $6,064$39,878
IX-11a Management fees$0
IX-11b Legal fees$0
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $42,470$42,470
IX-11d Lobbying fees$0
IX-11e Professional fundraising feesFundraising $1,081$1,081
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $10,199 · Management $1,702 · Fundraising $1,721$13,622
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $2,903 · Management $981 · Fundraising $367$4,251
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $4,253 · Management $2,886 · Fundraising $1,030$8,169
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $3,678 · Management $2,646 · Fundraising $1,032$7,356
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $15,454 · Management $7,702 · Fundraising $3,554$26,710
IX-17 TravelPrograms $125 · Management $101 · Fundraising $27$253
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $1,815 · Management $848 · Fundraising $370$3,033
IX-20 InterestManagement $683$683
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortization$0
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $3,361 · Management $963 · Fundraising $774$5,098
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $115,896 · Management $800 · Fundraising $3,329$120,025
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $27 · Fundraising $119$146
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $567,121 · Management $180,374 · Fundraising $108,311$855,806
Part X · Balance sheet $477,056 assets, 21 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $273,227$215,497
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $102,168$105,683
X-3 Pledges and grants receivable$0
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $372,681$144,894
X-8 Inventories for sale or use$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $9,811$7,987
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, net$0
X-11 Publicly traded securities$0
X-12 Other securities$0
X-13 Program-related investments$0
X-14 Intangible assets$0
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $3,750$2,995
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $761,637$477,056
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $1,788$3,044
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $87,203$41,883
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $19,739$118,948
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $108,730$163,875
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $205,407$149,681
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $447,500$163,500
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $652,907$313,181
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $761,637$477,056
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $313,181 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$514,669
XI-2 Total expenses$855,806
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$341,137
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$652,907
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$1,411
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$313,181

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

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