Forever Our Rivers Foundation
Enhancing river health throughout the West.
Forever Our Rivers Foundation
EIN: 81-3496752
Mission
Our mission is to help rivers function at their highest level. We do this through two priorities: 1) Watershed conservation, including aquatic habitat restoration, water quality, and in-stream enhancements; and 2) Empowering communities to care for their rivers by providing recreational and educational opportunities for all. Collaborating with a diverse network of partners we accomplish our mission by acquiring private and public funding, collecting and sharing data, and awarding funds through a competitive grants program.
Ruling year
2016
Executive Director
Ann Johnston
Main address
PO Box 3492
Grand Junction, CO 81502 USA
EIN
81-3496752
Environmental justice
Groundwater
Rivers and lakes
Water conservation
Wetlands
Population served
Children and youth
Adults
Ethnic and racial groups
Economically disadvantaged people
At-risk youth
NTEE code
Private Grantmaking Foundations (T20)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Private Nonoperating Foundation
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-PF.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
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
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.
Community Grants
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.
Where we work
External reviews
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
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.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
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.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Rivers are important to every person in the world. Everyone benefits from river conservation.
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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), Suggestion box/email, Social media,
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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,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
We are reviewing our grant priorities to better align with the future goals of our constituents.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Asking for feedback has made us more accessible to our community. It has deepened our relationships and our understanding of the challenges and opportunities they face.
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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,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsForever Our Rivers Foundation
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
Forever Our Rivers Foundation
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Ann Johnston
Ann joins Forever Our Rivers after 15 years in land and water conservation. During her tenure as executive director of Crested Butte Land Trust, the organization tripled its operating capacity and achieved national accreditation. She completed several award-winning river restoration projects and was instrumental in bringing together diverse viewpoints to resolve a 30-year conflict over the use and protection of Snodgrass Mountain. Ann later served as the Russian River program manager for the Sonoma Land Trust. She was responsible for creating a land and water conservation strategy to protect the natural processes of the river while meeting social and economic needs.
Ann is serving her second term as commissioner for the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. Within the commission, Ann serves on the Governance Committee. Prior to that, she served an appointment by Colorado’s governor to the Conservation Easement Oversight Commission.
Forever Our Rivers Foundation
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Forever Our Rivers Foundation
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Forever Our Rivers Foundation
Board of directorsas of 01/31/2023
Board of directors data
Tim Carlson
Retired
Term: 2018 -
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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
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
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/12/2022GuideStar 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
- 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.
- 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.
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- Officer and/or Employee data for 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016
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