2018 Annual Report
A digest of how our policy and research insights are helping to secure a healthy environment and thriving economy for generations to come.
Overview
In our annual report you’ll find some of the tangible impacts of our work in 2018:
- We reflect on how RFF has transformed the way decisionmakers and the public think about problems—from working with NASA to identify the socioeconomic benefits of satellite technology, to developing new techniques to detect and manage the spread of invasive species.
- We showcase how RFF has helped to quantify issues decisionmakers care about, including how we informed a critical ruling by federal energy regulators and evaluated landmark carbon pricing policies across the country.
- Finally, we highlight the impact of bringing together policymakers and stakeholders—from our innovative “Energy Research Insights for Decisionmaking” conference to important roundtable discussions on water and forest resource issues and policies.
To help amplify our impact and reach in 2018 we established a new European Institute, relaunched our brand and website, and developed an innovative new podcast series, to mention just a few highlights. Meanwhile, we were ranked #1 for environmental economics and #2 for energy economics out of a field of over 7,500 global institutions by an authoritative global research index—further reinforcing our reputation for research excellence.
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President's Letter
In times of intense political polarization, rhetoric often replaces reason, leaving little room for informed decisionmaking. At Resources for the Future (RFF), we embrace a path that looks beyond today’s headlines, delivering independent and rigorous research insights and policy solutions that will lead to a healthy environment and a thriving economy for generations to come.
Our instinct for impartiality sets us apart in important ways. Policy and business leaders repeatedly turn to RFF, because credible expertise is increasingly hard to find. So much so that in 2018, our researchers spent more time than ever providing expertise to Capitol Hill, state governments, and leading private-sector decisionmakers. Meanwhile, an authoritative research index ranked RFF #1 for environmental economics and #2 for energy economics out of a field of over 7,500 global institutions—further reinforcing our reputation for research excellence.
We embrace a path that looks beyond today’s headlines, delivering independent and rigorous research insights and policy solutions that will lead to a healthy environment and a thriving economy for generations to come.
As demand for RFF’s research and analysis grows, so do the real-world improvements that come with rigorous policy design. In our annual report, you’ll find some of the tangible impacts of our work in 2018. We reflect on how RFF has transformed the way decisionmakers and the public think about problems—from working with NASA to identify the socioeconomic benefits of satellite technology, to developing new techniques to detect and manage the spread of invasive species. We showcase how RFF has helped to quantify issues decisionmakers care about, including how we informed a critical ruling by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and evaluated landmark carbon pricing policies across the country. Finally, we highlight the impact of bringing together policymakers and stakeholders—from our innovative “Energy Research Insights for Decisionmaking” conference to important roundtable discussions on water and forest resource issues and policies.
To help amplify our impact and reach, RFF has also undergone a major brand and website redesign. We launched a new weekly podcast, Resources Radio, to highlight the most interesting voices and stories in environmental, energy, and resource economics and policy. And we launched the RFF-CMCC European Institute for Economics and the Environment in partnership with Europe’s leading climate research organization, the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change. We’ve established offices in Milan and Venice and hired more than thirty research experts.
RFF’s impact is driven by the creativity, intelligence, instinct, and collaborative spirit of our people.
RFF’s impact is driven by the creativity, intelligence, instinct, and collaborative spirit of our people. In 2018 RFF elected Susan Tierney, an expert on energy economics, regulation, and policy, as the new Chair of our Board of Directors. We grew our network through the creation of the RFF President’s Council, a high-level advisory committee of distinguished business, scientific, political, and philanthropic leaders. We built capacity and invested in our talent across RFF by recruiting and retaining highly qualified, exceptional individuals in both our research and operational departments.
I want to conclude by acknowledging the passing of Jim Rogers, who served on our Board of Directors since 2017. Jim worked with many of us at RFF long before he joined the Board and was a significant part of the public conversation around electricity, energy, and the environment, to which he dedicated his life’s work. Jim will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
As you will see in this annual report, RFF’s mission—to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement—has never been more critical. As our board member Jonathan Silver recently commented to me: “Punditry and bombast generate heat but little light. The light comes from getting the analytics right. Eventually, data wins. RFF does the hard work of getting the data right.” There’s no better evidence of that than in the pages that follow.
Thank you for your continued support of RFF.
Richard G. Newell
President & CEO
Resources for the Future
Supporters
The generous resources provided by our supporters enables RFF to deliver the impact described in our Annual Report. Learn more about supporting RFF or find out about our supporters.
Financial Overview
Revenues
In fiscal year 2018, total operating revenue for RFF reached $12.8 million, 70 percent of which came from individual contributions, foundation grants, corporate contributions, and grants from governments and other organizations. RFF augments its operating revenue with net income from its building and earnings from its reserve fund. At the end of fiscal year 2018, RFF’s reserve fund was valued at $58.5 million.
Expenses
RFF research and policy engagement continued to be vital in 2018, representing 75 percent of total expenses. Management, administration, and development expenses combined were 25 percent of the total.
RFF’s audited financial statements are available on our Financial Reporting page.