World Resources Institute
Standards For Charity Accountability
Governance
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Board Oversight
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Board Size
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Board Meetings
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Board Compensation
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Conflict of Interest
Measuring Effectiveness
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Effectiveness Policy
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Effectiveness Report
Finances
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Program Expenses
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Fundraising Expenses
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Accumulating Funds
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Audit Report
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Detailed Expense Breakdown
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Accurate Expense Reporting
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Budget Plan
Fundraising & Info
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Truthful Materials
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Annual Report
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Website Disclosures
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Donor Privacy
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Cause Marketing Disclosures
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Complaints
World Resources Institute does not meet the following 1 Standards for Charity Accountability:
Standard 7 (Board Approval of Written Report on Effectiveness)
Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.
WRI does not meet this Standard because:
- The organization has not performed an effectiveness assessment within the last two years.
The BBB Wise Giving Alliance requested but did not receive complete information from the organization and is unable to verify the organization's compliance with the following Standard(s) for Charity Accountability: 13
World Resources Institute meets the remaining 18 Standards for Charity Accountability.
Stated Purpose:
"to create change that improves people's lives and ensures the natural world can thrive."
Year, State Incorporated:
1982, DE
World Resources Institute (WRI) reports that it uses research-based approaches to meet people’s essential needs, to protect and restore nature, to stabilize the climate, and build resilient communities. The organization works with local partners, focusing on three global systems: food, land, and water; energy; and cities. In 2024, the organization states that it invested in 92 small organizations to drive locally led landscape restoration projects in Africa's Great Lakes region, Ghana's cocoa belt, and Kenya's Rift Valley. WRI also created an innovation fund, expanded its TerraMatch restoration initiatives in India and Latin America, and produced global research identifying water shortages posing risks to food security.
For the year ended September 30, 2024, World Resources Institute's program expenses were:
| Food, forests, water, and ocean | $102,912,743 |
| Climate, economics, and finance | $61,973,997 |
| Cities and transport | $49,604,107 |
| Energy | $16,609,611 |
| Special projects | $9,895,452 |
| Governance and business | $4,702,342 |
| Total Program Expenses | $245,698,252 |
Chief Executive
Aniruddha Dasgupta, President and Chief Executive Officer
Compensation*
$616,322
Chair of the Board
David Blood
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Founding and Senior Partner, Generation Investment Management
Board Size
26
Paid Staff Size
2000
*2022 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Membership appeals, Workplace Giving
Fundraising costs were 1% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $253,951,974, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)
This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
The following information is based on World Resources Institute's audited financial statements - consolidated for the year ended September 30, 2024.
Source of Funds
| Grants and contributions | $238,152,329 |
| Investment income, net | $17,561,393 |
| Federal grants and cooperative agreements | $15,799,645 |
| Other income | $848,167 |
| Total Income | $272,361,534 |
Programs: 91% Fundraising: 1% Administrative: 8%
| Total Income | $272,361,534 |
| Total expenses: | $271,331,499 |
| Program expenses | $245,698,252 |
| Fundraising expenses | $3,406,066 |
| Administrative expenses | $22,227,181 |
| Other expenses | $0 |
| Income in Excess of Expenses | $1,030,035 |
| Beginning Net Assets | $488,531,217 |
| Other Changes In Net Assets | $-182,455 |
| Ending Net Assets | $489,378,797 |
| Total Liabilities | $48,987,101 |
| Total Assets | $538,365,898 |
Note: As noted in the above financial section, "other changes in net assets" refers to foreign currency adjustment ($1,258,932) and write-offs of uncollectible grants receivable (-$1,441,387).
An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.
This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.
RELATED CONTENT
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Meets Standards
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Standards Not Met
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Did Not Disclose
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Review in Progress
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Unable to Verify
Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance