10+ Best options to donate to save the Amazon: Top charities to help protect the Amazon basin | Rare

The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest, home to roughly 10% of the world’s known biodiversity. Since the 1970s, the Amazon has lost up to 15% of its original forest cover, threatening wildlife populations and local communities that rely on the landscape for their livelihoods.  Action to support this region can make a real difference for people, nature, and climate resilience.

For many people, donating is the most accessible way to support work happening across the Amazon. Not every option to donate to save the Amazon supports the same kind of work. Some nonprofits focus on restoring forests or defending wildlife habitat. Others support local communities through sustainable farming, fishing, conservation finance, or legal advocacy.

This guide covers the best options to donate to save the Amazon, with a look at what each organization does, how they support the region, and what to check before you give. By the end, you’ll have a clearer way to choose a nonprofit that matches the kind of impact you want your donation to support.

Key takeaways 

• • The best option depends on whether you want to support land rights, wildlife, forest protection, advocacy, or community-led conservation.
  • Before donating, check each charity’s mission, results, ratings, financials, and giving options.
  • Rare is the best fit for donors who want to support community-led conservation along Brazil’s Amazon Coast.
  • Long-term support, like monthly giving or fundraising, helps nonprofits keep conservation work moving.

Best options to donate to save the Amazon: Quick review

To compare the best options to donate to save the Amazon, we looked at organizations that support the Amazon basin through conservation, Indigenous rights, forest protection, local livelihoods, policy advocacy, research, or community-led environmental work. 

We also considered how clearly each organization explains its mission, whether it shares measurable results, what giving options are available, and whether donors can review third-party ratings such as Charity Navigator.

How to choose the best charities to donate to

A good donation decision starts with clarity. Before you give, take a few minutes to understand how the organization works by asking these questions:

• • Does the charity clearly explain its work?: Start with the organization’s website. Look for clear information about its programs, the regions it works in, and the communities or ecosystems it supports.
  • Does its mission match what you want to support?: Read the mission carefully and ensure it aligns with the kind of work you care about, such as forest restoration, Indigenous rights, wildlife protection, sustainable livelihoods, or community-led conservation.
  • Does it share measurable goals?: Look for specific goals, such as acres protected, communities supported, species monitored, or funding directed to local partners.
  • Does it show what it has already achieved?: Look for annual reports, impact reports, case studies, or project updates that connect the charity’s goals to real outcomes.
  • Can you review its financial information?: Research the charity’s financials through its website, IRS Form 990, annual report, Charity Navigator, Candid, or other nonprofit rating tools.
  • Are there real people behind the work?: Read stories, partner updates, or testimonials from people who work with or benefit from the charity. This can show whether the organization is connected to the communities it claims to support.
  • Is there a giving option that fits you?: Some nonprofits accept one-time donations, monthly gifts, donor-advised fund grants, stock gifts, workplace giving, or legacy gifts. Choose the option that fits how you want to support the work.

Best options to donate to save the Amazon

Now that you know what to look for, you can compare each organization with a clearer sense of what your donation may support.

1. Rare

Rare is a global leader in community-led conservation. For more than 50 years, we have partnered with local communities worldwide to strengthen their stewardship of the lands and waters they depend on. 

Along Brazil’s Amazon Coast, Rare works with fishers, women leaders, youth, local governments, and community organizations to protect mangroves, strengthen coastal fisheries, and support local livelihoods. This region includes the world’s second-largest mangrove forest, stretching across Amapá, Pará, and Maranhão states.

Rare combines community-driven solutions with behavioral science, partnerships, financing, and practical innovation to create the conditions for conservation to succeed. By helping make local leadership the foundation of conservation, we strengthen resilience for people and nature.

 Rare’s work on the Amazon Coast includes supporting community-managed fishing areas, no-take reserves, women-led conservation networks, financial resilience programs, and local governance systems..

Ratings: 100% on Charity Navigator

What they’ve achieved: 

• • Helped establish two new marine extractive reserves in Pará state, protecting more than 75,000 hectares across four municipalities along Brazil’s Amazon Coast
  • Supports conservation work along a mangrove system that stretches nearly 14,000 square kilometers across northern Brazil
  • Works in Pará state’s coastal zone, which provides food security and income to more than 80,000 people across 500+ communities
  • Supports a growing network of more than 630 women across 14 marine extractive reserves along Brazil’s Amazon Coast
  • Works with partners to support active management of marine extractive reserves, sustainable use of coastal resources, and biodiversity monitoring in the Amazon coastal zone
  • Helps communities strengthen fisheries management through locally led rules, protected areas, data, and behavior-centered conservation strategies

Ways to contribute: 

• • Make a one-time donation
  • Set up a monthly gift
  • Give through a donor-advised fund
  • Donate stock or securities
  • Make a qualified charitable distribution
  • Give by check or bank transfer
  • Include Rare in estate planning
  • Contact Rare’s Development team for more giving options

Support community-led conservation along Brazil’s Amazon Coast.

2. Rainforest Trust

Rainforest Trust has worked to protect tropical habitat since 1988, including forests across the Amazon basin. They partner with local groups to help create protected areas, Indigenous territories, community forests, and reserves where threatened wildlife and important ecosystems can recover. In the Amazon, this includes supporting land protection efforts that keep forests intact and reduce pressure from deforestation.

Ratings: 98% on Charity Navigator

What they’ve achieved: 

• • Helped protect more than 68.8 million acres across Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia-Pacific
  • Supported protected areas in partnership with local organizations and engaged communities across more than 68 countries

Ways to contribute: 

• • Make a one-time online donation
  • Set up a monthly gift
  • Donate through a donor-advised fund
  • Donate stock
  • Give by mail
  • Include Rainforest Trust in estate planning
  • Support a specific campaign or urgent conservation project

3. Amazon Conservation Association

Amazon Conservation Association has worked in the Amazon for more than 25 years, with programs in Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia. They protect forests by creating and managing conservation areas, training local people in conservation practices, and using science and technology to monitor threats like illegal deforestation. Their work also includes biological research stations, scholarships for young scientists, and tools like MAAP, a real-time satellite monitoring system that tracks deforestation across the Amazon.

Ratings: 96% on Charity Navigator

What they’ve achieved: 

• • Protected 14.6 million acres through conservation areas
  • Trained 20,000 people in conservation practices such as tree care and water management

Ways to contribute: 

• • Make an online donation
  • Give by check or money order
  • Start a personal fundraiser
  • Donate through PayPal
  • Donate stock
  • Give through a donor-advised fund
  • Make a qualified charitable distribution
  • Include Amazon Conservation Association in planned giving
  • Give through workplace giving or matching gifts
  • Donate cryptocurrency

4. Survival International

Survival International is a global Indigenous rights organization that works with Indigenous and tribal peoples, including communities in the Amazon. Rather than running forest restoration projects, they focus on land rights, public campaigns, investigations, and pressure on governments or companies when Indigenous territories are threatened. Their work includes advocacy for uncontacted peoples, legal recognition of Indigenous lands, and protection from illegal mining, logging, land theft, and forced contact.

Ratings: 95% on Charity Navigator

What they’ve achieved: 

• • Helped the Yanomami people create the largest area of rainforest under Indigenous control in the world
  • Investigates and exposes abuses committed by governments, companies, and other powerful groups

Ways to contribute: 

• • Make a one-time donation
  • Set up regular giving
  • Buy official merchandise
  • Leave a legacy gift
  • Donate in celebration or memory of someone
  • Join the mailing list and take email actions
  • Sign campaign pledges or contact decision-makers through Survival’s advocacy campaigns

5. Rainforest Action Network

Rainforest Action Network, often called RAN, has worked since 1985 to challenge companies and financial institutions connected to rainforest destruction, fossil fuel expansion, and human rights abuses. In the Amazon, RAN focuses on corporate accountability, Indigenous rights, and support for frontline communities resisting threats such as oil extraction, mining, cattle ranching, soy expansion, and timber production. Their work includes investigations, public campaigns, direct pressure on companies, and small grants to local forest communities.

Ratings: 98% on Charity Navigator

What they’ve achieved: 

• • Spent 40 years campaigning for forests, climate, and human rights
  • Engaged more than 1.2 million people over four decades through their network

Ways to contribute: 

• • Make an online donation
  • Donate by mail
  • Give through electronic fund transfer
  • Donate through a donor-advised fund
  • Give stock or mutual fund shares
  • Include RAN in estate planning
  • Make a gift in honor or memory of someone
  • Support through a foundation or institutional gift
  • Make a qualified charitable distribution

6. Rainforest Alliance

Rainforest Alliance works with farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers to make agriculture and supply chains less harmful to forests. In the Amazon, their work connects to products and land-use pressures that affect rainforest health, including farming, sourcing, and community livelihoods. The organization is also known for its certification seal, which appears on products that meet its sustainability standards.

Ratings: 91% on Charity Navigator

What they’ve achieved: 

• • Works with farmers, companies, and forest communities across more than 60 countries
  • Supports certification standards designed to improve soil health, biodiversity, water conservation, and livelihoods

Ways to contribute: 

• • Make a one-time online donation
  • Set up a monthly donation
  • Donate through a donor-advised fund
  • Give stock
  • Make an IRA contribution
  • Include Rainforest Alliance in planned giving
  • Join the Rainforest Alliance Ambassador Program

7. Amazon Watch

Amazon Watch focuses on the people defending the Amazon from the ground up. Since 1996, it has worked alongside Indigenous organizations to protect rainforest territories, challenge destructive industry projects, and bring international attention to threats facing Amazon communities. Their campaigns often target the companies, banks, and governments connected to oil drilling, mining, deforestation, and human rights violations.

Ratings: 98% on Charity Navigator

What they’ve achieved: 

• • Has worked for nearly 30 years to protect the Amazon and defend Indigenous rights
  • Supports rapid response efforts for Earth Defenders facing threats

Ways to contribute: 

• • Make a one-time donation
  • Set up a monthly gift as an Amazon Ally
  • Donate through a donor-advised fund
  • Give stock or cryptocurrency
  • Make a gift by mail
  • Donate through an IRA qualified charitable distribution
  • Include Amazon Watch in estate planning
  • Join campaigns, sign pledges, or contact decision-makers

8. The Amazon Conservation Team

The Amazon Conservation Team works directly with Indigenous and local communities to protect ancestral forests and strengthen traditional knowledge. Their work includes helping communities map their territories, secure land rights, monitor forests, and defend Indigenous self-determination. The organization has worked in the Amazon for 30 years and focuses on conservation that protects both ecosystems and the cultures connected to them.

Ratings: 99% on Charity Navigator

What they’ve achieved: 

• • Celebrated 30 years of biocultural conservation in the Amazon
  • Supports Indigenous self-determination through locally led forest stewardship

Ways to contribute: 

• • Make an online donation
  • Donate through a donor-advised fund
  • Give by check
  • Donate stock or securities
  • Include Amazon Conservation Team in planned giving
  • Contact the organization about other giving options

9. Cool Earth

Cool Earth provides financial and practical support directly to people living in rainforest communities. In the Amazon, their work includes partnerships with Indigenous communities in Peru, who use funding for needs like clean water, forest monitoring, sustainable income, and local conservation priorities. Their model is built around the idea that people who live in the rainforest are best placed to protect it when they have the resources and freedom to choose what their communities need.

Ratings: 82% on Charity Navigator

What they’ve achieved: 

• • Reports giving cash to more than 58,000 people living in rainforest communities
  • Reports that 99% of rainforest remains intact where Cool Earth works

Ways to contribute: 

• • Make a one-time donation
  • Set up a monthly gift
  • Donate through payroll giving
  • Give in memory or celebration of someone
  • Donate through a business partnership
  • Fundraise for Cool Earth
  • Leave a gift in your will

10. Rainforest Foundation US

Rainforest Foundation US helps Indigenous peoples and forest communities secure their land rights, monitor their territories, and protect rainforests from illegal or harmful activity. In the Amazon, their work includes support for Indigenous land tenure, community-based forest monitoring, and tools that help communities document threats in their territories. They also work in Central America and Mexico, but the Amazon has been part of their work for more than 35 years.

Ratings: 96% on Charity Navigator

What they’ve achieved: 

• • Reports 35+ years of work protecting the Amazon rainforest
  • Helps communities use mapping, monitoring, and technology to document forest threats

Ways to contribute: 

• • Make a one-time online donation
  • Set up monthly giving through the Treehouse community
  • Donate by credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo, or bank transfer
  • Give through workplace giving or employer matching
  • Include Rainforest Foundation US in your will
  • Contact the organization about additional ways to support its work

How to best support charities to save the Amazon basin

Choose a form of support you’re able to follow through on, then direct it toward an organization doing clear, credible work. Here are a few ways to help:

• • Donate money: A one-time or monthly donation gives nonprofits flexible support for programs, local partners, fieldwork, research, advocacy, and community-led conservation.
  • Buy official merchandise: Some organizations sell shirts, bags, books, or other items that help fund their work. Buy directly from the nonprofit so more of your purchase supports the organization.
  • Volunteer your time: Depending on the charity, you may be able to help with events, outreach, translation, research, administrative work, or local fundraising. Check the organization’s website for current opportunities.
  • Help with fundraising: Start a small fundraiser at your workplace, school, or community group. Even a small campaign can introduce more people to the organization’s work.
  • Share their stories: Follow the charity’s updates and share stories from the communities, ecosystems, and projects they support. This helps more people understand what’s happening in the Amazon and where support is needed.
  • Choose long-term support when possible: Ongoing donations, recurring fundraisers, or planned gifts can help nonprofits plan ahead and keep programs running over time.

Protect the Amazon basin by donating to a community-led conservation nonprofit like Rare

So how do you want to support the Amazon? You can fund advocacy. You can help protect wildlife habitat. You can support research, land rights, forest monitoring, or direct conservation work with local communities. Any of these options will provide essential resources for those working to protect the Amazon basin.

If you want your donation to help people care for the places they depend on every day, choose Rare. Along Brazil’s Amazon Coast, Rare works with fishers, women leaders, youth, and local organizations to protect mangroves, strengthen coastal fisheries, and support livelihoods that depend on healthy ecosystems.

Support Rare’s community-led conservation work along Brazil’s Amazon Coast.