Greenpeace financials go deep into the red

The two United States-based Greenpeace nonprofits which were found liable last year for hundreds of millions of dollars in a lawsuit stemming from their involvement in the Dakota Access Pipeline protests of 2016-2017 have reported the verdict as a liability in their most recent tax filings.

In its 2024 Form 990, the 501(c)(4) Greenpeace, Inc. reported $418.5 million in total liabilities and -$395.2 million in net assets:

The affiliated 501(c)(3) Greenpeace Fund reported a further $144.1 million in total liabilities in 2024, with -$101.1 million in net assets:

Combined, the two nonprofits reported negative net assets of nearly a half-billion dollars.

Though the Greenpeace Fund also reported losing $4.35 million to “a sophisticated cyber theft,” these numbers largely reflect the March 2025 jury verdict in favor of Energy Transfer, which had sued Greenpeace, Inc., the Greenpeace Fund, and the Netherlands-based Greenpeace International over their role in the destructive Dakota Access Pipeline protests at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation from 2016-2017. The original verdict was for a combined $667 million, though this was reduced by the judge in late October to $345 million. The Form 990s (which were signed in mid-November) appear to reflect the verdict totals prior to this reduction.

In its tax filings, Greenpeace elaborated on the possible financial implications:

The verdict represents a liability in excess of the organization’s current financial resources…If judgment issues in the amount of the verdict, and is not subsequently vacated or reversed, the organization does not have sufficient liquidity to satisfy the judgment or to continue normal operations if the judgment is enforced. As a result of these factors, management has concluded that there is substantial doubt about Greenpeace, Inc.’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year after the date that these financial statements are issued.

The Greenpeace Fund’s filings contained identical language. No final judgment has yet been issued in the case, and with expected appeals and separate ongoing litigation in the Netherlands, the legal uncertainty is likely to drag on for some time. Still, the 990s are a stark illustration of the existential gravity of Greenpeace’s potential liability.

For more information on the lawsuit against Greenpeace, and the issue of nonprofit support for illegal protest activities more broadly, please see here.