Growing Our Community
Letter From the Executive Director
People power is the strongest force on Earth, able to accomplish extraordinary things against seemingly impossible odds. Greenpeace is so effective because we are a global community of members, activists, volunteers, and concerned citizens—wonderfully diverse people united in common purpose. And our community is growing, as more and more allies come together in the movement for a more just, green, and peaceful future.
Only when all are safe and healthy can we have the better future we want to see. And right now with the rights and sovereignty of Indigenous communities around the world being trampled, from the Water Protectors at Standing Rock to the Forest Defenders in the rainforests of the Amazon and Indonesia and beyond, our solidarity and support is increasingly important.
In spite of the Trump administration’s extremely regressive policies, in 2017 we saw notable wins for human rights, ocean and forest protection, water safety, and our climate. Greenpeace’s growing community made all of it possible, not only with monetary contributions but also with individuals taking personal action, giving of their time and their talents, and turning out in full force collectively to show the world what people power can do.
Thank you for your part in it, for living your values, and making the future of our fragile planet a priority concern. You are the heart of this movement, and the reason Greenpeace is so vibrant.
Mission
Greenpeace, Inc. is the leading independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful direct action and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
Greenpeace Fund, Inc. supports Greenpeace, Inc. campaigns through research, public education, and grants for environmental advocacy. Greenpeace Fund, Inc. is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) charitable entity. Please visit greenpeace.org to learn more about Greenpeace, Inc. and greenpeacefund.org to learn more about Greenpeace Fund, Inc.
Charity Rankings
Greenpeace Fund is consistently ranked among the nation’s top charities—for our achievements and for the high percentage of revenue that goes directly towards the protection of the planet.
Greenpeace Fund is recognized by Charity Navigator with a four-star rating as having demonstrated financial efficiency and excellent accountability and transparency.
Greenpeace Fund is proud to be a part of the CFC and to carry the “Best in America” seal from Independent Charities of America. Of the 1 million charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 5% meet or exceed these standards and fewer than 2,000 charities have been awarded this seal.
This report is intended to provide a summary of all Greenpeace campaign activities. Please note that all donations to Greenpeace Fund, Inc. were solely used in connection with 501(c)(3) permissible activities.
Table of Contents
Arctic Sunrise Sails the Atlantic Shoreline
Leveraging the Seafood Industry for Ocean Protection
Hastening the End of the Fossil Fuel Era
Cleaning Up the Palm Oil Industry to Save Our Forests
Defending Greenpeace and Free Speech
A Legacy of Activism for Peace and Sustainability
An Evening Backstage with Greenpeace
Greenpeace, Inc.
2017 Board Members
Karen Topakian, Chair
Rajasvini Bhansali
Stuart Clarke
Cheryl Contee
Michael Leon Guerrero
Jakada Imani
Larry Kopald
Alnoor Ladha
Guillermo Quinteros
Jonah Sachs
Bryony Schwan
Greenpeace Fund, Inc.
2017 Board Members
Tom Newmark, Chair
Ellen Dorsey
Adelaide Gomer
Jeffrey Hollender
Jee Kim
John Passacantando
People’s Climate March in Washington, D.C. On the 100th Day of the Trump administration, we were in the streets of Washington, D.C. to show the world and our leaders that we would resist attacks on our people, our communities, and our planet.
Arctic Sunrise departs New York City.
Arctic Sunrise Sails the Atlantic Shoreline
Protecting Our Communities, Our Coasts, and Our Climate
In October, the historic Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, toured the Atlantic coast to put the spotlight on two of the biggest threats to our climate and oceans—offshore oil drilling and plastic pollution.
With stops in New York City, Norfolk, Wilmington, and Miami, Greenpeace used the ship to mobilize communities to stop expanded offshore drilling and the seismic blasting that would injure as many as 138,000 whales and dolphins.
The ship tour also launched Greenpeace’s campaign to end the plastic pollution choking our oceans and killing marine wildlife. We collected and documented plastic found in harbors, at sea, and in nearby coastal and inland areas and also joined local communities for beach and river clean-ups.
The Arctic Sunrise departed Miami in November to travel to Puerto Rico in support of the campaign for a green and just recovery from Hurricane Maria. Greenpeace helped organize the delivery of urgently needed materials, including solar systems, sustainable agricultural goods, and tools.
Activists confront supply vessel Explorer II in the Indian Ocean.
Leveraging the Seafood Industry for Ocean Protection
In May, the International Transport Workers’ Federation called for a moratorium on high seas transshipment by tuna long-line vessels in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Thailand, and South China Sea, until companies implement fair labor standards throughout their supply chains in order to guarantee security and protection for fishers and seafarers.3 Then, following an intensive global Greenpeace campaign, Thai Union—the world’s largest tuna company with brands like Chicken of the Sea and many others—announced a new set of major reforms to tackle illegal fishing and overfishing, as well as improve the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers throughout the company’s supply chains.
Pipeline marker in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Hastening the End of the Fossil Fuel Era
After years of campaigning, demonstrations, and pressure led by First Nations, joined by workers, and Greenpeace, TransCanada pulled the plug on its massive Energy East Pipeline, taking an estimated billion-dollar loss on the project. The pipeline would have transported up to 1.1 million barrels of crude tar sands oil daily from Alberta across Eastern Canada. It’s a victory that is energizing our campaigns against other tar sands pipelines across North America, which threaten our communities, drinking water, Indigenous sovereignty and human rights, and our climate.
For seven years, coal giants have waged war against the Pacific Northwest, proposing six massive new coal export facilities in Oregon and Washington to guarantee an expansion of coal mining in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. Due to the tireless work of thousands of people in the Pacific Northwest along with persistent campaigning by Greenpeace, the companies behind these projects could not develop a single one of these proposed terminals. The health and beauty of the Columbia River Gorge will never have 44 million tons of coal transported through its fragile ecosystems.
Kalasou Valley in West Papua.
Cleaning Up the Palm Oil Industry to Save Our Forests
After years of working to protect the forests of Indonesia—home to amazing animals like orangutans, Sumatran Tigers, elephants, and a treasure trove of incredible wildlife—palm oil giant IOI Group committed to eliminate deforestation and human rights abuses throughout its supply chain. The Malaysian company was suspended from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2016 for clearing peatlands in Kalimantan, Indonesia, and dozens of companies including Unilever, Mars, and Nestlé cancelled contracts with IOI as a result.
At the beginning of 2017, IOI began proactively monitoring its palm oil suppliers to ensure they are not destroying rainforests or peatlands. Greenpeace will be watching closely to make sure IOI follows through on ending deforestation. We advised companies intending to resume trade with IOI to specify in their contracts that the company must demonstrate ongoing progress in line with its Sustainable Palm Oil Policy and the additional commitments it made.
“Our Voices are Vital” activities in Italy.
Defending Greenpeace and Free Speech
In October, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed all claims in the controversial case that major logging company Resolute Forest Products filed against Greenpeace and others. The court’s decision sent a clear message to corporations that attacks on core democratic values like freedom of speech and legitimate advocacy on issues of public interest will not be tolerated.
But corporate intimidation tactics continue. In response to the powerful Indigenous-led movement at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline, its builder, Energy Transfer Partners, attacked Greenpeace and others with a strikingly similar Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP).
These lawsuits are part of a pattern of corporate bullying via the legal system, but Greenpeace will not back down. We will continue our important work defending our forests, challenging new oil and gas infrastructure, building powerful alliances, and fighting for free speech and public participation in our democracy.
Fiby Urskog Nature Reserve in Sweden
A Legacy of Activism for Peace and Sustainability
Mrs. Martha Osborn Vinick is a deeply committed Greenpeace supporter whose lifetime activism has spanned from the 1982 anti-nuclear demonstration in New York City’s Central Park to the 1999 Hague Appeal for Peace to her work with “The Green Team,” the local environmental group she founded where she currently lives in Sarasota, Florida.
“We’ve got to do more than talk,” Martha believes. “We have to support organizations like Greenpeace. As far as I’m concerned, Greenpeace hits all of the points that are most important—working for peace and protecting the environment.”
Martha has chosen to include Greenpeace in her legacy giving, dedicating support for peace and sustainability for future generations. She is a wonderful inspiration and has our enduring gratitude.
If you would like to know more about how you can remember Greenpeace in your estate plans, please contact Corrine Barr at 1-800-328-0678 or [email protected].
An Evening Backstage with Greenpeace
On April 27th,guests at the 2nd Annual Greenpeace Backstage gala gathered at the West Coast Action Center in Oakland, California, for a rare glimpse into what happens behind the scenes and what makes Greenpeace so effective in taking action to save the planet. It was a chance to experience firsthand the magic of Greenpeace, to see the techniques and equipment used in our iconic actions, and to feel the thrill of a surprise mini-action. Guests also had the opportunity to hear from inspiring guest speakers, bid on one-of-a-kind silent auction items like a ride in Greenpeace’s airship or hot air balloon, and mingle with like-minded people who together make up the wonderful and growing Greenpeace community.
Letter from Brian Anderson, Chief Development Officer
We began 2017 with a RESIST banner dropped over the White House to spread hope throughout our community and wove that declaration of intent throughout our activities all year long. Your support has been critical to our successes—and not just your financial support. When you come out and march with us, or join us in our Summer of Resistance, or greet us at port during a ship tour—all of your actions help advance our growing movement for a green and peaceful future. I’m pleased to report that we expanded our base of supporters in 2017, making our people power stronger than ever and helping us engage new communities and broader audiences.
It was so great to see many of you during the Arctic Sunrise’s tour of the Atlantic Coast. I was as impressed as many of you to tour this sophisticated ship that sails all over the world and campaigns to save the most biodiverse, important places on Earth.
Overall, 2017 was a year of wonderfully positive growth in our community, and one of the most important things you can do personally as a supporter of Greenpeace is help build on that momentum by spreading the word in your circle of family and friends.
Thank you for your advocacy on our behalf, for helping us continue to grow our community and strengthen the movement for a more green and peaceful future. We couldn’t do it without you!
Greenpeace Fund, Inc. Statement of Activities
For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
Support and Revenue
Contributions and Grants
Investment income
Change in value of split-interest agreements
Net assets released from restrictions
Total Revenue and Support
Expenses
Program Services:
Grants to Stitching Greenpeace Council
Grants to Greenpeace, Inc.
Other programs
Total Program Services
Supporting Services:
Fundraising
Management and general
Total Supporting Services
Total Expenses
Change in Net Assets
Net Assets, beginning of year
Net Assets, End of Year
2017
$19,909,984
894,040
11,972
–
$20,815,996
8,066,656
7,920,000
14,473
$16,001,129
2,119,179
976,263
$3,095,442
$19,096,571
1,719,425
10,957,665
$12,677,090
2016
$19,506,034
364,924
(69,179)
–
$19,801,779
6,189,750
9,650,000
–
$15,839,750
2,103,716
1,022,499
$3,126,215
$18,965,965
835,814
10,121,851
$10,957,665
Greenpeace, Inc. Statement of Activities
For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
In the United States, Greenpeace fulfills its role in protecting the environment through two corporate entities: Greenpeace, Inc., a nonprofit organization formed under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, and Greenpeace Fund, Inc., a nonprofit organization formed under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Greenpeace, Inc. furthers its mission of protecting the environment through research, advocacy, litigation, and lobbying (direct and grassroots). The organization also bears witness to environmental degradation and takes action to prevent it. Contributions to Greenpeace, Inc. are not tax-deductible.
The mission of Greenpeace Fund, Inc. is to promote and protect the environment through research and public education. Greenpeace Fund, Inc. also makes grants to other nonprofit organizations for activities that are consistent with its mission. Contributions to Greenpeace Fund, Inc. are tax-deductible.
Revenue and Support
Contributions
Grants – Greenpeace Fund, Inc.
Grants – Stitching Greenpeace Council
Other income
Investment income
Net assets released from restrictions
Total Revenue and Support
Expenses
Program Services:
Climate Campaign
Forests campaign
Public information and education
Oceans campaign
Toxics campaign
Action resources
Outreach campaign
Total Program Services
Supporting Services:
Fundraising
Management and general
Total Supporting Services
Total Expenses
Change in Net Assets
Net Assets, beginning of year
Net Assets, End of Year
2017
$28,226,906
7,920,000
3,423,289
113,994
12,435
–
$39,696,574
7,395,643
4,326,507
3,159,272
5,292,945
–
3,053,698
3,319,423
$26,547,488
6,423,402
3,027,361
$9,450,763
$35,998,251
3,698,232
(339,631)
$3,358,692
2016
$25,478,018
9,650,000
3,348,032
104,718
9,070
–
$38,589,838
7,958,431
3,798,065
5,081,670
6,436,336
205,014
3,352,838
3,860,162
$30,692,516
4,870,057
3,447,506
$8,317,563
$39,010,079
(420,241)
80,610
($339,631)
WASHINGTON, DC
702 H Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20001
800.326.0959
702 H Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20001
800.326.0959
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
1242 Market St, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.255.9221
1242 Market St, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.255.9221
