PLATINUM2023

Forever Our Rivers Foundation

Enhancing river health throughout the West.

CRESTED BUTTE, CO   |  https://www.foreverourrivers.org/

Mission

The mission of Forever Our Rivers is to improve the health and vitality of rivers through community-inspired projects.

Ruling year info

2016

Executive Director

Ann Johnston

Main address

PO BOX 1952

CRESTED BUTTE, CO 81224 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

81-3496752

NTEE code info

Private Grantmaking Foundations (T20)

IRS filing requirement

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

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Rivers provide benefits for people and nature that far exceed the value of water flowing through them. Yet rivers in the Western US are severely stressed by multi-year droughts, wildfires and below-normal rainfall—some are even running dry. This means wildlife are losing their homes and there is less water for recreation and growing local food. These stressors put our drinking water's quality and quantity at risk.

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?

Southwest Rivers Grants

Established in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation and leveraged with contributions from our individual and business partners, the Southwest Rivers Grants are dedicated to monitoring and maintaining the Dolores, Escalante, Gila and Verde Rivers. These grants are vital, protecting the legacy of decades of river restoration undertaken by communities that live along these rivers. These grants and contributors are committed to supporting these iconic places’ long-term health and resilience.

Grants are invitation only.

Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups

Launched in 2018, our Community Grants are focused on improving wetlands and wildlife habitat and sustaining functional flows. Community Grants are also focused on connecting communities to their rivers. We are committed to deepening relationships with marginalized communities so that we can help create space and opportunity for excluded groups who want to protect rivers in their communities.

Grants are invitation only.

Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups
Families

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Acres of natural habitat restored

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

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.

Our goal is simple: keep rivers flowing. There are many projects are in the works right now, including stream-side restoration in Utah, improved habitat for the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher in Arizona and enhanced wetland function in Colorado.

The people behind Forever Our Rivers are entrepreneurs and connectors, creatively working to impact river health through the development of broad-based and sustainable revenue streams.

We now have two staff members and are actively working to expand our board.

We have established some solid partnerships with both corporate and river health partners. We have retained over 75% of our charter partners. Two staff members have been employed and FORF has updated some databases and software to offer better administrative support.

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.

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

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, 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

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

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

Financials

Forever Our Rivers 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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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • 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.

Forever Our Rivers Foundation

Board of directors
as of 10/09/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Tim Carlson

Retired

Term: 2018 -

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? No
  • 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? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 10/12/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

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

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 10/12/2022

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 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 have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • 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.