The Living Desert
47900 Portola Ave, Palm Desert, CA · IRS data through FY2025
Revenue, expenses and net assets
Revenue Expenses Net assets
| Tax year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $47,987,318 | $28,847,289 | $163,311,150 |
| FY2024 | $41,500,614 | $25,539,071 | $152,570,542 |
| FY2023 | $30,580,354 | $20,547,217 | $139,455,406 |
| FY2022 | $34,591,756 | $17,639,418 | $121,471,127 |
| FY2021 | $32,677,048 | $12,464,214 | $119,808,990 |
| FY2020 | $23,975,685 | $14,215,079 | $93,696,936 |
| FY2019 | $20,164,887 | $14,617,891 | $82,296,915 |
| FY2018 | $18,947,381 | $12,594,445 | $76,775,149 |
| FY2017 | $26,122,406 | $12,284,906 | $68,259,226 |
| FY2016 | $9,805,136 | $11,538,503 | $51,444,258 |
| FY2015 | $11,119,670 | $10,594,075 | $53,402,307 |
| FY2014 | $14,995,127 | $10,116,186 | $54,271,221 |
| FY2013 | $9,497,349 | $9,549,673 | $46,810,064 |
| FY2012 | $17,627,475 | $9,062,302 | $47,532,942 |
Form 990 filings
The returns filed by The Living Desert (EIN 95-3385354), including Form 990 PDFs and e-file data by year, are available in ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. The figures on this page come from IRS data files built from those returns.
Where the revenue came from
| Source | Amount | % of revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions & grants | $11,340,448 | 24% |
| Program service revenue | $17,127,406 | 36% |
| Other revenue | $19,519,464 | 41% |
Where the money was spent
| Category | Amount | % of expenses |
|---|---|---|
| Program services | $25,371,511 | 88% |
| Management & general | $1,192,585 | 4% |
| Fundraising | $2,283,193 | 8% |
What the numbers show
- Other revenue made up 41% of total revenue in FY2025.
- Program services accounted for 88% of functional expenses, management & general 4%, and fundraising 8%.
- 88% of functional expenses went to program services in FY2025. That is higher than 67.1% of 70 Environment organizations in CA.
- Net assets covered about 67.9 months of expenses at the end of the reporting year. That puts it in the 78th percentile among 1182 Environment organizations in CA.
- Total revenue was higher than 99% of 1202 Environment organizations in CA.
- Total revenue rose from $17,627,475 in FY2012 to $47,987,318 in FY2025. Revenue increased in 8 and decreased in 5 of 13 year-over-year comparisons.
- Expenses exceeded revenue in 2 of 14 reported years (FY2013, FY2016).
- Net assets grew from $47,532,942 to $163,311,150 between FY2012 and FY2025.
- Contributions and grants made up 69% of revenue in FY2012 and 24% in FY2025.
- Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity).
Figures compared against other organizations of the same NTEE program area in the same state. See the methodology page for how these are calculated and the guide to reading nonprofit financials for their limits.
About this organization
THE LIVING DESERT MISSION IS TO ENHANCE DESERT CONSERVATION THROUGH PRESERVATION, EDUCATION AND APPRECIATION.
IRS status
| Ruling year | 1979 |
| Subsection | 501(c)(3) |
| Classification | Public charity |
| Program area (NTEE) | C340 — Environment (in CA) |
| Donations | Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity). |
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Source: Internal Revenue Service — Exempt Organizations Business Master File (downloaded November 4, 2026), Statistics of Income extracts, Form 990 e-file data, Publication 78 and the Automatic Revocation list. Figures are as reported by the organization; IRS processing may adjust them. This is not a charity rating and not tax advice. Confirm deductibility in IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
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