March 20, 2026 —
The bosses of the Environmental Defense Fund, World Wildlife Fund and National Audubon Society are the top-earning executives among major environmental and conservation groups, according to the most recent tax filings.
Carter Roberts and Fred Krupp, the leaders of WWF and EDF, respectively, both earned more than $1 million in total compensation, according to the latest publicly available tax records, ranking them among the best-paid leaders in the environmental movement.
Nonprofits are required to release their tax documents publicly, although their disclosure often lags by several years. The nonprofits’ most recent publicly available documents detail senior employees’ pay for calendar or tax years in 2023 or 2024.
Audubon CEO Elizabeth Gray and The Nature Conservancy’s CEO Jennifer Morris weren’t far behind, each earning compensation topping $900,000 in the most recent filings.
Other top earners in the latest records include former Greenpeace leader Ebony Twilley Martin — who left her position with a settlement payment — and Jamie Rappaport Clark, who received a bonus the year she left her job as head of Defenders of Wildlife.
POLITICO’s E&E News analyzed 27 environmental and conservation groups’ most recent tax filings, many of which were compiled by ProPublica. Here’s how much their bosses made in base pay and total compensation, which can include bonuses, retirement pay and other benefits:
1. Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense Fund
EDF’s leader since 1984, Krupp’s total compensation in the 2023 filing was $1,302,005, the tax records show.
2. Carter Roberts, president and CEO, World Wildlife Fund
Roberts has led the international conservation group since 2005. His reported compensation in 2023 was $1,290,569.
3. Elizabeth Gray, CEO, National Audubon Society
Gray has been the group’s permanent CEO since 2021. Her total compensation in 2023 was $951,881. That included a bonus of $256,250 “for her exceptional performance during her tenure at Audubon,” according to the filing.