The Windward Fund advances public awareness about conservation, climate and environmental issues, sustainable food systems, and the protection of land, wildlife, and other natural resources. As a 501(c)(3) public charity, Windward hosts public awareness campaigns and grant-making projects that address conservation from a range of angles. Windward also provides a platform for donors to convene and collaborate on these issues, leveraging the work of other conservation projects housed at the Fund to strengthen their efforts and advance the field. Windward is governed by trustees with deep experience in running environmental organizations, managing grantmaking portfolios, and educating the public about environmental issues.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
94¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$1.2M 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

FY2021 · 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
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
4 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $61.5M a year · 27% of revenue · last 5 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
94%
of spending
Looks good: 94% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$1.2M
to officers and key staff · 1% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 1% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
23 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 23.3 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
2
named funders · $2.0M
Fine: 2 funders name it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$35.8M
11% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 11% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
7
of 8 voting members
Looks good: 7 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
$274.3M
+73% vs prior year
Spent
$107.8M
To programs
94%
Net assets
$292.4M
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$274.3M
FY2021▲ +73%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$158.6M
FY2021$274.3M
FY2022$198.1M
FY2023$212.4M
FY2024$308.2M
Expenses
$107.8M
FY2021▲ +53%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$70.3M
FY2021$107.8M
FY2022$203.0M
FY2023$211.8M
FY2024$251.3M
Net assets
$292.4M
FY2021▲ +132%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$126.1M
FY2021$292.4M
FY2022$272.3M
FY2023$262.6M
FY2024$320.2M

From the FY2021 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jun 2015.

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

Where the money goes

94 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 94% · $101.8M Management & general 5% · $5.7M Fundraising 0% · $225K

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

13 people listed on the 990; $1.2M paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Project Director
$260,000Pt VII · Sec A
Project Director
$239,020Pt VII · Sec A
Project Director
$234,878Pt VII · Sec A
Project Co-Director
$233,691Pt VII · Sec A
Project Co-Director
$233,349Pt VII · Sec A
Director (as of 7/2021)
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Sarah Smith’s $296K as Project Program Director is at the 22nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 18 $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

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Sarah Smith$296,200————
James Walker$280,165————
Cammie Croft—$265,000$231,903——
John Marshall———$260,000—
Sarah Lake$258,938————
Erin Rogers$257,026$250,262$240,863$233,349$217,400
Thomas Mercer III—$254,063———
Melanie Allen$253,826————

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 Windward Fund 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 15aNo

Programs and updates

Funds and hosts public awareness campaigns, grant-making projects, and donor collaborations to support environmental conservation, sustainable food systems, and disaster preparedness.

Questions for Windward Fund

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Provided by the organization

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2 programs · $101.8M · in their own filed words · FY2021
01

Environmental (climate, Conservation, and Energy) Programs

Windward fund's environmental programs focus on a range of conservation, climate, and energy issues in the U.S. And abroad. These issues include water solutions in the american west, climate resilience, alternative energy sources, reduction of deforestation, and conservation planning.

$98.2Mprogram expense
02

Agriculture, Food, Nutrition Programs

Windward fund's agriculture, food, and nutrition programs focus on a range of issued aimed at transforming food systems to greater accessibility and sustainability, working on topics such as regenerative stewardship of agricultural lands and an enabling infrastructure and policy environment for a healthy food system.

$3.6Mprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

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

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 2 funders$2.0M
Grants paid · 1,562 grants · $501.1M · 2020–2024
Carbon Mapper INCCA · FY2024$5,000,000
Hourglass Climate INCNJ · FY2024$3,948,938
The Energy FoundationCA · FY2024$3,423,333
Cornell UniversityNY · FY2024$2,991,652
Frontier Climate Management LLCFY2024$2,828,213
World Resources InstituteDC · FY2024$2,296,667
Mighty Earth INCDC · FY2024$2,232,657
Rocky Mountain InstituteCO · FY2024$1,960,000
Meridian InstitutePA · FY2024$1,400,000
Rewiring America INCDC · FY2024$1,320,330
Tides FoundationCA · FY2024$1,270,000
Houston in Action NetworkTX · FY2024$1,200,500
World Wildlife Fund INCDC · FY2024$1,182,340
The Regents of University of California DavisFY2024$1,100,148
See all 1,562 grants →

By the numbers

The FY2021 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$274.3M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$273.5M
Other incomeLn 4–11$801K
Investment incomeLn 3$62K
Money outPt IX
$107.8M
Ln 25
Programscol B$101.8M
Managementcol C$5.7M
Fundraisingcol D$225K
Owns and owesPt X
$292.4M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$209.6M
Total assetsLn 16$328.2M
LiabilitiesLn 26$35.8M
PeoplePt VI, VII
13
listed · VII A
PaidVII A5
Voting boardVI 1a8
IndependentVI 1b7
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$273.5M
Noncash giftsLn 1g$29.2M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$20K
Investment incomeLn 3$62K
Other incomeLn 4–11$801K
Gains on assetsLn 7−$28K
Total revenueLn 12$274.3M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$15.0M
SavingsLn 2$194.6M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$209.6M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$198K
Other assetsLn 15$0
Total assetsLn 16$328.2M
LiabilitiesLn 26$35.8M
Net assetsLn 32$292.4M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 583
VolunteersI 616
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 FY21End FY21
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$93.5M$209.6M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$203K$198K
Total assetsLn 16$136.2M$328.2M
LiabilitiesLn 26$10.1M$35.8M
Net assetsLn 32$126.1M$292.4M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$63.7M$63.7M
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$8.7M$8.7M
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$7.4M$7.2M$19K$186K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$140K$134K$3K$3K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$790K$767K$2K$20K
Payroll taxesLn 10$508K$495K$377$13K
Management feesLn 11a$5.5M$5.5M
Legal feesLn 11b$157K$139K$18K
Accounting feesLn 11c$26K$4K$23K
Lobbying feesLn 11d$127K$127K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$7.8M$7.8M$41K$3K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$10.5M$10.5M
Office expensesLn 13$54K$52K$1K
Information technologyLn 14$1.9M$1.8M$25K
OccupancyLn 16$44K$44K
TravelLn 17$136K$136K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$145K$144K$1K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$19K$19K
InsuranceLn 23$49K$7K$41K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$111K$97K$14K
All other expensesLn 24e$9K$9K
Total functional expensesLn 25$107.8M$101.8M$5.7M$225K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest $308.2M$251.3M$56.9M$320.2M 990 PDF
FY2023 $212.4M$211.8M$525K$262.6M 990 PDF
FY2022 $198.1M$203.0M−$4.9M$272.3M 990 PDF
FY2021 Viewing $274.3M$107.8M$166.6M$292.4M 990 PDF
FY2020 $158.6M$70.3M$88.4M$126.1M 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 F · Foreign M · Noncash J · Pay O · Explanations
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $274,341,513 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $157,883,377$273,458,042
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $162,500$20,000
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $115,892$62,370
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $450,030$801,101
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $158,611,799$274,341,513
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $44,017,016$72,403,293
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $5,510,402$8,797,636
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $20,729,805$26,573,573
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $70,257,223$107,774,502
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $88,354,576$166,567,011
Part VI · Governance 7 of 8 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body8
VI-1b Independent voting members7
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
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
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $274,341,513 across 8 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$273,458,042
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$29,198,980
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$273,458,042
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $20,000$20,000
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $90,108$90,108
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax −$27,738−$27,738
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Excluded from tax $801,101$801,101
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $20,000 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $863,471$274,341,513
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $107,774,502 across 21 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $63,662,935$63,662,935
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsPrograms $8,740,358$8,740,358
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $7,154,668 · Management $19,115 · Fundraising $185,730$7,359,513
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $133,921 · Management $2,701 · Fundraising $3,477$140,099
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $767,313 · Management $2,341 · Fundraising $19,919$789,573
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $495,218 · Management $377 · Fundraising $12,856$508,451
IX-11a Management feesManagement $5,520,696$5,520,696
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $139,062 · Management $18,375$157,437
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $3,618 · Management $22,700$26,318
IX-11d Lobbying feesPrograms $126,555$126,555
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $7,801,808 · Management $41,463 · Fundraising $2,643$7,845,914
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $10,473,241$10,473,241
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $52,282 · Management $1,371$53,653
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $1,832,705 · Management $25,363$1,858,068
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $43,732$43,732
IX-17 TravelPrograms $135,850$135,850
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $143,542 · Management $1,125$144,667
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $18,649$18,649
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $7,469 · Management $41,443$48,912
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $96,907 · Management $14,147$111,054
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $8,827$8,827
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $101,838,660 · Management $5,711,217 · Fundraising $224,625$107,774,502
Part X · Balance sheet $328,195,647 assets, 15 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $13,490,760$14,987,956
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $80,009,457$194,596,907
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $41,906,447$117,803,774
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $339,644$75,483
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $136,713$533,530
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $203,177$197,997
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $20,000$0
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $136,151,371$328,195,647
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $1,046,272$5,056,016
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $7,515,783$30,743,787
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $10,069,563$35,799,803
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $780,575$1,488,450
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $125,301,233$290,907,394
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $126,081,808$292,395,844
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $136,151,371$328,195,647
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $292,395,844 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$274,341,513
XI-2 Total expenses$107,774,502
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$166,567,011
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$126,081,808
XI-9 Other changes in net assets−$252,975
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$292,395,844

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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