The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation

Knowledge to Live By

aka National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)   |   Washington, DC   |  www.NEEFusa.org

Mission

OUR PURPOSE To cultivate an environmentally conscious and responsible public OUR VISION That people’s everyday actions are guided by an understanding and concern for the well-being of people and the planet OUR MISSION To make the environment more accessible, relatable, relevant, and connected to the daily lives of all Americans

Ruling year info

1991

President and CEO

Ms. Meri-Margaret Deoudes

Main address

4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 160

Washington, DC 20008 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

54-1557043

NTEE code info

Natural Resource Conservation and Protection (C30)

Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs (C60)

Environmental Quality, Protection, and Beautification N.E.C. (C99)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

NEEF’s work addresses the following problems: ● K-12 Education: Environmental education is not prioritized in the US educational system, educators do not have the resources and training to implement it, and K-12 STEM skills—especially in under-resourced communities—are falling behind demands of the US labor market. ● Health & Wellness: People’s physical and mental health are adversely affected by environmental factors that significantly impact disease burden. ● Conservation: Americans are spending more time indoors disconnected from the natural world. Public lands are experiencing increasing stress, especially given their major use during the COVID-19 pandemic, and land management agencies are facing diminishing capacity.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

K-12 Education

Our “Greening STEM” philosophy brings classroom learning to life through place-based investigations and real-world challenges while instilling an environmental stewardship ethic. We implement on-the-ground demonstration projects, maintain an online Hub of resources, and celebrate this work through our annual National Environmental Education Week (April).

Population(s) Served
Adults

Our resources and training help health care providers manage and promote the environment as a tool to improve patient outcomes and well-being. Our asthma program equips health professionals with knowledge and tools to manage environmental triggers and intervention strategies. The SunWise program, which originated at EPA and was spun off to NEEF several years ago, focuses on sun safe behavior, UV radiation, and stratospheric ozone.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Our programs and initiatives inspire people to get outside, help conserve and restore nature, and enjoy it at the same time. NEEF’s annual National Public Lands Day event (September) is the largest day of service for public lands. We will also award targeted grants to support the recovery of public lands impacted by increased use during COVID-19 as well as those battling invasive plants, and partner with companies to engage corporate employees in sustainability.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

We ultimately intend to have a lasting positive impact on people’s health, the environment, and, the economy.

Our strategies include:
● delivering training around the environmental triggers of asthma and mitigation strategies as well as education on sun-safe behavior;
● organizing service for public lands and waterways and offering resources for their managers to engage community members; and,
● strengthening K-12 STEM learning through investigative, outdoor experiences.

NEEF builds effective public-private partnerships that advance environmental education and engagement in the US. We focus our efforts on making the environment accessible, relatable, relevant, and connected to the daily lives of all Americans to inspire empathy and connection to the natural world. Our programs and initiatives reach beyond traditional green groups with non-partisan, practical, and positive messaging that resonates with the public and motivates environmentally responsible action.

Recent progress includes:
● Since launching November 2018, a total of 3,887 school nurses viewed NEEF's tailored asthma training, potentially impacting 3.8 million students.
● National Public Lands Day 2021 engaged 46,277 volunteers at 537 public land sites, providing $15.3 million worth of service.
● NEEF partnered with International Paper to design and pilot hourly employee engagement strategies with the goal of building a model for sustainability and community engagement in their US manufacturing operations. We co-published a paper sharing promising strategies, lessons learned, and recommendations that may benefit other companies looking to engage their hourly workforce.

Over the next year, NEEF will: strengthen STEM learning through several on-the-ground demonstration projects; promote our virtual asthma training to more health professionals; care for public lands; and engage sports fans, corporate employees, and radio listeners in environmental actions.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Conservation Land managers working on public lands of all types and sizes. Health: Healthcare professionals operating in varying capacities and sectors of the health workforce. They include: physicians, specialists (e.g., pediatricians, emergency medicine, and family medicine), nurse practitioners, school nurses, respiratory therapists, mental health practitioners, community health workers, and public health professionals Education: Primarily educators of middle school age children, secondarily educators of other K-12 populations; public land and water agencies, their nearby schools and districts, their local NGOs and business community

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

Financials

The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation

Board of directors
as of 5/13/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Kevin Butt

Senior Director, Environmental Sustainability, Sustainability & Regulatory Affairs, Toyota Motor North America, Inc.

Term: 2021 - 2025

Meri-Margaret Deoudes

National Environmental Education Foundation

Nora Savage

Nano Program Director; Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems; Engineering Directorate; National Science Foundation

Louisa Koch

Director of Education, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Ericka Reid

Director, Office of Science Education and Diversity, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Tinelle Bustam

Acting Director, Conservation Education, US Forest Service

Jeniffer Harper-Taylor

Head of STEM Education, Siemens Foundation

Kevin Butt

Regional Environmental Sustainability Director, Toyota Motor North America

Katharine Emerson

Director of Political Affairs, Bayer

Todd Greenwood

Chief Development Officer, Purdue Research Foundation's Discovery Park

Katie Hogge

Digital Outreach Manager, Ocean Conservancy

Jennifer Love

Chief Security Officer, Senior Vice President of Safety, Environment and Health, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Lori McFarling

President, Corporate Partnerships, Discovery Education

Stephen Sikra

Vice President and Chief of Staff, Alliance to End Plastic Waste

Sara Newman

Captain, United States Public Health Service Director, Office of Public Health, National Park Service

Kenneth Harding

Regional Director of the Central Region, National Weather Service

Shannon Steinbauer

Special Assistant to the Director, OLHCHH, US Department of Housing and Urban Development

Nicole Steele

Senior Advisor on Energy Justice and Workforce, SETO, US Dept of Energy; Head of National Community Solar Partnership

Sharunda Buchanan

Director, Office of Priority Projects and Innovation, Office of the Director, National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Robert Bullard

Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University

Sally Cole

Director of Employee Communications, Apple

Arturo Garcia-Costas

Environment Program Officer, The New York Community Trust

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 04/22/2022

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 12/17/2019

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.