Friends of the Earth Action
Friends of the Earth Action is the political arm of Friends of the Earth, the environmental group founded in 1969 by David Brower.
Contents
FOE Action advocates in legislative battles has an affiliated political action committee that endorses mostly Democratic candidates for public office across the country. It also provides financial support to candidates that tout an environmentalist agenda.
Background
Friends of the Earth Action advocates for environmentalist energy policy, higher environmental-focused taxation, and higher spending on environmentalist priorities. The organization says opposition to deforestation should mean opposing certain trade deals that would promote deforestation abroad. This would also include opposing how governments and private industries invest in companies that have “destructive” environmental practices. 1
FOE Action contends that action to stop global warming “must be swift, significant and fair.” By fair, the group notes that, “Those who bear least responsibility for global warming pollution are suffering most from its effects today.” 1
Presidential Politics
In 2016, Friends of the Earth Action was the first national organization to endorse the Presidential campaign of self-described socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). It continues to work closely with Our Revolution, the nonprofit that grew out of the first Sanders campaign. 2 It also aired a 30-second commercial touting Sanders in New Hampshire for his opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline and trade deals. Sanders went onto win the state’s primary that year. 3
As of May 2019, the organization has not backed a candidate in the 2020 Presidential election, but FOE Action protesters pushed Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke to commit to the Green New Deal during a New Hampshire event. When the candidate didn’t give complete support to the idea, FOE Action criticized the former congressman in a press release for being a large recipient of oil and gas contributions. 4
2018 Endorsements
FOE Action had a mixed record in the 2018 midterm elections. Endorsed candidates for gubernatorial races in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, and Vermont all lost. The group had a stronger record in House races, and endorsed heavy favorites to win in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin. However, the endorsed Senate candidate in Maine lost. 5
People
Erich Pica is the president of FOE Action and the larger Friends of the Earth organization. He promoted allying with Black Lives Matter and including “racial justice” as a priority. 1
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
| Year | Total Assets | Total Revenue | Total Expenses | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,786,647 | $1,603,625 | $1,173,171 | View |
| 2023 | $1,522,910 | $1,342,646 | $1,031,478 | View |
| 2022 | $1,439,443 | $1,380,825 | $1,163,983 | View |
| 2021 | $819,643 | $1,191,188 | $1,299,536 | View |
| 2020 | $1,325,269 | $924,486 | $964,403 | View |
Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011
Revenue Detail
Expenses Detail
Employee Compensation
Highest Earning Employees
Grant Activity
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $40,918,873
- Number of Grants: 1,391
- Number of Funders: 418
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $463,220
- Number of Grants: 15
- Number of Recipients: 14
Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:
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