2025-11-20T12:32:43-05:00 2024-09-30 474306215 Mullins PC 7625 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda MD 20814 990 2023-10-01 521683270 Earth Conservation Corps EART 1520 First Street SE Washington DC 20003 Robert H Nixon Co-Chairman 2024794505 2025-09-22 true true John Mullins P01429307 2027706371 2025-11-20 2023 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z Robert H Nixon 294192 false X earthconservationcorps.org X 1990 DC To reclaim the Anacostia River, our communities and our lives. 11 11 7 270 0 0 2080015 267712 22990 21207 0 17480 5273 2120485 294192 0 0 156553 272715 890 0 21193 1672098 1126054 1829541 1398769 290944 -1104577 1542819 651394 887042 900353 655777 -248959 To reclaim the Anacostia River, our communities and our lives. false false 1240187 21207 The Program- Job Readiness through River Restoration, Citizen Science, Environmental Education and Youth Media Arts. Since 1992, Earth Conservation Corps has been dedicated to uplifting our Nations most valuable natural resources our young people and our environment. We engage youth ages 17-25 from stressed communities in our Nations Capital in transformative river restoration, citizen science, environmental education, and youth media arts engagement. We call our young volunteers Eagle Corps Members who commit to a 300 hour term of hard outdoor restoration work to deliver solutions to the urgent challenges of clean water and restoring degraded habitats. The members then lead other youth, school students and members of the community in our hands-on programs. See Schedule O for Continuation. 1240187 true true false false false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true 0 0 true 7 true false false false false false false false false false false false false X 11 11 true false false false false false false true true false false true true true true true true true true false DC X X X The Organization 2024794505 1520 First Street SE Washington DC 20003 X LaShauntya Moore Reynolds Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Dr Sylvia Earle Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Megan Smith Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Sarah Guinan Nixon Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Reverand Ivory Teague Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Dan Tangherlini Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 LeVar Burton Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 L Michael Cantor Treasurer 15.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Hon John Bridgeland Co-Chairman 15.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Robert H Nixon Co-Chairman 40.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Dylan C Glenn Secretary 15.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 false false false 48141 219571 267712 Program Service Fees 900099 21207 21207 21207 1500 1500 1500 1500 Other 900099 3773 3773 3773 294192 24980 0 1500 X 227495 192626 23652 11217 18997 17479 1518 26223 20978 1311 3934 37839 37839 523339 519105 2351 1883 507 507 401612 397358 4254 16609 16609 49539 42123 7416 39058 12608 22291 4159 23562 7960 15602 Miscellaneous 24139 23384 755 Member Support Costs 8566 6566 2000 Membership Dues 1284 1284 1398769 1240187 137389 21193 56646 70843 1194693 69623 5075 5075 1160976 657764 286405 503212 2641 1542819 651394 887042 887807 12546 887042 900353 X 643549 -261187 12228 12228 655777 -248959 1542819 651394 X -1104577 199841 X false false false X 206282 256172 306444 2080015 267712 3116625 206282 256172 306444 2080015 267712 3116625 137167 2979458 1 1 13545 7719 3773 25037 3141663 0.94840 0.94970 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 935963 612704 323259 174470 174470 50543 45060 5483 503212 Other Assets 2641 2641 Officer directors etc family relationship Part VI line 2 A co-chairperson is married to a director. Form 990 governing body review Part VI line 11 The 990 is presented to the Board of Directors before it is filed. Conflict of interest policy compliance Part VI line 12c Annually, the staff and members of the Board of Directors sign the Conflict of Interest Policy at meetings in which the policy is discussed. CEO executive director top management comp Part VI line 15a Compensation for the Executive Director is reviewed annually by the board in comparison to similar organizations in the Metropolitan area. Other officer or key employee compensation Part VI line 15b Compensation for all key employees is reviewed annually by the board in comparison to similar organizations in the Metropolitan area. Governing documents etc available to public Part VI line 19 The Organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest and financial statements available online to the public and upon reasonable request. Explanation of other changes in net assets or fund balances Part XI line 9 Adjustment to tie net assets List of other fees for services expenses Part IX line 11g Professional Services: $520,294Temp Help: $350Dues & Subscriptions: $1,195Fundraising Fees: $1,500 General explanation attachment Earth Conservation Corps 2023 - Program outcomes for 990Ein: 52-1683270Name: Earth Conservation CorpsForm 990, Part III, Line 4A:The Program- Job Readiness through River Restoration, Citizen Science and Youth Media Arts Those that excel can be invited to re-up for up to two years of National Service. In addition to gaining self-esteem by being part of the solution Eagle Corps Members earn a stipend while gaining valuable workforce readiness skills and an education award. For 36 years, the Earth Conservation Corps pioneered the movement of empowering under-resourced and unemployed urban youth, training them to become leaders in the restoration of our degraded local rivers, parks and streams. Three decades ago, the heavily polluted Anacostia River and the neighborhoods along its banks were environments so toxic that the fish, birds, plants, and people were locked in a struggle to survive. Exceedingly high levels of untreated human waste, trash, and toxic chemicals were monumentally fouling the waterway. As a result, the Anacostias fish were plagued with liver cancer at the highest percentage ever recorded in an American river. Many youth east of the river are born without a chancewe offer a way out of the violence and turmoil that engulfs many lives. Corps members gain job training and many new skills including green construction and low impact development. These programs create economic opportunities long after members complete service initiatives. Our programs use the environment as a vehicle for socialization, violence prevention, civic engagement, leadership development, and. Our initiatives get young adults off the streets and into productive, positive pursuits. Many Corps members become project leaders and managers, investing in their neighborhood and setting a positive example for their peers. They are confident. Competent. Reclaimed. Able to change the course of their lives. Washington DCs young people are taking responsibility for their own future by developing critical workforce readiness skills and leading others in the community and sparked and led the movement that has transformed the Anacostia river from the most-populated in America to swimmable. Earth Conservation Corps understood our citizen volunteers were struggling with the twin plagues of unemployment and crime. As shown in the Corps produced award-winning Earth Conservation Corps film produced in 2001, Endangered Species, the young people living near the Anacostia had poorer odds for survival than either the bald eagles they restored to the nations capital or our troops in Fallujah. Re-introducing the bald eagle - in the 1990s, Earth Conservation Corps members were responsible for restoring the bald eagle as a nesting resident of the nations capital, as a symbol of progress in restoring the health of our rivers, wetlands and other habitats. This was done in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Pepco through an eagle re-introduction program releasing 16 eaglets over a four year period.The Corps members who made the documentary adopted the motto We are endangered youth reclaiming our endangered Rivers, our communities, and our lives. By 2005, young people from Anacostia were 36% more likely to die staying at home than by serving in active duty in the Iraq war. Statistically DC was once again the Murder Capital. In response, the Earth Conservation Corps presented our city and federal leadership a strategic plan to turn Americas most polluted river, the Anacostia, into a River of Hope. Mayor Anthony Willams immediately convened a River of Hope Partnership. 2024 marks the 24th year of the River Of Hope Public Private partnership which has provided the structure to address the crisis by empowering local young adults to attack our backlog of degraded natural resources head on. Our Corps members stood up and proved that disconnected and disaffected youth thrive when offered the opportunity to serve their nation and community, guided by qualified professionals, caring mentors and role models. These young people sparked a movement and the rebounding Anacostia river, the cleaning up of the riverfront parkland, building of the riverwalk and the restoration of the abandoned US Capitol Pumphouse fostered a record breaking development of the neglected private land along the river. Many Corps members become project leaders and managers, investing in their neighborhood and setting a positive example for their peers. They are confident. Competent. Reclaimed. Able to change the course of their lives. When skeptics say that success is elusive, and note that 36 Earth Conservation Corps members have been murdered in our community in the 36 -year history of the Earth Conservation Corps, we agree that although we have restored the Anacostia River the challenges of poverty and unemployment persists. We say this proves we are on the right battleground. WhyA 2021 study conducted by the Social Science Research Council found that of youth ages 16-24 in the United States, over 4.3 million individuals are disconnected, meaning they are neither working nor in school (From Data to Legislation: Tackling Youth Disconnection.) Washington D.C. ranks high among all states for black youth disconnection, with a rate of 16.8% as of 2022 (America). In Wards 7 and 8, where communities are more than 90% non-white, young people face even higher disconnection rates. These youth are not only more likely to be disconnected but also experience lower levels of preparation for college, the workforce, and other postsecondary options. The vast majority of our youth members come from DC Wards 7 and 8, where as of 2024, over 88% of residents are Black/African American, the median income is less than $50,000, more than 23% of families live below the poverty line, and the average unemployment rate exceeds 18% (District of Columbia - 2024 - III.B. Overview of the State). As well as this, less than 30% of residents have more than a high school diploma (OSSE). In Ward 2 the unemployment rate is just 4.0% and median income is $118,214.00 (District of Columbia - 2024 - III.B. Overview of the State). Today Earth Conservation Corps is a signature conservation corps in the nations capital and a proud member of The Corps Network, an alliance of 130 conservation corps across the United States working to restore rivers and parks, and foster life skills and green job training. After being trained to meet the urgent challenges of clean water and restoring degraded wildlife habitats. Corps members lead teams of other youth, school students and community members in three hands-on programs - River Restoration, Citizen Science and Media Arts out of the three nature centers the corps has created out of abandoned industrial buildings. Eagle Corps - During this year we continued our Eagle Corps Opportunity Youth Service Initiative to provide education and conservation service opportunities to nine young people experiencing barriers of poverty, unemployment, past court involvement, physical or learning disability. During their term of service, OYSI Corps members developed job skills, earned certifications, and received assistance in transitioning to postsecondary education or the workforce. Upon completion of their term of service, Corpsmembers receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. The youth demonstrated that hands-on engagement in nature whether through interactions with our raptors or in assisting field biologists is a transformative experience for youth that increases graduation rates, sparks interest in higher education, and improves employment prospects and lifelong commitments to conservation.In FY24 our 9 full time Eagle Corps members served 1631 hours of national service while leading; 79 cadets from Capital Guardians high school drop out prevention program who served 3,212 service hours, 176 students and members of the community participated in volunteer events generating 352 service hours, 5 interns donated 600 volunteer hours and 1 ECC Fellow generated 23 hours of volunteer time. Overall, 270 volunteers served 4000+ hours through partnerships with Opportunity Youth Service Initiative,the District Youth Rehabilitation Services,the Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy Job Corps and public and private schools. The Corps served their terms at our three nature centers and throughout the region. Workforce Development Partnerships University Outreach - Howard UniversityEarth Conservation Corps is developing a cross-disciplinary partnership between Howard University s HBCU Quantum Center and ECC to engage in data storytelling, GIS mapping, and data sensor tech at our Henson center. Together, we aim to position Howard as a national hub for Black-led environmental innovation and impact. Nature Centers Over the past three decades, Earth Conservation Corps have repurposed once abandoned industrial buildings into a