2012-04-12T20:40:30-04:00 2011-06-30 GRANT THORNTON LLP 666 THIRD AVENUE NEW YORK NY 100174011 990 2010-07-01 133976062 NRDC Action Fund Inc NRDC 2127272700 40 WEST 20TH STREET NEW YORK NY 10011 Peter Lehner 2127277200 2012-04-09 true 2125990100 2010 2016-02-24 21:20:13Z PETER LEHNER EXEC DIRECTOR 40 WEST 20TH STREET NEW YORK NY 10011 2302865 false X www.nrdcactionfund.org X 1996 NY TO PROMOTE EDUCATIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES THAT PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, TO ENGAGE IN TARGETED MEDIA CAMPAIGNS AND OTHER OUTREACH THAT PROMOTE NRDC ACTION FUND'S OBJECTIVES ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. 26 23 0 0 0 0 5114826 2302865 0 0 0 0 0 0 5114826 2302865 1450000 745000 0 0 390547 552507 0 0 40417 2087595 2057569 3928142 3355076 1186684 -1052211 2949311 1694463 503577 300940 2445734 1393523 X NRDC ACTION FUND, ("ACTION FUND"), WAS ESTABLISHED TO PROMOTE EDUCATIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES THAT PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT. NRDC ACTION FUND'S MISSION IS TO ACHIEVE THE PASSAGE OF LEGISLATION THAT JUMP STARTS THE CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY, REDUCES POLLUTION, AND SUSTAINS VIBRANT COMMUNITIES FOR ALL AMERICANS. NOW IS THE TIME FOR LEADERSHIP AND ACTION FROM OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS; OUR CURRENT GOAL IS A CLEAN ENERGY POLICY THAT WILL REPOWER OUR ECONOMY AND FUEL OUR FUTURE. false false 3108535 745000 0 The Action Fund brings together pro-environment citizens, lifting their voices to rebuild an environmental majority in America. The Action Fund makes sure clean energy and public health solutions are given a fair hearing by honest legislators who are serving their constituents instead of powerful polluting industries. The Action Fund educates citizens and public officials, advocates for pro-environment solutions and the elected officials who support them, and activates other supporters of the environment to do the same. EDUCATE The Action Fund is educating the public and elected officials. We ensure that citizens know when environmental issues are being debated in the halls of Congress and provide them with the information they need to act. We also ensure that elected officials listen to the pro-environment voices in their districts. Polling The action fund launched a strategic polling effort to educate the public and elected officials about the depth of support for clean energy. The poll results revealed broad-based support for policies that promote clean energy and seek to address climate change. Running Clean The Action Fund staff produced "Running Clean," a report that debunked the myth that clean energy, honesty, and public health are bad political platforms. It demonstrated that the real American majority supports those issues. The report and accompanying video interviews showed how previous campaigns and candidates had successfully used a message linking support for clean energy with jobs, the economy, security and health. Develop Messages That Stand Up The Action Fund conducts cutting-edge scientific research on effective messaging, placing special emphasis on public health and conservation messages. Additionally, we focus on identifying key audiences for our message and evaluating their impact on constituents at the local level and on elected leaders in congress. Educating the Public through Social Media The Action Fund is taking advantage of innovative online and social networking strategies to educate the general public about environmental issues. For example, we have used social media to turn out activists at local political events where they ensure clean energy messages are heard. ADVOCATE The Action Fund is directly advocating for environmental solutions. We are involved in executing campaigns to fight for clean energy at the ballot box and to support environmental champions. No ON Prop 23 The Action Fund was instrumental in defeating a California ballot proposition to reverse progress on addressing climate change. Proposition 23 was a ballot measure that would have undone California's landmark climate law, known as AB32. The Action Fund held key leadership positions in the "No ON Prop 23" campaign. A large, bipartisan coalition composed of environmental and public health advocates, businesses, labor unions, Latino organizations, and community groups worked together to defeat the proposition. The coalition highlighted the economic and public health benefits of reducing global warming pollution, as well as the potential jobs to be created in the clean energy sector. In the end, voters responded and rejected the dirty energy proposition. Hold People Responsible The Action Fund launches swift, aggressive, and consistent accountability action to take on our opponents - and defend our champions - in those places where it matters most. This not only includes elected officials, but also corporate polluters who spread misinformation. ACTIVATE The Action Fund is reaching out to provide high quality information to and coordination among public thought leaders on environmental issues. Without it, this critical constituency's voice has been silenced and anti-environmental forces have taken root in Washington. Online Activists This year, the Action Fund was active in engaging our activists to voice their opinions to elected officials. After receiving our Action Alerts, our list of 240,000 committed activists sent thousands of calls and messages to legislators, urging them to defend the critical work of the Environmental Protection Agency and to fight back against attacks on the Clean Air Act. At our prodding, activists also shared breaking environmental news with their friends, spurring them to act as well. Ambassador Project The Action Fund has assembled an exclusive group of "ambassadors", known as the Ambassador Project, to advocate for environmental solutions. Our ambassadors are prominent leaders whom lawmakers trust and value. We educate them about how to be effective in talking to elected officials and We keep them up to date on congressional intelligence and strategy decisions. We help them connect and build relationships with elected officials, advise them on who they should give to, and activate them at the most strategic moments when Congress is debating legislation, so that they can deliver our authoritative assessment of how a bill will affect the environment and public health. In 2011, when Tea Party leaders in Congress proposed a suite of bills aimed at undermining bedrock protections for our air and water, the Action Fund quickly mobilized its ambassadors to meet face-to-face with senators and the media with whom they have relationships. In April, due in large part to this strategic effort, the Senate voted down four amendments that would have curbed crucial clean air protections. Later in the year, as the leading environmental grasstops network in the country, the ambassador Project helped short up the necessary political will to secure tougher vehicle fuel efficiency and pollution standards, derail anti-environment appropriations riders in Congress, and stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. 3108535 false true true false false false false false false false false false false false true false true false false false false false false false false false true false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false true false false false true 0 0 0 false false false false true true false X 26 23 false false false false true true true true true false false true true true true true true true true false AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT FL GA HI IL KS KY ME MD MA MN MS MO NH NJ NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC TN UT VA WA WV WI X SARAH A GILLMAN CFO 2127274516 40 WEST 20TH STREET NEW YORK NY 10011 X Frances Beinecke See Sch O 1.0 X X 0 381279 49784 Patricia Sullivan 1.0 X X 0 176695 33720 Dayna Bochco 1.0 X 0 0 0 Wendy Abrams 1.0 X 0 0 0 John Adams 1.0 X 0 158600 60006 George Denny 1.0 X 0 0 0 Patricia Bauman 1.0 X X 0 0 0 Honorable Sherwood Boehlert 1.0 X 0 0 0 Ari Emanuel 1.0 X 0 0 0 Bob Epstein 1.0 X X 0 0 0 Michael C Finnegan 1.0 X 0 0 0 Barbarina Heyerdahl 1.0 X 0 0 0 Hamilton Candee 1.0 X 0 0 0 Honorable Bob Kerrey 1.0 X 0 0 0 Mary Moran 1.0 X 0 0 0 Hamilton Kean 1.0 X 0 0 0 Eric Wepsic 1.0 X 0 0 0 William Haney 1.0 X 0 0 0 Daniel R Tishman 1.0 X 0 0 0 Douglas N Varley 1.0 X 0 0 0 Anne Bartley 1.0 X 0 0 0 Cindy Harrell Horn 1.0 X 0 0 0 John Podesta 1.0 X 0 0 0 Edward James Olmos 1.0 X 0 0 0 Vernice Miller-Travis 1.0 X 0 0 0 Jorge Mursuli 1.0 X 0 0 0 Lucy Blake 1.0 X 0 0 0 Peter Lehner 1.5 X 0 252806 37534 0 969380 181044 0 false true false Compound Design 448 S Hill St Suite 605 LOS ANGELES CA 90013 Advertising & Design 203094 1 2302865 2302865 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2302865 745000 745000 0 0 0 15744 472 15272 0 415902 315057 87072 13773 0 120861 88348 28656 3857 0 50370 50370 39432 39432 3675 3675 59767 59767 0 0 894145 895438 270 -1563 618811 609534 4824 4453 18404 9890 7959 555 46924 44060 2864 0 0 31393 6094 25324 -25 0 2287 2366 201 -280 0 0 0 0 COALITION EXPENSE 163000 163000 FILING FEES 10880 10940 -10 -50 BANKING FEES 8243 8243 CREDIT CARD COSTS 7648 156 7492 MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES 102590 65092 33536 3962 3355076 3108535 206124 40417 2926953 1687125 20020 0 2338 7338 0 0 2949311 1694463 503577 300940 503577 300940 X 2445734 1393523 2445734 1393523 2949311 1694463 -1052211 X false true true X false RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 985313 0 985313 0 985313 false Schedule C, Part I-A, Line 1 The amount reported on Schedule C, Part I-A, Line 2 reflects staff time, as well as consulting and other discretionary expenses, that NRDC Action Fund spent on work related to limited political campaign activities on environmental issues (specifically clean energy issues) during the November 2010 election cycle. These political expenditures were directed mainly toward congressional races for House seats in Ohio Districts 13 and 16, where NRDC Action Fund sent direct mail pieces to more than 200,000 households. NRDC Action Fund also purchased print and online ads concerning clean energy issues that ran in conjunction with 19 House races throughout the country. b. $117,563 of the total political expenditures was spent on staff salaries (including benefits and overhead), while the remaining $867,750 was spent on discretionary expenses, including consultants and other vendors, advertising and grants to other organizations. c. The total amount of political expenditures represents 29 percent of the organization's overall expenditures for the year. 0 0 2302865 3355076 -1052211 -1052211 2322155 19290 19290 2302865 2302865 3374366 19290 19290 3355076 3355076 income tax part X: other liabilities The FASB Accounting Codification ("ASC") established criterion that an individual tax position must meet for some or all of the benefits of that position to be recognized in an entity's financial statements. This standard requires that a tax position be recognized or derecognized based on a "more likely than not" threshold. NRDC has processes presently in place to ensure the maintenance of its tax-exempt status; to identify and report unrelated income; determine its filing and tax obligations in jurisdictions for which it has nexus; and to review other matters that may be considered a tax position. The tax years ending 2008, 2009, and 2010 remain open to audit for both federal and state purposes. This standard has no impact on NRDC's 2011 and 2010 consolidated financial statements. NRDC does not believe its 2011 and 2010 consolidated financial statements include any uncertain tax positions. Form 990, Schedule D, Part XI, XII, & XIII NRDC Action Fund does not receive standalone financial statements; its operations are consolidated within the financial statements of its parent organization, Natural Resources Defense Council. The parts XI, XII and XIII reconciliation on Schedule D tie back to NRDC Action Fund's financial information in the audited financial statements (Footnote M) and not to the consolidated numbers. true Californians for Clean Energy and Jobs 1100 11th St Ste 200 Sacramento C Sacramento CA 95814 273284139 501(c)(4) 110000 Environmental Aims Californians to Stop the Dirty Energy Proposition 1100 11th St Ste 200 Sacramento C Sacramento CA 95814 271781659 501(c)(4) 635000 No on Prop 23 3 0 Schedule I, Part I, Line 1 NRDC Action Fund only makes grants to select tax-exempt organizations or social welfare organizations that support our tax-exempt mission. X X X false false false false false false false false false Frances Beinecke See Sch O 0 381279 0 0 0 0 0 34300 0 15484 0 431063 0 0 Peter Lehner 0 252806 0 0 0 0 0 22050 0 15484 0 290340 0 0 Patricia Sullivan 0 176695 0 0 0 0 0 26483 0 7237 0 210415 0 0 John Adams 0 158600 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 60006 0 218606 0 0 Compensation Information Schedule J Part II, John H Adams Column B(I): Base Compensation After thirty-five years of committed service as NRDC's Founder and President, John Adams retired on April 1, 2006. John became a part-time consultant for NRDC and received $158,500 for these services in fiscal year 2011. Column D: Nontaxable Benefits: As part of his retirement agreement, NRDC provides John Adams with medical and dental benefits and a long term care plan. The values of these benefits are: Medical $17,021 per year LTC $42,985 per year Form 990, Part VII & Schedule J, Part I The officers reported on NRDC Action Fund's Form 990, Frances Beinecke, Patricia Sullivan and Peter Lehner, receive their compensation from the parent organization, Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC). Accordingly, all compensation is being reported on NRDC Action Fund's Form 990 as related organization compensation. However, a portion of each officer's compensation is reimbursed by NRDC Action Fund to NRDC based on services rendered to NRDC Action Fund. In the interest of clarity, NRDC Action Fund is disclosing the following salary and benefits amounts as having been reimbursed by NRDC Action Fund to NRDC for these services: Salary Benefits President Beinecke $2,173 $616 Treasurer Sullivan $2,474 $698 Executive Director Lehner $11,098 $3,127 Governing Body and Management FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION A LINE 6 - NRDC Action Fund's sole corporate member is its parent organization, Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc ("NRDC"). Line 7a - The sole corporate member, NRDC, has the sole authority to appoint NRDC Action Fund's Board of Directors on an annual basis. This power is reserved to NRDC in NRDC Action Fund's organizing documents. Line 7b - If the Board of Directors should have a vacancy during the year, the sole corporate member has the right to approve the Board's election of a replacement to fill that vacancy. Policies FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B Line 11 - NRDC Action Fund's Form 990 is prepared by a nationally recognized accounting firm in conjunction with the organization's senior management and financial team. Upon completion, the Form 990 is distributed to senior management and THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS' EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE for review and approval. A copy of the final Form 990 is shared with the full board of directors prior to its electronic filing with the Internal Revenue Service. LINE 12 - Each officer, director, trustee and key employee of NRDC Action Fund is required to annually disclose any conflicts of interest that arise by virtue of employment, board service, or position with either NRDC Action Fund or NRDC. NRDC Action Fund monitors compliance with its conflict of interest policy through an annual questionnaire/disclosure statement that is distributed to these individuals. Potential conflicts are investigated immediately. LINE 15 - NRDC Action Fund does not directly compensate any of its officers, directors and/or key employees. All compensation is paid by the parent organization, Natural Resources Defense Council and is reimbursed by NRDC Action Fund to NRDC. The processes used for determining compensation as paid by the parent entity are described on that organization's Form 990. Disclosure FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION C LINE 19 - NRDC Action Fund makes its Form 990 available to the public by retaining a copy at its place of business. The Form 990 is likewise published on the internet at www.guidestar.org. NRDC Action Fund's financial statements are available on its website. The organization's governing documents and conflict of interest policy are not ordinarily made available to the public, but, if requested, will be provided at management's discretion. Form 990, Part IV Line 5 - NRDC Action Fund is not subject to the Section 6033(e) notice and reporting requirements since it does not receive membership dues, assessments or similar amounts as defined in Rev. Proc. 98-19. Form 990, Part VII Frances Beinecke, relinquished her role as President and Board Member, on June 14, 2010 (and this was reflected on the prior year 990) because she was appointed to President Obama's Oil Commission. When her service on the commission terminated, she returned to her role as President and Board Member at the May 19, 2011 Board meeting. Form 990, Part VII - Hours Officers Frances Beinecke, Peter Lehner and Patricia Sullivan perform most of their work responsiblities for a related party, the Natural Resources Defense Council. Average hours worked per week for the related party is approximately 40 for each officer. 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