| Form 990, Part III, Line 4b Science and Innovation Programs cont. |
Approximately nine million tons of plastic waste end up in the ocean each year, threatening our ecosystems, wildlife and human health. By mobilizing global communities and investing in science, exploration, innovation and education, the National Geographic Society is working to tackle the world's plastic waste crisis. In 2020, the Society awarded grants to eight Explorers worldwide that are preventing plastic pollution, two of which were funded under the new COVID-19 grant opportunity, which focuses on how humanity and the natural world have reacted to and are living through the unparalleled circumstances created by COVID-19. Additionally, since launching the educator course, 'Collecting Data to Explore Plastic Pollution in Our Communities,' in fall 2019, more than 1,800 participants have enrolled and 8 cohorts have been offered in an effort to empower the next generation of leaders. The Sea to Source: Ganges river expedition team members spent the majority of 2020 processing data, analyzing samples, publishing four scientific papers, and contributing to two expedition legacy documents: a Methods Toolkit and a Summary Report. The Methods Toolkit serves as a step-by-step guide outlining the research carried out during the expedition in order for our work to be easily replicated and conducted in different river systems around the world. The Summary Report highlights key findings and related solutions as supported by the multidisciplinary expedition research. The aim for the report is to act as a tool for local partners and decision makers to encourage science-informed-solutions. The National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project (NGOWP) is working to protect the Okavango river basin by exploring and surveying its source waters in Angola. The team has conducted a series of river- and land-based expeditions focusing on the least known, most inaccessible parts of the Okavango Basin's river catchments in southeastern and central Angola - a study area of approximately 150,000 square kilometers (57,915 square miles). This area, when linked to protected areas in Namibia and Botswana, would become one of the largest transboundary protected areas on the African continent. Since 2015, the NGOWP team has been surveying the river systems, collecting data and scientific insights to help determine strategies for protecting these essential waterways. In addition to building a case for conservation through expedition science, the team is focused on facilitating long-term, sustainable management of protected areas in Angola by establishing partnerships among governments, NGOs, and local communities. Pristine Seas is an exploration, research, and media project founded and led by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Enric Sala. Its mission is to collaborate with local communities and governments to establish marine protected areas, and spearhead a worldwide network of partners to reach the critical threshold of 30% ocean protection by 2030 (30x30). This includes not only preserving areas that are pristine or near pristine, but also helping to bring closer to pristine (i.e., to restore) areas that may have suffered some human impacts but still harbor unique features such as large animals, healthy bottom communities, and outstanding biodiversity. The project envisions a future ocean where representative examples of undisturbed ecosystems are protected from direct human activities, with the hope that these places will be healthier, more productive, and more resilient to the impacts of ocean warming and acidification. These protected areas will be the best baselines to understand the true magnitude of human impacts on ocean life, to evaluate the efficacy of management and conservation actions, and to help us determine what future ocean we want for our children and grandchildren. Over the last twelve years, Pristine Seas has carried out expeditions in 31 places, 23 of which have since been protected, covering a total area of more than 6 million square kilometers - more than twice the size of India. Beyond Yellowstone--The National Geographic Society used a science-based approach to support wildlife-compatible landscapes in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and in central Montana-from Yellowstone National Park to Grasslands National Park in Canada. We seeked to address the challenges of species recovery and migration across public and private lands while respecting the needs of local landowners and communities. National Geographic Fellow, Arthur Middleton, received his final payment for this project through his lab at the University of California Berkeley from the Beyond Yellowstone program to assess migration patterns in the greater yellowstone ecosystem. Using camera traps, radio tracking, observation, and analysis to further our understanding of how living things interact across the land. Long term, this project will hopefully spur collaboration in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem creating space for both landowners and wildlife. National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative (BCI) is a comprehensive, action-oriented program that supports on-the-ground big cat conservation projects and a global public awareness campaign, Cause an Uproar. In 2017, BCI conducted an analysis to identify 20 lion strongholds in Africa where we could focus our grantmaking. In 2019, the Big Cats Initiative used this analysis to narrow our original global call to protect big cats around the world to these 20 strongholds in Africa. By the end of 2020, BCI had awarded more than 153 grants covering 27 countries with a total of more than $4 million. The BCI grants program has made important strides in helping communities understand and protect big cats. BCI continues to offer several pathways for public engagement, including free educator lesson plans, text and online donations platform. The National Geographic Photo Ark is a multiyear effort to raise awareness of and find solutions to some of the most pressing issues affecting wildlife and their habitats. The Photo Ark's three-pronged approach harnesses the power of National Geographic photography and the bold ideas of our explorers. Led by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore, the project aims to document every species living in the world's zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, inspire action through education, and help save wildlife by supporting on-the-ground conservation efforts. In 2020, Sartore passed the 10,000 species mark with the addition of the guina to the Photo Ark. In partnership with the Zoological Society of London's EDGE of Existence Program, which focuses on the planet's most unique and endangered species, the Photo Ark established a new fellowship program, coined Nat Geo Photo Ark EDGE Fellows. The program supports on-the-ground conservation efforts to help save species featured in the National Geographic Photo Ark. In 2020, Photo Ark and EDGE named an additional 12 fellows based in Africa, these new Fellows join two other active cohorts in Latin America and Asia. In 2020, the Nat Geo exhibitions team had 8 Photo Ark exhibitions (both in-person and virtual) at nonprofit venues around the world. Last Wild Places--National Geographic envisions a world where intact wilderness areas containing the bulk of biodiversity on our planet, are resilient to-and help us mitigate-climate change, and continue providing the goods and services that are essential for humanity's survival. Our goal is to help protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030. This includes not only preserving areas that are intact, but also restoring areas that may have suffered some human impacts. To address this existential crisis, the National Geographic Society has developed Last Wild Places, a decade-long initiative to help protect the places that sustain life on Earth. Harnessing expertise developed throughout the Society's 130-year history, Last Wild Places is uniquely positioned to build upon National Geographic's extraordinary legacy of science, exploration, and storytelling to drive impact. Through an integrated approach that supports actionable science, accelerates the adoption of best practices in conservation, uses the latest technology, and inspires people to care for the world around them, we aim to develop a new narrative for nature. In 2020 the program supported three conservation initiatives: American Prairie Reserve, Gorongosa National Park, and African Parks. Continued--See Science and Innovation Programs cont. below |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4a Storytelling & Outreach cont. |
Storytelling Grants use the power of storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world in support of the Society's mission and vision. Grant projects last approximately one year and produce a wide range of media outputs: photography, written journalism, audio production, data visualization, cartography, short films, AR / VR, and combinations of these specialities. The National Geographic Society is committed to awarding grants to a diverse community of change-makers from around the world to achieve a more equitable and inclusive world and strengthen our storytelling through incorporation of the full range of diverse viewpoints and voices, contexts, and cultural considerations that shape stories. This highly competitive grants program supports three categories of individual storytellers and journalists. Early Career Grants: with budgets capped at $10,000, Exploration Grants: typical budgets fall in the $20,000 to $40,000 range, and Requests for Proposals (RFPs): budgets vary, but the max is often around $70,000. When grantees turn their media over to National Geographic at the conclusion of their projects, the Society incorporates that material into our signature experiences, stories, and content. The National Geographic Society operates a robust portfolio of Storytelling Programs that aim to diversify, strengthen, and amplify the voices that comprise National Geographic's journalism. National Geographic Photo Camp teaches photography to diverse youth populations around the world, including young people from migrant, refugee, at-risk, and economically developing communities, to inspire and empower the next generation of storytellers with a foundation for impactful photojournalism, and a meaningful introduction to the world of photography. National Geographic's Second Assistant program provides training, mentorship, connections, and pathways for female-identifying and BIPOC early-career photographers in the historically underrepresented field of technical photography by matching early-career photographers with a more experienced National Geographic photographer for hands-on mentorship experiences. National Geographic Field Ready is a mentorship and training program to help early career filmmakers advance in their careers, and to increase diversity and inclusion behind the lens of natural history and wildlife filmmaking by providing diverse, early-career filmmakers with interactive master classes and one-on-one mentorship from leading industry professionals. Each year, National Geographic Society supports Storytelling Festivals in underrepresented regions or covering underrepresented mediums around the world to enable conversations between practitioners and bolster key spaces for recruitment of new grantees who are diverse in background, age, race and gender identity, and practices/mediums. As COVID-19 spread and impacted communities around the globe in 2020, the National Geographic Society launched an COVID-19 Emergency Fund for journalists all over the world to support their coverage of COVID-19 within their own communities. This fund places particular emphasis on delivering news to underserved populations, particularly where there is a dearth of evidence-based information getting to those who need it, and highlighting underreported stories of inequality that emerged throughout the pandemic. In 2020, National Geographic Society funded 224 projects. The Out of Eden Walk is a years-long journalistic expedition through which National Geographic Fellow Paul Salopek is walking the globe, retracing the pathways of human origins from Africa to South America. This 21,000 mile odyssey is an exercise in slow journalism, allowing Paul to report the major stories of our time holistically by slowing down to walking speed to share the full context and voices of local people behind the headlines of the stories of our time. The Out of Eden Walk is a global storytelling initiative for education and cross-cultural engagement that promotes journalistic education and people-to-people connectivity via the ethos of "slow journalism." The National Geographic Museum is a popular destination in Washington, DC and an opportunity for the public to experience National Geographic in person through its immersive exhibitions and public programming. The museum is an extension of the Society's commitment to educating students of all ages about the wonders of the world. The award winning exhibition, Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall and WOMEN: A Century of Change were on view when the museum closed due to COVID 19 on March 13, 2020. The museum was not able to reopen in 2020 but produced a series of online offerings including virtual tours of both exhibitions and a series of virtual field trips with National Geographic explorers. The National Geographic Museum produces traveling exhibitions that are hosted by museums and other venues around the world. In 2020, we mounted 29 exhibitions in 17 countries despite the pandemic, sharing our educational offerings with approximately 3.3 million people in the US and globally. The National Geographic Museum store helps visitors take National Geographic home with them by offering captivating books and unique handmade products from around the globe as well as travel accessories that will help guide them on their way. Much of the merchandise relates directly to content in the exhibitions in the museum. Many of the products also contain descriptive histories educating visitors about indigenous peoples or endangered species around the world. The store was forced to close mid-March to the end of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Impact Media team produces media that further the goals of the National Geographic Society and its programs. Media is created to achieve measurable results amongst targeted audiences and are distributed during live events, on NGS digital and social platforms, and in classrooms. Additionally, videos were screened at global events such as UN World Wildlife Day and film festivals. In 2020, close to 300 videos were produced, contributing to the marketing, fundraising, conservation, and educational initiatives of the Society. National Geographic Society's Digital team, a part of the Technology organization, builds digital applications for Explorers, teachers/Educators and current or potential funders. In 2020, the team established a central strategy to design and deliver more holistic and seamless experiences for these constituencies on top of a more flexible and data-powered platform. Digital also launched or improved several interactive mapping experiences across the portfolio. Here are a few of the highlights: * In response to the pandemic we: delivered an interactive map for Storytelling's COVID-19 Grants program; created a 360-degree virtual tour of our "Women: A Century of Change" museum exhibition; enabled free online access to Explorer Classroom magazine (both English and Spanish editions), and expanded access to other classroom resources by launching new sign-up channels. * Built a new and more robust identity service based on Auth0 to serve as the foundation for delivering more personalized authenticated experiences. We onboarded 300+ Explorers onto the Explorer Dashboard, the first product with this concept at its heart, and worked on additional products planned to launch in early 2021 (e.g., Field Notes 2.0 and Explorer Classroom registration). * Launched the Map Policy Portal, National Geographic's first digital application to reflect its geographic policies and guide how National Geographic users display the world in maps (e.g. geopolitical units and boundaries, place name conventions and more). * Released several iterations of MapMaker 2.0, a brand new overhaul of the popular MapMaker application used by teachers and students worldwide. The new product makes extensive use of ArcGIS technology available through our strategic partnership with Esri. * Released the first open source app for Earthpulse, part of our partnership with the UN Biodiversity Lab and the Moore Foundation, before spinning out the product to Impact Observatory, founded by NGS Senior Advisor Steven Brumby. * Migrated the GeoBee registration portal in-house from a third party provider. The National Geographic Society's Marketing & Engagement team catalyzes widespread understanding, engagement, admiration and support for the mission and impact of National Geographic. It propels and safeguards National Geographic's reputation and integrity and its work to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. The team achieves this through strategic communications, marketing and branding, programmatic engagement, events, partnerships and targeted outreach. It focuses on diverse, targeted audiences, including donors and supporters, scientists and academia, explorers, thought leaders, influencers, partner NGOs, press and the public. |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4c Education Programs, cont. |
National Geographic's Education programs offer community and leadership programs to educators by building community, providing grants to educators, and through two Fellow programs. Training and certification opportunities are provided to educators through the Nat Geo Educator Certification Program, Geo-Inquiry Process training, grants to the Alliance Network for Geographic Education, and attendance at national professional educator conferences. We provide classroom materials through the free educational website natgeoed.org, the digital connection Explorer Classroom program, Giant Traveling Maps, the K-5 nonfiction reading program, Explorer magazine, and through the Society's education partner, Cengage Learning. The Resource Library features free resources for educators aligned to the content and pedagogy standards they must meet, but do this through the lens of NGS explorers, scientists, storytellers, conservationists, and technologists. We feature people and places from around the world, with an emphasis on human involvement in a changing planet. Major topics include geography, social studies, earth, life, physical science, technology, and culture. In 2020, we developed 512 new individual resources to cover many of the topics middle students (grades 6, 7, and 8) encounter, and offer an inside look at the most interesting people and places from all over the globe. These resources include long and short-form nonfiction articles, videos, photographs, maps, GeoStories, infographics, and assessments, and are offered up in themed collections. In 2020 we added six 2-4 week PBL teaching units aimed at targeting common curricula taught across the US, but infusing it with NGS explorers, data, adventures, and media to engage students at a deeper level. In 2020, the Resource Library served 4,600 pieces of content in 50.3 million pageviews to more than 30 million unique users. National Geographic's Education and Digital teams are collaborating to redesign MapMaker from the ground up. The reimagined MapMaker (2.0) is a new classroom mapping tool designed to effectively convey contextual data, teach geographic concepts and essential 21st-century skills, and keep students engaged, resulting in better learning outcomes. MapMaker 2.0 will ultimately replace its outdated predecessor with updated content and a better user experience. This new tool addresses educator's needs by being easy to use, fitting seamlessly with core student assignment workflows, and allowing users to complete core mapping tasks with little or no individual help. MapMaker 2.0 is powered by content (curated map layers [GIS dataset] and maps [representation of land or sea showing places, features, and/or data) and curricular resources built around the National Geography Standards and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and housed in the Resource Library. National Geographic Giant Maps offers 51 state maps plus DC (ranging from 21' x 14' to 21' x 17') and 7 continental maps (average size 25' x 30' of Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, the Pacific, and the Solar System) for sale to the education market. The vinyl floor maps were designed using the expertise of National Geographic's cartographic division and research on elementary spatial thinking. Maps of the continents and Pacific Ocean are designed for K-8 students, and the Solar System Map is intended for K-12 students. State Giant Maps are designed for third-and-fourth-grade state studies. Each map includes free, downloadable activities that can be used with the map. In 2020, the third full year of operations and sales, 53 maps were sold to 38 schools and school districts reaching approximately 5,300 students. Explorer magazine is a K-5/6 classroom magazine with several issues published throughout the school year. Explorer features authentic, engaging, nonfiction content that showcases the adventures of National Geographic Explorers and adapts their inspiring stories for young minds. The three articles per issue support national standards such as the Common Core ELA Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and the C3 Framework for Social Studies. In the fall of 2020, Explorer magazine transitioned to an all-digital format and provided free access through the National Geographic website. Each digital magazine issue includes read-aloud-text highlighting, games, embedded videos, animations, and pop-up vocabulary as well as Teacher's guide with lesson plans, blackline masters, and activities for educators. In 2020, Explorer magazine reached (digitally) 230,871 unique users (372,372 total users) which includes students and educators. National Geographic donated 282K copies of Explorer magazine to First Book and Feed the Children in 2020. National Geographic Society offers a series of professional learning courses for educators to help them deepen content knowledge and learn instructional strategies to implement with their learners. Over 25,000 educators and youth enrolled in NGS online courses in 2020. National Geographic Society supports educators through two fellowship programs. The Education Fellowships support innovative project development and project leadership, share their expertise on an emerging issue or priority, and help incubate new ideas for geographic education. Fellows are generally mid- to late-career educators and they range from pre-K-12 classroom teachers, informal educators, academic geographers committed to geographic education, and nonprofit professionals to thought leaders in the education space. The Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship is a professional development opportunity made possible by a partnership between Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Education. The program is named in honor of Gilbert M. Grosvenor, chairman emeritus of the National Geographic Society and Education Foundation Board member. Exemplary educators are recognized for their commitment to geographic education and are given the opportunity to travel aboard the Lindblad-National Geographic fleet. Through this experience, they bring new geographic awareness into their learning environments and communities. The National Geographic Society global educator community connects preK-12+ formal and informal educators across a variety of channels. Engagement is designed to empower educators to take part in a learning journey that includes professional development opportunities, online courses, and exchanges with National Geographic Explorers. Educators motivate and mentor each other, sharing best teaching practices, resources, opportunities to collaborate, and feedback. The National Geographic GeoBee is an academic competition for public schools, private schools, and home schools in the United States and its territories as well as Department of Defense Dependents Schools. Students in grades 4-8 compete for prizes. In the 2019-2020 academic year program, 9,486 schools across the country held a National Geographic GeoBee, engaging 2,466,360 students to learn about the world and how it works. In early 2020, school GeoBee champions were invited to take a qualifying test to advance to the next level of the competition. Up to 100 school winners in each state were identified as "Top 100" students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread closure of schools, the state and national levels of the GeoBee were cancelled. State qualifiers were recognized in a virtual event in April 2020 and all participating schools were invited to a May 2020 virtual event featuring GeoBee host Mo Rocca. As part of the program, National Geographic created and distributed school GeoBee packets that included a question booklet, rules, participation certificates, and a school champion medal. The Society also produced two mailings to all state qualifiers that included a t-shirt, lapel pin, ribbon, certificate, and letter. The Society also generated a number of study tools for students, including online quizzes and voice-activated apps. |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4c Education Programs |
In the 2019-2020 school year, the GeoChallenge competition was offered free in all 50 states plus D.C. by issuing a challenge entitled "Tackling Plastic!" that invited participants to create solutions to the single-use plastic crisis while building skills in geography, mapmaking, storytelling, and video production. 7,145 young people submitted solutions but due to the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread closure of schools, the state and national levels of the GeoChallenge were cancelled. Regional qualifiers were recognized in a virtual event in April 2020. As part of the program, National Geographic created and electronically distributed toolkits and rules. The Society also produced a mailings to all regional qualifiers that included a t-shirt, certificate, and letter. The Young Explorers grant program recognizes, elevates, and funds young changemakers and leaders, ages 16-25, who are collaboratively leading solutions for a healthier, safer, and more sustainable planet. Through this opportunity, NGS funds these young innovators to scale and expand their initiative, activity, or project, and support them in engaging others to further their work by deepening their efforts locally or expanding to other communities. In 2020, National Geographic funded 46 young leaders from around the globe to scale or expand their initiatives. As part of the program, NG piloted opportunities for training, community-building, elevation, and mentorship. NGS Education Global Delivery Team has been responsible for administering the support for endowment spending as a result of key partnerships in 32 states. Overseeing the implementation and expenditures of the endowment agreements represents the domestic engagements for implementing the NGS/EDU strategy. For 2020, $1.26 million was granted as a part of a release of a Request for Proposal for projects. Thirty-one projects were funded aimed to reach approximately 13,600 educators and approximately 76,000 young people. During 2021, RFAs will be released to support the domestic work as aligned to the NGS/EDU strategies. National Geographic licenses the right to publish K-12 textbooks and English Language Teaching products to Cengage Learning under the National Geographic Learning (NGL) trademark. National Geographic works closely with Cengage to ensure these products maintain the highest quality and inspire learners to explore the world. NGL's products center on the unique stories of Society explorers, grantees, and photographers to engage learners. NGL has spotlighted 380 explorers, grantees, and photographers editorial features since 2011 and at 40 educational events in 2020. In 2020, NGL sold 957,000 units (i.e. est. number of students) domestically with reading, science, social studies, and math core and supplemental materials for the K-12 market. NGL sold nearly 84 million units (i.e. est. number of students) for all ages internationally in 121 countries with English Language Teaching (ELT) products. With National Geographic Society's support and investment, NGL's K-12 division published the AP Human Geography program in August 2020 and sold 9,211 units of the program. Other K-12 programs that launched in 2020 included World History: Voyages of Exploration, American Government, Earth and Space Science, and World of Chemistry. Several ELT products were also published in 2020, including World English 3rd Edition, Reading Explorer 3rd Edition, Grammar in Context 7th Edition, Reach Higher, Explore Our World 2nd Edition and Our World 2nd Edition. The NGS Education team has an opportunity to expand its reach and impact to a global community more intentionally in 2021 and beyond. The Education strategy intends to equip 1 million teachers and 25 million youth through its efforts in becoming the next generation of planetary stewards. Global expansion will begin in Latin America and in specific location due to opportunistic endeavors where there's capacity and local engagement. For example, the Pristine Seas efforts (Oceans also listed below) will support an international community for ocean protection. Additionally, the data suggest Latin America is poised for accelerated and expanded use of NatGeo game-changing tools, resources, and experiences for educators and youth.Using RFPs, RFAs, and other internal mechanisms local partnerships will be initiated for global expansion. The Education team recognizes that teachers are among the many dedicated individuals on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and that they are pioneering new ways of teaching so that students can continue learning. This grant funding opportunities is designed to recognize such efforts by educators. Funding is distributed to individual educators, ranging from $1000 to $8000, to design instructional resources that help educators teach effectively in in-person, online, or hybrid learning environments during the pandemic. The objective is to fund educators and communities most hard hit by the pandemic. Internal reviews have been completed for over 200+ proposals. As of February 8, 2021, 80 proposals have been funded for close to $400K. Quite a bit of diversity is reflected across the proposals ensuring a strong balance of international and domestic grants that have been funded. An additional $400K will be awarded to successful grantees within the coming months. To empower the next generation of ocean stewards and champions in Pristine Seas communities and beyond, we plan to leverage National Geographic's expertise in creating educational tools and experiences that stoke the curiosity of students and community stakeholders. Education will be a new and valuable component of Pristine Seas' work to help increase ownership, demand protection, and ensure sustainability. There are two key components to our education work to launch in 2021: 1) Community education. Supporting communities to empower local leaders, educators, and youth to be active participants in creating and sustaining MPAs. 2) Global education. Using National Geographic's considerable media assets and reach to amplify community voices, share successful practices, and catalyze a youth-led global movement to demand marine protection and create sustainable solutions. In the 2019-20 school year, the GeoChallenge competition was offered free in all 50 states plus D.C. by issuing a challenge entitled "Tackling Plastic!" that invited participants to create solutions to the single-use plastic crisis while building skills in geography, mapmaking, storytelling, and video production. A total of 5,973 teams registered to participate in the GeoChallenge and 1,041 teams submitted projects. National Geographic Live Student Matinees bring groundbreaking scientists, photographers, and explorers out of the field and onto stages across the United States and North America. Through compelling storytelling, these speakers offer exciting knowledge from the front lines of discovery, and highlight the critical importance of science, exploration, and conservation. Connecting these powerful role models directly with students inspires a new generation of explorers. In 2019, Student Matinee programs reached over 30,000 students in dozens of cities across North America, including Washington, D.C.; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Chicago; Lone Tree, Colorado; Los Angeles; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Missouri; Mesa, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle. |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4d Misc. Program Services, cont. |
NGS IMPACT INVESTING The Investment Subcommittee with the approval of the Finance Committee directed the Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) to deploy a portion of the investment fund to impact investments within the guidelines of the total portfolio. The OCIO has the flexibility to invest across asset classes and will be measured against the MSCI All Country World Index (net) over a full market cycle. Impact parameters must demonstrate strong alignment with one or more of the Society's global mission priorities to help protect species-at-risk, better understand human history and culture, and conserve some of our planet's last wild places. Relevant investment strategies may include but are not limited to environmental sustainability, conservation, resource efficiency, cultural diversity, and education. 2020 SUSTAINABILITY Beginning in March 2020, the onset of the COVID pandemic in the United States paused a lot of our traditional sustainability activities and caused us to develop new approaches and programs with our core sustainability goals still guiding us. The National Geographic Society remains committed to operating sustainably and expecting those it works with to continually improve their sustainable operations. The Society's headquarters became the first LEED-EB certified buildings (2003 Silver), and, through ongoing tracking and improvement of energy usage, building maintenance, waste diversion, office supply purchases, and renovation activity, the Society has maintained continuous LEED-EB certification, rising from Silver to Gold in 2009. In 2018, the Society received its sixth LEED-EB certification. Remaining the most certified and longest continuously certified existing buildings in the world. Sustainability goals The Society has a Corporate Responsibility Policy (CRP) that it shares with employees, suppliers, vendors, and partners. Our Sustainability Governance Committee (SGC) includes National Geographic Partners and Disney representatives to evaluate, update, and further corporate responsibility policies and goals across both the Society and Partners. The Society also maintains four core company-wide sustainability goals: * to become a carbon neutral organization * to work toward zero landfill waste * to practice wise resource stewardship * to have an engaged and healthy workforce Becoming a carbon neutral company The Society performs an annual carbon assessment of its Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon emissions for 15 businesses/departments with over 70 data points. The goal is to quantify carbon emissions from Society activities, reduce such emissions as much as possible, and offset emissions that cannot be eliminated. The Society purchases RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates) to offset all the electrical usage of its owned buildings and leased space. Offsets are also purchased for non-electrical emissions of Society-owned and leased space and for business travel emissions. Day to day operations are continually evaluated and improved to seek maximum energy efficiency. Our headquarters (and all NGS North American facilities) have been carbon neutral since 2009. Sending zero waste to the landfill The Society seeks to reduce waste produced at its headquarters and to reuse, recycle or compost as much as possible. Employees and tenants share office supplies in communal copy rooms and a large recycling area to reduce the need to purchase new office supplies, packaging material, furniture, and more. Reusable dishware and utensils are provided on every floor's NGS and NGP kitchens for employees, tenants and guests to use instead of disposables. Water bottle refill stations are located at all water fountains. Furniture, equipment, supplies, and Nat Geo products that can't be used at the headquarters are offered for re-use to local nonprofits, schools, museums, and artists. Desk side waste bins have been replaced throughout our complex with centralized multi-stream waste centers that include paper recycling, container recycling, and composting. Recycling and upcycling streams include the composting of all food waste and non-recyclable paper products and the re-use or recycling of more than 20 other materials including paper, metals, glass, plastics, electronics, construction materials, used cooking oil, plastic film (shrink wrap/bubble wrap), and disposable masks and gloves. Practicing the wise use of resources In 2020 the joint Sustainability Governance Committee (SGC) with National Geographic Partners oversaw the evaluation of both organization's Corporate Responsibility Policies ahead of updating both in 2021. Through the CRP, paper suppliers to the Society are asked to provide paper from certified forestry sources and never from old-growth or high-conservation-value designated forests and to never provide paper bleached with elemental chlorine. National Geographic Society activities and services are to be legally and ethically conducted by treating employees, environments, and cultures with respect. Suppliers who provide manufacturing services to the Society are expected to follow Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production principles as defined by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) - including such measures as re-using waste, process modification, and the awareness and reduction of hazardous materials use. The type of supplies purchased for use at headquarters and the disposal of all items is tracked for LEED-EB, ensuring ongoing improvement in sustainable purchasing and landfill diversion. Our cleaning crews use green-e certified cleaning products and low or non-VOC paints in the Society's headquarters. In addition, many of the building materials used in the Society are made from recycled material. Water Restoration Certificates are purchased to offset water usage in the DC headquarters. Butterfly gardens and beehives on the headquarters grounds and rooftop support endangered species and educational efforts. Meatless Monday discounts are offered in our on-site Cafeteria to all employees, tenants, and guests to promote consumption of delicious, nutritious, yet less resource-intensive foods. In conjunction with the National Geographic Plastic or Planet? Initiative, the Society has made a special effort to remove single-use plastic waste and unnecessary plastic at headquarters. A supply chain audit was completed in 2019 and multiple suppliers and National Geographic teams are working on plastic pollution free ideas and solutions for their businesses. Special event badges and parking tags have been changed from plastic to paper. Reusable dishware and utensils in staff kitchens make disposable plastic utensils or paper dishes and cups (which are generally plastic coated) unnecessary. Coffee makers and bottleless water coolers with CO2 in each kitchen allow staff to fill reusable mugs and bottles. Our current coffee service replaced unrecyclable plastic pods and k-cups with compostable filters and multi-use gravity pots. In the Cafeteria, straws are paper and all to-go food packaging except for one windowed box and some pre-packaged snacks are compostable. Some snacks are sold in returnable glass containers for a deposit. Bottled water is sold in recyclable metal bottles. |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4b Science and Innovation Programs, cont. |
The Grants Program provided grants across the Society's thematic areas: Ocean, Land, Wildlife, Human History and Culture, and Human Ingenuity. The grants covered conservation, education, research, storytelling, and technology, and funded work all over the world. In addition, the Society awarded Early Career grants to find and support the next generation of global change-makers. The Illegal Wildlife Trade program leverages National Geographic's power of storytelling to raise awareness, inspire action, and provide critical tools to reduce the trade in illegal wildlife. The primary storytelling platform is Wildlife Watch, which is dedicated to shining light on commercial-scale exploitation of wildlife and other valued resources, identifying weaknesses in national and international efforts to protect wildlife, and empowering institutions and individuals working for a better world. Stories cover a range of human activity, from crime to heroism. National Geographic's Perpetual Planet program, a multiyear partnership with Rolex as part of their Perpetual Planet initiative, seeks to study and illuminate Earth's critical systems - Mountains, Rainforests, The ocean - that provide some of the most basic needs for life on Earth: water, oxygen, a stable climate. These systems, however, are increasingly at risk due to global environmental challenges like climate change. That's why National Geographic and Rolex have partnered to support trailblazing scientific research, expeditions, and solutions to increase our understanding of the threats facing the planet's life support systems and drive action to address them. The partnership supports a series of expeditions to examine the impact of climate and environmental change on the planet's most fragile iconic environments, to document the changes occurring and the implications for people and wildlife. In 2020, the Perpetual Planet team built on and communicated the success of the multi-faceted 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition - the most comprehensive single scientific expedition to Everest ever - studying meteorology, geology, glaciology, mapping, and biology. In June 2020, the documentary 'Expedition Everest' aired on National Geographic Channel and has since been uploaded to Disney+ streaming platform. The documentary detailed the difficulties and dangers of executing an international scientific field work expedition at high altitudes. National Geographic Magazine also featured Everest in the July 2020 edition, including several exclusive stories on the expedition both in print and digitally. The magazine also included an exclusive map of the Himalaya river system. In November 2020, the Perpetual Planet and Everest science teams released a special issue of the scientific journal, One Earth, which included 10 articles and scientific findings from the expedition written by Everest team members. The journal findings were widely picked up by international press and resulted in 10.5 million estimated coverage views from over 320+ pieces of coverage. Scientific discoveries from the expedition have also been published in the journals: Weather, Science of the Total Environment, iScience, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, and International Journal of Environmental Research in Public Health. In order to bring the Everest interactive experience to students and the public, the Everest expedition will be showcased in the next National Geographic Museum exhibit chronicling the Society's involvement with Mt. Everest over the century. The grand opening of the exhibit has been delayed to 2021 due to COVID-19. To complement the Everest Expedition, the Perpetual Planet team began planning a supplemental expedition to Tupungato Volcano, in the vulnerable South Andes water tower, to replace the highest weather station in the Southern+Western Hemispheres. The Amazon river basin was chosen as the first location for its Rainforest work (delayed by at least one year because of Covid) given the robust network of in-region Explorers, and previous discussions that the NGS Storytelling team had with NGS Fellow and NGP Photographer Tom Peschak. The Perpetual Planet team began engaging with National Geographic Explorers to weave together the story of the Amazon as the first location to fund scientific research and storytelling for the Rainforest program. In late 2020, the Perpetual Planet team developed an RFP and invited 20 NG Explorers to apply. The goal of the Amazon work is to ensure robust science + storytelling, that is 100% Explorer-led to align with the new strategic plan, and to tell the story of the Amazon in a new and different way. Given the global pandemic, the Perpetual Planet team is also seeking out opportunities that may align with programmatic goals in Mountains, Rainforests, the Ocean, and can be executed opportunistically. Formal Explorer Mentorship is embedded into two cohort based programs at National Geographic Society, the Early Career Leadership Program (previously called the Young Explorer Leadership and Development Program) and the Fulbright-NGS Fellowship Program. The Explorers serving as mentors in 2020 are: Jenna Jambeck, Meg Lowman, Yannis Papastamatiou, David Guttenfelder, Tierney Thys, Liliana Gutierrez, Federico Pardo, Ami Vitale, Angelo Bernardino, Anita Palmer, Steve Winter, Krithi Karanth, Peg Keiner, Rodrigo Medellin, Beverly Goodman. National Geographic's Exploration Technology Lab uses technology development to build and deploy systems and hardware to empower our network of National Geographic Explorers through access to innovative technologies and tools. In 2020 the Exploration Technology Lab has focused on bringing together Explorers and other subject matter experts to facilitate new ideas and approaches to technology innovation, sourcing and supplying Explorers with bespoke and off the shelf technology, tools and training to accelerate their work, and consulting and advising on technology solutions. Examples include collaboration with Explorers to record and publish new findings around deep-sea habitat, support Explorers through creation of bespoke technology including animal born camera systems that will help to interpret voices and sounds of sperm whales, as well as collaboration around cloud based animal AI hardware and software systems for terrestrial conservation and research. Continued--See Science and Innovation Programs cont. below |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4d Misc. Program Services cont. |
Engaged and healthy workforce Sustainability is part of new employee orientation. All occupants of headquarters' buildings are encouraged to join the Green Team to help improve sustainability in our building operations and offerings to occupants and staff. All employees and tenants are encouraged to actively participate in and create our many, varied sustainability events and initiatives including Earth Week, courtyard sustainability markets, campus gardening, green news, Bike to Work Day, staff beekeeping, and corporate responsibility groups. Lessons learned for the workplace also help encourage healthier and more sustainable activities outside the office. The Society encourages bicycle commuting locally through the provision of sidewalk bike racks and being an official pit stop on Bike to Work Day, and for HQ occupants by providing garaged bike racks, a bike room, bike maintenance stands, air pumps, lockers, and showers, as well as employee discounts at bike shops and free membership with bike sharing services. Carpooling and the use of low-emission vehicles are supported through parking discounts and free charging for electric vehicles. Discounts with local car shares are offered to employees and tenants. Employees even can benefit from a metro commuting subsidy or bicycle commuter subsidy. Exercise fitness areas are available to all HQ occupants and were recently renovated and expanded. After the pandemic abates we expect to reinstate our rooftop herb garden staffed by National Geographic employees supplying herbs to the Cafeteria, our CSA and farm stand run by a local, sustainable farm, our summer green market featuring local and sustainable businesses, "Swap Meets" for re-homing personal items, and free recycling for 'difficult to recycle' CFLs, batteries, plastic film, and personal electronics. Specific achievements in 2020: *The SGC shared Sustainable Purchasing Guidance with all NGS and NGP staff to further efforts to eliminate waste in purchased products and created activities. *Gave away for re-use several tons of furniture, office supplies, art supplies, and plywood. *Added two more e-bins to collect batteries, media, and cords. And expanded collection of compost/container recycling bins to keep events landfill waste free for guests. *Converted all Museum exhibit lights (e.g. track lighting, down lighting) to LED. *Reduce unnecessary energy use when pandemic shifted most of HQ staff to remote work, turning off unused Cafeteria equipment and turning off monitors, computers and fans left on in sudden departure of tenants and staff. *While the bulk of occupants work from home during COVID, HQ alternated air handler units and minimized run times to maintain just certain areas at our set point of 74 degrees (+- 2 degrees), while maximizing outside air usage to counter COVID transmission. *Expanded glove upcycling program to cover all internal uses - Medical, Archives, Engineering, Cafeteria, Janitorial. Added disposable glove and mask upcycling program to address increased use of PPE necessitated by COVID. *When it became clear our Cafeteria would not reopen soon, donated 1897 pounds of food through FoodRescueUS to end local hunger. *Replaced two compressors with one smaller unit which will use much less energy and only run when needed as opposed to constantly running. *Upgraded outdated elevators while HQ was largely empty due to COVID. New elevators are more efficient and use more efficient controllers and components. *Direct to substrate printer installed - Will allow us to use fully recyclable or compostable base materials and eco-friendly inks - no plastic, no landfill waste, no chemicals. We could print our own non-plastic event badges and parking tags rather than outsourcing that work. We should even manage to reduce the number of man hours per print, with printing direct to substrate requiring just one process/layer versus coordinating the many plastic layers (backing, print base, print, protective coat) of more traditional current print systems. *Installed guard booth which will allow main garage entry to remain closed much more often and reduce effect on internal air control. Will keep the door open just during peak entry/exit times so as to avoid excessive wear and tear on the door operator. The National Geographic Society Library The National Geographic Library's reading room is open to the public by appointment, and library and archives staffers respond to phone calls, letters and emails. They also provide tours of the library & archives, including researchers, VIPs, grantees, student groups, and professional colleagues from other libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutions. Librarians participated in regional interlibrary loan, lending items from the physical collection to various DC-area libraries. Finally, many books and magazines are donated to nonprofit organizations each year. |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4b Science & Innovation Programs, cont. |
The National Geographic Society continues to support the Explorers-in-Residence/At-large program to develop and enhance its long-standing relationships with some of the world's preeminent scientists and storytellers. These experts are dedicated to making notable advances in their respective fields and are highly regarded within scientific and exploration circles. National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence/At-large's groundbreaking discoveries fuel the kind of critical information, conservation initiatives, and compelling stories that are the hallmark of the National Geographic Society. National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence/At-large for 2020 are Enric Sala, marine ecologist; Sylvia Earle, oceanographer; Bob Ballard, ocean explorer; Lee Berger, paleoanthropologist; James Cameron, filmmaker and explorer; Mike Fay, conservationist; Beverly and Dereck Joubert, filmmakers and conservationists; Louise and Meave Leakey, paleontologists; Tom Lovejoy, conservation biologist, and Rodrigo Medellin, ecologist. National Geographic Fellows provide expert consultation on active projects supported by National Geographic that have clear goals and deliverables. They lead novel, ambitious projects that promise to make an impact on the world. Focusing on collaboration with cross-divisional stakeholders at National Geographic, they deliver broad media impact during their term. They represent and illustrate the diversity of disciplines that the Society covers in its scientific and editorial efforts. 2020 National Geographic Fellows include: Andrew Brennen, Educator; Ashley Lamb-Sinclair, Educator; Dwayne Reed, Educator; Anita Palmer, Educator; Kim Young, Educator; Bronwyn Agrios, technology; Darlene Cavalier, citizen scientist; Naftali Honig, Wildlife Crime Investigator; Corey Jaskolski, engineer; James Watson, conservation scientist; Matthias Hoffmann-Kuhnt, Biologist; Narumasa Tsutsumida, geographic information scientist; Alok Bhardwaj, engineer; Maya Lin, designer, architect, and artist; Davide Monteleone, photographer; Hannah Nordhaus, storytelling; Sandesh Kadur, Wildlife Filmmaker; Photographer; Gautam Shah, Wildlife Storyteller; Thomas P Peschak, Conservation Photographer; Brian Skerry, photographer and photojournalist; Pete Muller, photojournalist; Ian Urbina, Investigative Reporter; Nirupa Rao, Botanical Illustrator; Lynsey Addario, Photojournalist; Ruddy Roye, documentary photographer; Maya Goded, photographer and documentary filmmaker; Tara Roberts, Storyteller; LaToya Ruby Frazier, visual artist; Ronan Donovan, Conservation Visual Storyteller; Michele Norris, journalist; Steve Boyes, conservation biologist; Katy Croff Bell, archaeological oceanographer; Amielle DeWan, training and capacity building; Chris Golden, ecologist and epidemiologist; Dominique Gonalves, ecologist; Jenna Jambeck, Environmental Engineer; Heather Koldewey, Marine Biologist; Rudi Putra, conservation biologist; Paul Salopek, journalist; Rae Wynn-Grant, carnivore ecologist; Yves Ubelmann, Architect. |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 2 New program services |
The Society began a new grant program giving emergency COVID-19 grants to journalists around the world to support their coverage of COVID-19 within their own communities. The Education team also distributed grants to teachers to help design effective ways to teach in online and hybrid learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 3 Significant changes in program services |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society was forced to close its museum and store to the public March 13 to the end of the year. |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4d Description of other program services |
(Expenses $ 6,450 including grants of $ 6,450)(Revenue $ 177,634) In 2020, miscellaneous program activity included an impact investing directive, continuing sustainability initiatives, and a reading room and library open to the public. Continued on Sch. O Other Miscellaneous Programs. |
| Form 990, Part V, Line 3b Reason for not filing Form 990-T |
The 990T is on extension awaiting final K-1 investment information necessary to prepare a complete and accurate return. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Line 11b Review of form 990 by governing body |
The Society's Form 990 was prepared by tax and financial staff at the Society, and was reviewed by senior management, including the CEO, President and Chief Legal Officer. It was also reviewed by the Society's outside tax advisors. A draft of this Form 990 was provided to the full Board of Trustees for comments and questions before it was filed with the IRS. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c Conflict of interest policy |
The National Geographic Society maintains a Code of Ethics stating the Society's expectation that staff (employees), officers and third party representatives (including independent contractors, consultants, business partners and others who support our mission or receive our funds), will perform their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the highest standards of ethical conduct. The Code of Ethics is published internally, and on the Society's public facing Website https://www.nationalgeographic.org/ethics/. The Code of Ethics is rooted in the Society's commitment to carry out its mission in a manner that earns the respect of everyone we interact with including charitable donors, business associates, third party representatives, Society members, our staff, explorers, fellows, grantees and the general public. In recognition that accomplishing this objective depends on the individual commitment of our staff and business partners to acting with personal integrity, the following core principles apply: (1) we will conduct every aspect of our business in a fair, lawful and ethical manner; (2) we will encourage and expect everyone we work with to do the same; and (3) we will maintain a culture that reinforces these principles. The Code of Ethics includes the Society's Conflict of Interest Policy, which (1) defines potential conflicts of interest and provides several illustrative examples; (2) requires disclosure of any potential conflict to the Society; and (3) prohibits a conflicted staff member from engaging in any activity or decision-making concerning a potential conflict of interest in the absence of disclosure and independent resolution (including recusal and other steps deemed appropriate to resolve the potential conflict) by the Society, as set forth as follows in the terms of the policy itself: "Avoid Conflicts of Interest A conflict of interest arises when you, a family member, or a close friend has a business, financial, or personal interest in the other side of a transaction or business dealing with the National Geographic Society. You must always act in the best interest of the Society. This includes being sensitive to situations where it might appear that your responsibility to the Society has been compromised. Here are some ways a conflict of interest might arise: Having a personal, family, or financial interest in any Society transaction Acting as an employee or consultant for, or providing any other assistance to, a competitor Having a financial interest in a competitor, supplier, contractor, grantee, fellow, consultant, or other business partner Hiring or supervising a family member Accepting gifts, discounts, or services beyond policy limits from anyone doing (or seeking) business with the National Geographic Society Most potential conflicts can be resolved in a simple and mutually acceptable way. The key is to disclose the issue promptly-before it becomes an actual conflict that could compromise your responsibility to act exclusively in the National Geographic Society's best interest. If you have a potential conflict of interest, you must report it to your manager-before you engage in any activity related to the situation. Your manager, in consultation with you, Human Resources, and Law &Business Affairs, will determine what measures should be taken to resolve it appropriately. Such measures typically include recusing yourself from any decision relating to the matter. If you are unsure but have questions, get help from your manager, Human Resources or the Society's ethics officer. Gifts and Gratuities Staff members may not receive any gift worth more than $100 from any person or organization doing business with the National Geographic Society. Staff members involved in purchasing decisions must take extra care to avoid any gifts that might affect, or appear to affect, their decision-making responsibilities on behalf of the National Geographic Society. Additionally, the Society's Code of Ethics expressly prohibits bribery and all other forms of corruption; sets standards for conducting diligence and for approval of certain third party business relationships; and mandates reporting of any potential issues to the Society's Ethic's Officer, or other designated Society representative as set forth in the Code of Ethics: Corruption and Bribery - Strictly Prohibited Every country we work in has laws against corruption and bribery. We take compliance with these laws seriously. As a U.S.-based organization, the National Geographic Society focuses particular attention on the anti-bribery standards of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. We may not offer, promise, pay, give, or approve any bribe, kickback, or other inducement in the form of cash or anything else of value (such as gifts, travel, entertainment, or charitable contributions) to any person or organization with the intent to exert improper influence over the recipient, induce the recipient to violate their duty of loyalty, secure an improper advantage for the National Geographic Society, or improperly reward the recipient for past conduct. Nor may we allow any third party representative (such as customs clearance brokers, independent contractors, consultants, business partners, or anyone else) to do so on our behalf. Our Anti-Corruption policy sets standards that must be followed in our relationships with explorers, fellows, grantees, third party representatives, field workers ('fixers'), exhibitors, and recipients of charitable donations. Additionally, there are special standards that apply to our interactions with government officials (including travel, accommodations, meals, and entertainment). If you think that an improper payment has been solicited, offered, or made, you must promptly report it to the ethics officer, or another contact listed on the last page of the Code. The Society requires each of its employees including its officers to complete a business conduct certification (referred to as the Society's 'Ethics and Policies Pledge') as a condition of continuing employment annually. Each staff member is required to affirm that: * I have read and I understand my obligations under the National Geographic Society's Code of Ethics. I agree to comply with the Code, the Society's policies, and laws that apply to my responsibilities on behalf of the Society. * I understand that I am obligated to report all potential Code, policy or legal violations I am aware of. I am familiar with the options available to me for asking questions or reporting a potential violation. * I am not aware of any potential violation, or I have reported all potential violations that I am aware of. (A staff member who is aware of an unreported potential violation is prompted to report it prior to completing the certification.)" The Society maintains an Ethics Helpline operated by an independent third party for reporting potential violations or asking questions concerning the Code of Ethics, the Society's policies and/or legal compliance. The Helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Helpline accepts email, web-based and automated phone line submissions, and also offers the option of speaking to a customer service representative. The Helpline accepts anonymous reports and allows an individual who makes a report to receive follow up communications even if he/she chooses to remain anonymous. The Society maintains a separate Code of Ethics for its Directors and Trustees, which is based on the same core principles as the Code applicable to the Society's staff and third party partners, and grounded in the same commitment to maintaining the highest standards of ethics and personal integrity. It includes a Conflict of Interest policy applicable to Directors and Trustees specifically, which mandates disclosure of potential direct or indirect material conflicts involving Board-level decisions, as well as recusal from decision-making and voting on a conflict matter. The Society's Board members may contact the General Counsel or Ethics Officer with questions or concerns, and may also avail themselves of the Society's Ethics Helpline. Each Board member submits a Conflict of Interest Certification annually certifying that: there are no conflicts of interest (or disclosing potential conflicts if any may exist); and committing to continuing disclosure should a conflict arise subsequently. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Line 15a Process to establish compensation of top management official |
The Board of Trustees of the National Geographic Society has delegated authority to the Compensation Committee to oversee the compensation and benefits of certain senior executives of the Society. The Committee, which is composed exclusively of independent members of the Board of Trustees, is responsible for overseeing an executive compensation program for the Society's senior executives. The Committee follows the procedures set forth in the IRS regulations under Section 4958 in making compensation decisions. In particular, the Committee engages an independent compensation consultant to prepare and present comparable market data with respect to the Society's cash compensation and benefits programs, and is also advised by outside counsel. The Committee reviews the performance of senior executives and evaluates their compensation and benefits in light of the comparable market data provided by the independent compensation consultant and other relevant factors. The Committee relies on such market data in awarding cash compensation and reviewing benefit programs for the Society's senior executives, and receives an opinion from the independent compensation consultant as to the reasonableness and comparability of the Society's executive compensation and benefits programs to that provided for similar services by similar organizations under similar circumstances. The Committee documents its decisions regarding executive compensation decisions in its minutes. The Chair of the Committee promptly reports all actions taken by the Committee to the full Board of Trustees. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Line 15b Process to establish compensation of other employees |
The Compensation Committee followed the process described above at meetings held in February, September, & December of 2020 with respect to compensation decisions for the following senior executives positions; President and CEO: EVP, Chief Operations & Financial Officer; EVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary; Chief Marketing & Engagement Officer; Chief Administrative Officer; SVP, Global Strategy; Chief Scientist & SVP, Science and Exploration; Executive Director, Yellowstone Project and Special Advisor. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Line 19 Required documents available to the public |
The Society's corporate charter is available to the public through the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Corporations Division. The financial statements of the tax-exempt parent, the National Geographic Society, are made available in this Form 990. The Society does not currently make its audited financial statements available to the public because they are issued on a consolidated basis, which include financial details of the activities of Society's taxable subsidiary which are not disclosed for competitive reasons. The Society's Forms 990 and 990T are available upon request, as well as online at Guidestar.org. |
| Form 990, Part IX, Line 11g Other Fees |
OTHER PROFESSIONAL FEES - Total Expense: 32444479, Program Service Expense: 31096799, Management and General Expenses: , Fundraising Expenses: 1347680; |
| Form 990, Part XI, Line 9 Other changes in net assets or fund balances |
Post-retirement Benefits-FAS 158 - 11473000; Grants cancelled/returned - 448745; misc. adj. - 279; |
Attach to Form 990 or Form 990-EZ. 
Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.