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Durham NC | IRS ruling year: 2008 | EIN: 20-4547380
Organization Mission
THE E.O. WILSON BIODIVERSITY FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO FOSTER A KNOWING STEWARDSHIP OF OUR WORLD THROUGH BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION INITIATIVES THAT PROMOT ... (More)
THE E.O. WILSON BIODIVERSITY FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO FOSTER A KNOWING STEWARDSHIP OF OUR WORLD THROUGH BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION INITIATIVES THAT PROMOTE AND INFORM WORLDWIDE PRESERVATION OF OUR BIOLOGICAL HERITAGE. WE BELIEVE THAT BY ENHANCI (Less)
Great
This charity's score is 93%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores, weighted as follows: 90% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Charity Navigator's ratings previously did not consider Leadership & Adaptability, Culture & Community, or Impact & Results. The historic rating mainly reflects a version of today’s Accountability and Finance score. More information on our previous rating methodologies can be found on our rating methodology page.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
Score
Most Recent Fiscal Year:
FY 2021
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
Learn more
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No CreditMajority Independent Board Members - 100% independent members8 out of 8 points Majority Independent Board Members - 100% independent members8 out of 8 points
Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. We check to see that a majority of board members are identified as independent on their tax form.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Board Size - 11 independent members7 out of 7 points Independent Board Size - 11 independent members7 out of 7 points
Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. For most organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least three independent board members. For large, donor-funded organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least five independent board members
Source: IRS Form 990
Financial Statements - Audit and Oversight Committee15 out of 15 points Financial Statements - Audit and Oversight Committee15 out of 15 points
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
| Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
| $2 million or higher and 40% or higher donor support | Expected to complete an audit and have an audit oversight committee |
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Material Diversion of Assets - None10 out of 10 points Material Diversion of Assets - None10 out of 10 points
A diversion of assets — any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft — also can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We review the charity's most recent IRS Form 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditWebsite Listed on Tax Form - Listed2 out of 2 points Website Listed on Tax Form - Listed2 out of 2 points
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed4 out of 4 points Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed4 out of 4 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy - Listed4 out of 4 points Whistleblower Policy - Listed4 out of 4 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction - Missing0 out of 4 points Document Retention and Destruction - Missing0 out of 4 points
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Documents Board Meeting Minutes - Yes2 out of 2 points Documents Board Meeting Minutes - Yes2 out of 2 points
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the IRS Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditTax Form Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Missing0 out of 4 points Tax Form Posted on Nonprofit's Website - Missing0 out of 4 points
For almost all charities, we check the charity's IRS Form 990 to see if it discloses that the Form 990 is available on the charity's website. As with the audited financial statement, donors need easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditLiabilities to Assets: Ratio - 47.91%15 out of 15 points Liabilities to Assets: Ratio - 47.91%15 out of 15 points
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent IRS Form 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization's solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense: Ratio - 88.18%25 out of 25 points Program Expense: Ratio - 88.18%25 out of 25 points
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three IRS Forms 990). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Dr Paula Ehrlich, President & Ceo
$332,225
Joel Johnson, Vp, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
$257,500
Amy Tidovsky, Vp Of Development
$256,950
Dr Dennis Liu, Vp Of Education
$168,618
Julie Plowden, Treasurer & Cfo
$38,522
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2021
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation) or EIN (204547380) in the 'Search Term' field.
Not Currently Scored
E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Not Currently Scored
E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation cannot currently be evaluated by our Culture & Community methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its Constituent Feedback or Equity Practices strategies.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Score
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditMission 10/10 points Mission 10/10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
THE E.O. WILSON BIODIVERSITY FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO FOSTER A KNOWING STEWARDSHIP OF OUR WORLD THROUGH BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION INITIATIVES THAT PROMOTE AND INFORM WORLDWIDE PRESERVATION OF OUR BIOLOGICAL HERITAGE. WE BELIEVE THAT BY ENHANCI
Vision 10/10 points Vision 10/10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Inspire informed collective action to save the biosphere: leave no species behind.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals 20/20 points Goals 20/20 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Conduct and support courageous research that provides scientific leadership in service of a resilient planet.
Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core.
Goal Two: Foster education that engenders an intergenerational commitment to stewardship of the Earth.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: Engage a global community that perceives and celebrates the inherent value of nature.
Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core.
Leadership Development 15/15 points Leadership Development 15/15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and the Half-Earth Project understand that we cannot achieve our mission without recognizing and working actively to address human inequities. This has been the foundation for our plan on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI). Among several pillars in this plan, one is to ensure we engage our staff in JEDI training. Therefore, we have enlisted an outside consultancy to support staff development (https://www.lacyconsultingservices.com/). In order to ensure we are informed about the educational landscape that our Educator Ambassador are working in, our staff participates in conferences and institutes for science educators. Recently, of particular significance was the annual meeting of the North American Association of Environmental Educators. As a final example, we supplement our board orientation with a formal “board mentor program." The program pairs an incoming board member with a long-serving board member who serves as a mentor.
Mobilizing for Mission 15/15 points Mobilizing for Mission 15/15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Policy Advocacy
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
Part of our mission is to promote and inform worldwide preservation of our biological heritage. Therefore, external mobilization efforts are an inherent element of our work. For example, one of our signature events is Half-Earth Day, which brings together people from around the world and across disciplines to share their unique perspectives and thought leadership on how we can work together to achieve the goal of Half-Earth and ensure the health of our planet for future generations. The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation supports policy and initiatives that provide solutions to the long-standing global environmental crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. For example, we have been involved in US state and national efforts as well as globally through the Convention of Biological Diversity in promoting 30x30 as a pathway to the Half-Earth goal and have joined with others in publicly supporting nature-based solutions to climate change.
Adaptability Story 30/30 points Adaptability Story 30/30 points
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
One of our main adaptations over the last year was to virtual learning and engagement. For example, our Educator Ambassador Program was significantly impacted when school was interrupted and then went virtual. Suddenly educators had to find new ways of presenting information and engaging students, all while dealing with their own challenges at home during a pandemic. The Half-Earth Project was pleased to be able to provide teachers with digital tools to explore biodiversity and conservation at a moment when these tools were so needed. More broadly, against the backdrop of a life-altering global pandemic, increasingly visible impacts of a changing climate, and continued calls for social and environmental justice there is heightened focus on the need to protect the very fabric of life, the need to protect biodiversity. At its core, our proposed effort is about empowering individuals and communities to take conservation action to care for our planet and its natural species and people. But the past months have prompted us to think in more detailed ways about how our programs can innovate to harness technology (e.g. How can the Half-Earth Project Map allow people everywhere to serve as activists and custodians for life on Earth?) and engage new constituencies in ways that are meaningful for their needs and aspirations, from young scientists to traditional stewards of the world’s most extraordinary places for biodiversity.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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