Rainforest Partnership

“The CEO, Director of Operations, and designated team members review financial accounting inputs for expenses against revenue, such as donations and in-kind, before conducting a reconciliation and producing the final year-end reports used for the financial statements and thereafter Form 990. Information for the Form 990 is reviewed by the CEO, Director of Operations, and the Board Treasurer before being shared with the Board of Directors. Once all relevant parties have reviewed and provided feedback, the Form 990 is submitted to the IRS.”

“Any potential conflict of interest is required to be disclosed. All Board members and key team members receive the Conflict of Interest policy and submit Conflict of Interest forms, and are required to review the policy and resubmit the form annually.”

“The Board of Directors approves compensation after careful review. The process for determining compensation includes a review of comparability data followed by deliberation by the Board of Directors as part of the annual budget adoption. (The CEO does not vote on the budget adoption)”

“IRS Form 990 is also made available on GuideStar.”

“Governing documents, Conflict of Interest policy, and financial statements are available to members of the public upon request. Financial documents are also available on our website and GuideStar.”

“It took a team of 7 board members, 9 advisors, 10 globally distributed team members, 22 in-country team members (Peru and Ecuador), as well as 94 dedicated volunteers and interns based all over the world that contributed almost 8,075 hours (valued at $230,460.50), and pro bono services (valued at $136,349.38) - significant contributions helping us create outsized impact in rainforest conservation.”

“[PERU] From inception and at its core, this project builds upon a community-led suite of actions and solutions. Two of the four conservation components of the project's strategy (supporting local sustainable agricultural production and improving communications systems and environmental education) focus on the empowerment of local people and communities. These two components are central to the successful protection of the landscape's standing forests, because community leadership and participation is absolutely essential to ensure that any solution is viable in the long term. These strategies are about access - to information, education, tools, and resources, and economic options for local communities make an income while protecting the landscape, rather than at the cost of the local ecosystems and biodiversity. The Colán Mosaic is made up of six conservation units, three of which are owned and managed by local campesino (peasant) communities. Ground-up, community-led conservation is extremely underrepresented and underfunded despite the large pool of funding for environmental work and despite the absolutely critical role local and indigenous communities play in protecting the forests and landscapes in which they live. These communities are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and to the threats of extraction and exploitation, and they often have very little external support and very few economic options and opportunities. Communities such as theirs need access to income and basic necessities such as food, clean water, and education; they also need income to be able to focus on and lead conservation efforts. For this reason, Rainforest Partnership's project involves working with local coffee and sugar cane producers and with community members who carry out ecotourism activities, supporting the growth and sustainability of these enterprises by sharing tools to help them carry out these activities sustainably while protecting the landscape. The project also supports environmental education and communication systems to empower local people with greater access to knowledge and increased capacities to lead conservation actions. The project included implementation of a Community Life Plan with the campesino community of Copallin. Life plans are a legal instrument that allows the community to plan their development over a period of time. By strengthening the capacities of local organizations and community leaders and expanding environmental education, there is greater understanding of the importance of conservation and the value it brings to communities in this landscape, and local people are more invested in and dedicated to conservation efforts and sustainable production, which ensures that conservation impact will last over time. [BIODIVERSITY] In November 2021, a team led by Rainforest Partnership's herpetologist (in addition to a photographer, two other herpetologists, a student from a local university, a park ranger, and seven community members) traveled to the Cordillera de Colán as part of a biodiversity research expedition. During the six-day trip, the team discovered a total of 17 species of frogs and three species of reptiles. Of these, three frogs and one lizard were completely new to science, and many more were endemic to Peru (only found there) and extremely rare. The discoveries of two frog species were officially published in December of 2021. The unique diversity of amphibians and reptiles in the Cordillera de Colán is still a vast and exciting world to explore; investigating the biodiversity of rainforests is essential to ground conservation plans, investments, policies, and projects in science and baseline data.”

“[WOMEN OF THE RIO NAPO, ECUADOR] Indigenous rainforest communities need access to sustainable, forest-friendly economic livelihoods and opportunities to support themselves and their families in order to resist external pressures and threats to the surrounding rainforests. Sustainable livelihood projects are thus key to building a foundation for long term, effective forest protection, led by rainforest communities themselves. Through its Women of the Rio Napo project, Rainforest Partnership convenes groups (led by women but inclusive of all who want to participate) in the Kichwa communities of Sani Isla, Hatun Urku, Munditi Urku, Isla Flor Amazonico, and Flor de Pantano to build sustainable enterprises that will build economic security, community resilience, and community capacity to lead conservation of their forests and the biodiversity within them. Building fish pools as a sustainable income source is part of the foundation that Rainforest Partnership is building alongside these communities, and during 2021 this project transformed from Zoom meetings into something real and tangible on the ground that will continue to grow in scope and impact. In August of 2021, Rainforest Partnership's Project Coordinator arrived at the community of Sani Isla, the first stop on a weeklong journey to these five communities along the Rio Napo. The women, men, and children of each community all came together in mingas (collective work in community with neighbors, friends, and family) to create fish pools, digging in the humid heat, beating sun, and heavy rains of the Amazon. Many had not worked in sustainable enterprises before and many had not had external support for community-led projects. Over the next few months, these groups actively maintained and disinfected the pools before releasing young cachama fish into the pools. Communities need access to sustainable, forest-friendly economic livelihoods and opportunities, for people to support themselves and for the community to be resilient to external pressures and threats. Sustainable livelihood projects are thus key to building a foundation for long term, effective forest protection, led by rainforest communities themselves. The project will expand greatly: the communities will begin to work in agroforestry/sustainable production of rainforest products, such as coffee and cacao, as well as sustainable fish farming, and over time the projects will include more community members and follow the leadership of more women, create more income and stability over time, and eventually become an entirely sustainable community-led program that can sustain itself long-term. [EDUCATION] Education is not always accessible in communities like those along the Rio Napo, and conservation programs are not viable unless the community itself has the tools to lead the programs and ensure their longevity. Educating and empowering young people is an important part of this work, opening up a world of opportunity for them, for the future of their communities, and for the future of the rainforests they call home. We began supporting Sani Isla's schools during the pandemic, when income disappeared and the schools lacked basic resources like books, internet access, laptops, and school supplies. Securing resources like internet access or a projector is so much more than just another tool or resource for a school; it enables students in the community to learn about conservation and explore opportunities within and outside their community. Following the same trajectory as the Women of the Rio Napo project, over the course of 2021, we worked to create long-term, strategic project plans in partnership with the leaders of Sani Isla schools and the students themselves. On June 22, 2021, students at a school in Sani Isla celebrated their first World Rainforest Day, joining people across the world and Rainforest Partnership's global network of 150+ partner organizations in a powerful display of solidarity and global support for”

“[WORLD RAINFOREST DAY] - Rainforest Partnership launched World Rainforest Day on June 22, 2017, as an opportunity to increase awareness of and advocacy for tropical rainforests as a powerful tool against the dual existential crises of climate change and biodiversity loss and to foster global collaboration for their protection now and for generations to come. In 2021, the fifth anniversary of World Rainforest Day, Rainforest Partnership created the Global Summit, a community-powered event for and by rainforest guardians, critical ecosystem defenders, and those seeking to make the connection between their lives and forests. Tying together everything that makes World Rainforest Day a powerful initiative-an unparalleled network of players in the environmental space, partnerships with the private and policy sectors, and opportunities for others to get involved-the Summit was conceived with the mission of breaking down the silos that limit powerful, global collaboration for rainforest protection. Brought to life in 2021 by 45 partner organizations convened by Rainforest Partnership, with attendees from all six populated continents, the Summit featured three days of panels, roundtable discussions, live workshops, wellness sessions, children's events, and even a cooking class. By convening a centralized global event, Rainforest Partnership made it possible for anyone to access the rich, diverse content of the entire rainforest conservation community, creating a space for knowledge exchange that simply didn't exist before. What resulted was just the beginning of much more collaboration and action to come through unprecedented coalitions and collaborative, impact-driven initiatives. Through World Rainforest Day and the now annual Global Summit, Rainforest Partnership is rallying the world to collectively act for the protection of our most precious ecosystems. [FILMS FOR THE FOREST] - Films for the Forest 2021, with the theme "Awaken.Energize.Transform.", invited filmmakers to share critical stories about forests that serve to educate new audiences on their importance. Rainforest Partnership added a new category, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC), to encourage more submissions from indigenous communities. [CONFERENCE OF PARTIES 26 IN GLASGOW] - On November 2, 2021, six Rainforest Partnership delegates touched down in Glasgow for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26). For many, this was their first time meeting each other in person, after two years of working together virtually. Over the next 10 days, the team attended events throughout the COP venue, participating in discussions with the mission of ensuring further commitments towards preserving our precious forests and supporting the communities at the forefront of their protection. Rainforest Partnership's goal at COP26 was to turn the world's eyes to our forests, to put (and keep!) forests at the top of global climate agendas, and to expand our ever-growing network of partners to create massive impact for forests the best way we know how: together. On the second day of COP26, over 100 countries committed in an unprecedented pledge to work collectively to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030. This Declaration on Forests and Land Use was a colossal step towards institutionalizing forest protection and restoration, and facilitating the collaboration necessary for holistic conservation. In addition, it affirmed the work of the Rainforest Partnership team and began an important, momentous two weeks of conversations at the COP. The COP 26 delegation consisted of members of the Rainforest Partnership Board, including the CEO, and the Gen Z for the Trees team of youth activists. Rainforest Partnership was proud to bring our youth leaders to the COP, to put them front and center on this important global stage and make sure their voices were heard. They were powerful advocates for accountability, collaboration, and real action. Outside of the official COP events,”

“Multiple attempts were made to contact donor number 17 for an address but no response was received. The donation was made through GiveLively/Stripe, which only provided the postal code and state.”