Grants for Land Conservation

Program goal

To mitigate climate change, make communities more resilient to climate change, protect public health from the hazards of toxic chemicals and pollutants, and preserve biological diversity.

Grants are made to

Promote more environmentally sustainable, resilient, and just communities that mitigate climate change by:

• Promoting energy efficiency and alternative sources of energy for buildings.
• Shifting to electric or low-emission vehicles and greater use of mass transit.
• Promoting a smarter, more resilient grid and distributed (on-site) generation.
• Reducing emissions from existing fossil fuel-powered facilities and extraction activities.
• Establishing regional programs, performance standards, and regulations that help reduce emissions.

Make communities, especially the most disadvantaged, more resilient to a changing climate by:

• Creating infrastructure that reduces stormwater runoff and absorbs storm surges.
• Protecting shoreline communities by conserving or enhancing natural barriers.
• Encouraging more sustainable building design and land use through policy reforms.
• Better planning and preparation for weather-related emergencies, especially for low-income and other vulnerable residents.

Protect public health from the hazards of toxic pollutants by:

• Supporting targeted scientific research that can be used to develop policy.
• Promoting safer chemical and heavy metal policies and practices, especially for infants, children, and other vulnerable people.
• Eliminating toxic chemicals from products through market campaigns focused on retailers and manufacturers.
• Enhancing protections for low-income communities near polluting facilities.
• Minimizing the hazards of new and expanded fossil fuel extraction on nearby communities.

Preserve biological diversity through habitat conservation by:

• Establishing, enhancing, and monitoring wildlife migration corridors; and
• Supporting functional connectivity between fragmented habitat that enables species to move and live safely

We encourage initiatives that cut across these program areas, especially those focused on smart growth, sustainable agriculture and regional food systems, and sustainable production.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awards competitive grants through our programs to protect and conserve our nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. The Foundation works with public and private partners in all 50 states and U.S. territories to solve the most challenging conservation problems.

Background

Acres for America is the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) premier land conservation program and was established to provide urgently needed funding for projects that conserve important large-scale habitats for fish, wildlife, and plants through voluntary land acquisitions and perpetual conservation easements.

In 2005, Acres for America was launched as a partnership between Walmart Stores and NFWF. As a founding partner, Walmart's goal was to offset the footprint of its domestic facilities on at least an acre-by-acre basis – a number then estimated at 100,000 acres – through permanent conservation of important wildlife habitats. The program has now helped to permanently protect over 2 million acres and connect more than 47 million acres of public and private conservation lands across the country.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) will collect pre-proposals from around the nation; from which NFWF will select a small number of applicants to submit a more detailed full proposal. Prior to submitting a pre-proposal, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the appropriate NFWF regional office (listed in the Applicant Assistance section of this RFP). The purpose is to give the applicant an opportunity to share project concepts and ideas prior to fully preparing and submitting a pre-proposal.

Funding Philosophy

Woodard & Curran Foundation is a public nonprofit organization dedicated to making grants that empower local and global solutions for a healthier world. The Foundation's giving strategy focuses on this basic resource: clean water. Whether you live in an area where water supplies are plentiful or where water is scarce, concerns about water conservation, sanitation, and safe drinking water supplies are growing increasingly urgent, locally and globally.

Impact Grants

In 2025 Woodard & Curran Foundation will award one 1-year $100,000 Impact Grant for a project that focuses on the protection and/or management of our watersheds and groundwater supplies in the face of climate change.

In 2025, we are seeking proposals for projects that focus on the protection, restoration, and/or management of our watersheds and/or groundwater basins in the face of climate change/natural disasters. Such projects could, for example, include management through reducing the impact of extreme weather events; innovative approaches to responsible land and water management; or remediation of impacted watersheds.

Our chief interest is in receiving strong applications for innovative projects that protect our water and environment and for which our grant funds will have the most impact.

See FAQ for additional informations.

Background

Established in 1990, the Arthur L. & Elaine V. Johnson Foundation provides grants to organizations that support guide dogs to assist the visually impaired and other assistance animals that aid people with physical disabilities. We also provide grants to organizations that conserve wildlife, especially threatened or endangered species and their habitats. 

Funding Priorities

We desire that the Foundation be a catalyst for change and therefore prefer to fund projects that will assist an organization in a long-term change. 

For funding in the area of handicap assistance animals:

• Our highest priority is dogs that assist the visually impaired, followed by dogs or other animals individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a physical disability.

For funding in the area of nature conservancy:

• Our highest priority is for direct conservation (e.g., preservation or restoration of natural land, animal conservation or preservation) and science-based conservation activities (i.e., research designed to lead to better land and wildlife management).
• We give higher priority to applications focused on critical habitat or environments or on threatened or endangered species.

Our Mission

Established in 1992 by Lisa and Douglas Goldman, the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund is a private foundation committed to providing support for charitable organizations that enhance our society.  As natives of San Francisco, the Goldmans place a high priority on projects that have an impact upon the San Francisco community.  Within its grantmaking areas, the Fund strives to be responsive and flexible as well as to make informed and responsible grants to support qualified projects.  We invite you to review the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund’s newly stated Interests and Priorities.

Interests & Priorities - Environment

Environment

• Goal: Promote industry practices that mitigate climate change and protect natural resources.
  • Geographic Area:
    • Projects that are implemented nationally and/or in multiple states.
      • This program goal does not currently accept applications for projects that are implemented in a single city or state.
  • Strategies:
  • Support sustainable industry practices throughout the lifecycle of products.
  • Influence market shifts toward environmentally-responsible materials and decreased use of harmful chemicals.
• Goal: Advance nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.
  • Geographic Area:
    • Projects that are implemented internationally, nationally and/or in California.
      • This program goal does not currently accept applications for projects that are implemented in a single city or state other than California.
  • Strategies:
    • Protect and conserve ecosystems that sequester carbon, with a special interest in primary forests and engaging Indigenous communities in climate solutions.
• Goal: Reduce local sources of greenhouse gas emissions and help prepare for the impacts of climate change on Bay Area ecosystems.
• Geographic Area: San Francisco Bay Area
• Strategies:
  • Advance responsible land use and transportation policies and practices.
  • Protect natural resources from the effects of climate change.

The Goldman Fund considers requests by invitation only from organizations in the following fields:

• Health & Recreation
• San Francisco Bay Area Institutions & Projects
• Special Projects & Initiatives

Mission

We harness the collective power of business and outdoor communities to fund and advocate for the protection of North America’s wild places.

Member Directed Grants

The Conservation Alliance is a group of outdoor businesses that supports efforts to protect specific wild places for their habitat and recreation values.

We fund groups who are nominated by our members and whose work meets all of these criteria:

• The project should seek to secure lasting and quantifiable protection of a specific wild land or waterway.
• The campaign should engage grassroots citizen action in support of the conservation effort.
• All projects must have a clear recreational benefit.
• The project should have a good chance of final success within four years.

About The Memorial Trust

In 1975, two years after his death, The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust was established in New York. The four original trustees were a member of the Snow family, a lawyer, a publishing associate and a corporate trustee, the Irving Trust Company, now BNY Mellow N.A.. The current Trustees continue this legacy being well aware of the donor and his beliefs, values and ideals. The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust strategically focuses funding within specific geographic regions of the United States across a range of program areas. They meet once a year, usually in June.

The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust

The Memorial Trust strategically focuses funding within specific geographic regions of the United States across a range of program areas (prioritized below and visually depicted here) while responding to the ever-changing needs of various segments of the population, especially to the needs of youth and people who are disadvantaged economically, emotionally, or physically.

Dating back to the inception of the Trust in 1973, the primary and overarching grant making priority has been and continues to be programs that focus on education.

• Education: Targets funds to organizations that provide educational opportunities or academic assistance to individuals who demonstrate an intellectual aptitude and a financial need. Examples include scholarships, fellowships, academic tutoring or counseling, literacy, and journalism.

Secondarily, the Trust considers proposals within the areas of Arts and Culture, Community Initiatives, and Youth Programs. The Board’s objective is to extend the primary educational focus by providing funding support within these additional program areas.

• Community Initiatives: Provides funding for programs or services that directly improve the quality of life within the geographic focus areas that we serve. Examples include support for libraries, food pantries and shelters, and neighborhood revitalization. Generally, the Trust does not seek proposals for health care initiatives or animal welfare programs.
• Arts and Culture: Offers grants that promote arts education and appreciation, particularly for young adults, via the development of educational curriculum and professional instruction including visiting artists and performance support for targeted populations.
• Youth Initiatives: Offers grants that provide character education or enrichment opportunities via mentoring or after-school programming

As a third priority, the Trust does consider proposals in the areas of Disabilities and Universal Access, Environmental, and Historic Preservation. As these are not core focus areas, funding is often limited. Priority will be given to proposals with an educational focus.

• Disabilities and Universal Access: Offers grants to organizations in complying with ADA requirements within their facilities (e.g. elevator, handrails, automatic doors, and ramps) or offering services targeted for individuals with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities.
• Environmental: Provides funds for organizations that strive to protect strategic parcels of land and bodies of water as well as programs that educate the general public on key environmental issues such as conservation and water management.
• Historic Preservation: Provides funding for organizations that preserve historical artifacts (e.g. sites, structures, objects) and accounts (e.g. events), and educate the greater community on their significance. Examples include museums, historical societies and educational programming.

The Foundation embraces the protection of biodiversity as its overarching priority.

Frank Weeden, the Foundation’s founder and original benefactor, established the Weeden Foundation to address the impact of growing human populations and overuse of natural resources on the biological fabric of the planet. Since his death in 1984, the Foundation has helped preserve more than 6 million acres of biologically important habitat worldwide and provided financing for the first debt-for-nature swap in Bolivia in 1992, a strategy that is now widely used by international conservation organizations. Program efforts have supported projects in environmentally sensitive regions of the western United States, Alaska, Russia, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Belize, Namibia, Mexico, and various Caribbean nations.

Focus Areas

On a more general scale the Foundation supports the following focus areas.

Bird Conservation

Our goal in the Bird Conservation program area is to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. In particular we seek to fund grantees that work to prevent bird species extinctions and to prevent declining populations of bird species from becoming endangered. We specifically focus on protecting and restoring public and private bird habitat and we assist in acquiring land for threatened bird species. Finally we support protection of bird migration corridors in North and South America.

Systemic Support program at the U.S. national policy level for wildlife corridors, the Endangered Species Act, and additional wilderness designation.

Our goal in Systemic Support is to improve the effectiveness of environmental efforts through specialized services. Specific objectives include:

• support the Endangered Species Act through litigation, lobbying, grassroots campaigns and public education generally,
• promote organizations providing support for groups engaged in wilderness protection, land conservation, endangered species protection, wildlife corridor issues, and management of public lands, an
• improve federal and state support for environmentally sustainable practices, wilderness designations, and wildlife corridors. 

Global Biodiversity

Our goal in Global Biodiversity is to support campaigns and/or groups in biodiversity hotspots. Specific objectives are to

protect global temperate rainforests,

support creation of wildlife corridors,

land acquisition and protection for endangered species and,

support projects that involve indigenous peoples in the process and stewardship of conservation projects.

Environmental Education

The Foundation’s Environment Education program area focuses on supporting grantees that will provide future leaders with the tools to effect environmental policies. These policies complement the other grantees of the Foundation including biodiversity and habitat protection. Sustainable environmental policies must include both immediate actions as well as education to anticipate and to prevent future environmental impact.

Marine Wildlife Conservation

The Marine Wildlife Conservation Program Area focuses on helping to protect endangered marine species in the Americas through research, advocacy, policy change, and habitat conservation.

To address the adverse impact of economic and human population growth on biodiversity, the Foundation’s grantmaking includes both Consumption and Population programs.

The Foundation’s Sustainable Consumption program currently focuses on promoting greater use of environmental paper. Grantmaking in this area aims to broaden the market for environmental papers and packaging through markets campaigns, shareholder activism, consumer-targeted education, and dialogue with the corporate sector. This year we have expanded our packaging program to include efforts to reduce plastics in the waste stream, through strategies such as eliminating single use plastic disposables by promoting reusable packaging for grocery stores, take-out, and delivery.

The Foundation’s International Population program area is focused on reducing population growth rates in countries recognized for their rich biodiverse landscapes and that have a total fertility rate exceeding replacement levels. To achieve this goal, the Foundation funds groups that facilitate initiatives related to family planning, women’s education and women’s empowerment in countries with such rich and recognized biodiversity. The Foundation also supports advocacy efforts addressing global population growth in the context of environmental sustainability.

Background

Land trusts are an increasingly popular mechanism to protect private lands and potentially conserve birds and their habitats. Through fee acquisitions, voluntary conservation easements, and stewardship, land trusts have become powerful agents of land conservation and their reach continues to expand. From 2005 to 2010, more than 1,400 state, local, and national land trusts in the U.S. have more than doubled their land holdings to 47 million acres – an area larger than all New England states combined and 90% of the land area protected by National Parks.

At the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Cornell Lab), we believe land trusts can help birds, and birds can benefit land trusts. To develop mutually beneficial collaborations between land trusts and the bird conservation community, the Cornell Lab’s Conservation Science program launched our Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative in 2013. This initiative provides bird-related resources, tools, partnership, and funding opportunities to advance the pace and impact of land trusts’ protection and stewardship efforts through birds. We aim to build the capacity of land trusts to meet their own goals and to achieve strategic bird conservation on private lands. We support land trusts in prioritizing lands for bird conservation, developing and implementing bird monitoring projects, managing habitats, developing successful funding proposals, and increasing their community support.

One objective of the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative is to provide funding to facilitate high priority, bird-focused conservation projects. Partners are encouraged to use the awarded funds to leverage additional dollars from community groups and other funding agencies, as well as create capacity to accomplish conservation goals. To meet this objective, we are launching a Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Grant Program.

Mission

To advise and support land trusts and their partners with capacity building and accomplishing bird conservation on private lands through acquisition and easements prioritization, habitat management and restoration, stewardship, and community outreach.

Request for Proposals

The Land Trust grant program will fund up to fourteen grants via two tracks:

• Capacity and Partnership Projects: 6 grants of $10,000 each
• Management and Restoration Projects: 8 grants of $25,000 each

Grant-Specific Evaluation Criteria

Capacity and Partnership Grants:

• Projects must build land trust capacity by teaching or demonstrating how birds can enhance strategic planning and mission fulfillment of land trusts (e.g. using eBird as a conservation planning tool), and/or facilitate mutually beneficial collaborations and partnerships with the bird conservation community.
• Requested grant funding should not exceed $10,000.
• Applicant land trusts do not need to be accredited.
• See Example Activities page for ideas of activities that we would consider funding under this grant track.

Management and Restoration Grants:

• Organization should either be an accredited land trust or be working with an accredited land trust as a partner. Ideally the lead applicant should be the accredited land trust.
• Projects should actively manage, restore, and/or steward land in a way that enhances habitat and promotes bird conservation, with special emphasis on priority species or those identified in State Wildlife Action Plans.
• Requested grant funding should not exceed $25,000.
• See Example Activities page for ideas of activities that we would consider funding under this grant track.

Environment

Through the Environment Program, the foundation seeks to ensure a thriving, resilient environment for wildlife and people, and foster an inclusive, effective conservation movement.

Doris Duke was a lifelong environmentalist with a keen interest in conservation. In her will, which guides our focus areas, she expressed her interest in "the preservation of wildlife, both flora and fauna" and in supporting "ecological endeavors."

Why It's Important

In the wildest places and the most urban, our health and quality of life depends on the natural world—from the water we drink, the air we breathe and the food we eat, to the places where we may find inspiration, joy, healing or kinship. Increasingly, nature depends on us as well, to be responsible stewards of the ecosystems where we and millions of other species dwell. In the face of accelerating extinctions and global climate change, now is the critical decade for taking action.

What We Support

The Doris Duke Foundation seeks to demonstrate how effective conservation can protect and restore nature, help address climate change and promote a more equitable society. We support initiatives that increase the pace and scale of land conservation and stewardship across the United States to protect biodiversity, bolster the resilience of natural areas and advance climate change mitigation. We also focus on conservation efforts that advance equity, in particular for communities that identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color. To achieve these goals, the foundation concentrates on three complementary and intersecting areas of focus.

Nature: Land Conservation in an Era of Climate Change

Conserving, restoring and managing ecosystems is fundamental to protecting wildlife and sustaining biodiversity in all its forms. As climate change increasingly alters the natural world, the approaches by which we conserve and steward land must adapt to ensure enduring benefits to wildlife, the climate and communities.

Our support focuses on three critical approaches to increasing the pace, scale and effectiveness of land conservation and stewardship across the United States, with the goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 for biodiversity, landscape connectivity, climate resilience and thriving wild and human communities:

• Conservation of resilient lands and waters through efforts that identify and accelerate conservation of areas expected to be most intrinsically resilient to climate change.
• Climate-adapted conservation and restoration practices that draw on the best available science and traditional ecological knowledge to intentionally help prepare ecosystems for changing conditions rather than resist them.
• Landscape-scale conservation through collaborative approaches that focus on maintaining functioning, resilient, connected ecosystems.

Climate: Natural Climate Solutions

Natural climate solutions, strategies that leverage the capacity of ecosystems to absorb and store carbon, have the potential to provide 20% of the nation’s climate mitigation progress while also providing benefits to wildlife and communities. Through the Environment Program, the foundation works to accelerate the use of natural climate solutions as an essential means to mitigate climate change and support rural economic development. To that end, we focus on scaling climate mitigation through protection of intact ecosystems and priority habitats, ecosystem restoration and approaches to improved land management.

To dramatically scale natural climate solutions, we particularly focus on supporting the following activities:

• Land restoration approaches like reforestation, through efforts that drive innovation, investment and implementation.
• Policy and program frameworks that enable federal and state governments to pursue natural climate solutions.
• Market-based approaches with high ecological and methodological integrity and accessibility to a diverse array of conservation stakeholders.
• Science, research and synthesis that underpin the design of effective natural climate solutions policy, programs, and implementation.
• Innovative finance and new models to scale public and private investment in natural climate solutions.
• Strategic communications approaches that deepen key audiences’ understanding of natural climate solutions.

Equity: Inclusive Conservation

Land conservation, restoration and stewardship of nature can have a valuable and tangible role in advancing equity in our society. This is especially true when land conservation is inclusive and respectful of local communities and traditional knowledge, and when it advances equitable access to and benefits from nature. For this reason, the foundation works to support environmental organizations who are advancing conservation efforts from a variety of cultural perspectives, including those led by and serving communities who identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). We also aim to ensure that the conservation, restoration and stewardship of nature yield meaningful and equitable benefits to all people, particularly for BIPOC communities and those from households whose annual incomes fall below a government-designated threshold through the following approaches:

• Equitable distribution of urban trees and nature access for nature, climate and social well-being benefits.
• Expanding land access to enable conservation action by resolving barriers to land protection and stewardship posed by land tenure and usage rights issues.
• Diversifying the conservation workforce by investing with purpose in the next generation of young people, and supporting inclusive and equitable institutions. The longest running of the foundation’s efforts in this vein is The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, which launched in 2013 to support the next generation of environmental conservation professionals from a diverse set of backgrounds and perspectives.

Purpose and Scope

• The Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Challenge Cost Share program is intended to support specific National Park Service mission-related projects that align with the goals of project partners.
• Challenge Cost Share projects must support one or more of the following funding themes:
  • Addressing the Climate Crisis
    • Projects that address the climate crisis and build resiliency to a changing climate.
    • Projects could include developing green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and/or creating sustainable energy sources.
  • Conservation Projects (Lands and Waters)
    • Projects that increase the acres of protected or restored lands and waters.
  • Advancing Equity for Youth from Underserved Communities
    • Projects that increase equitable access to parks for youth and young adults from underserved communities.
  • Outdoor Recreation
    • Projects that increase public access to new and restored outdoor recreation opportunities.
• Projects that benefit NPS administered National Parks, National Trails and Wild and Scenic Rivers.
• National Park Service staff will work with project partners to achieve these mutually beneficial outcomes.
• This partnership challenge seeks to reward proposals that have the best prospects to build enduring benefits and develop new partnerships.

Funding and Match

• If a project is selected, the partner organization will enter into agreement to receive and manage the project funds consistent with the project’s application, purpose and budget.
• The partner organization is required to match the amount of the Challenge Cost Share program funding received with an equal share from the partner(s); any combination of dollars and in-kind services can be counted toward the partner's cost share requirement, as long as their match comes from non-federal sources.
• The maximum Challenge Cost Share program support is $25,000 per project.
• The Challenge Cost Share program is ONPS funds and must be used for the purpose and benefit of the NPS administered unit.
• Challenge Cost Share program funding cannot be used to pay for NPS staff salaries or travel.

11th Hour Racing's Grantmaking Strategy11th Hour Racing fosters systemic change to restore ocean health — our vision for the future includes cleaner, healthier waterways through strong local stewardship and collective action around the world. As the climate crisis intensifies, so does the impact on ocean health. We need a global paradigm shift, from an extractive economy that depletes our natural resources to a sustainable economy that uses resources wisely and protects our ocean. We work to facilitate this transition by supporting local solutions to global problems, led by community organizations and industry leaders. By supporting local pilot programs that model best practices of sustainability, restore coastal ecosystems, and advance ocean stewardship, our grantees are creating systemic change to restore ocean health. We are working toward a future of cleaner, healthier waterways through strong local stewardship and collective action around the world.Focus Areas11th Hour Racing seeks proposals that align with one or more of our focus areas:

• Ocean Literacy & Stewardship – increase the understanding and appreciation of the importance of healthy oceans and waterways to communities through experiential learning, citizen science, and powerful story-telling.
• Clean Technologies & Best Practices – advance practices and technologies in coastal communities and the marine industry that reduce waste, prevent plastic pollution, improve water quality, and assess new circular solutions.
• Ecosystem Restoration – improve water quality, bolster coastal resilience, and sequester carbon through coastal habitat restoration

Ocean Literacy & Stewardship: Outreach and educational initiatives for any age focused on improving knowledge of ocean health issues and best practices. Emphasis will be given to projects focused on youth-led initiatives, citizen science, and experiential education. Programs specializing in increasing stewardship, access, and ocean literacy in underserved, urban communities are of particular interest. Does not include: curriculum development; or general funding for educational programming. Clean Technologies & Best Practices: Efforts that advance emerging methods and/or technologies that reduce the environmental footprint of coastal communities, sailing-related activities, and the maritime industry. Activities may include improving coastal community practices regarding plastic pollution prevention or food waste such as composting; environmentally responsible vessel disposal methods or construction materials; sailmaking or boatbuilding material alternatives or processes. Does not include: policy development; proven technologies (such as conventional solar photovoltaic), community beach or offshore clean-ups of marine debris, or advertising. Ecosystem Restoration: Using coastal habitats like mangroves, salt marsh, and seagrass to sequester carbon (commonly referred to as Blue Carbon), using oysters and vertical farming to improve coastal water quality or innovative approaches to restoring coral health. Does not include: coastal infrastructure projects, conservation easements, or land acquisition.Evaluation CriteriaProject submissions are evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Environmental impact: the magnitude of the project’s environmental benefits.
• Capacity and Organizational Expertise: organizational capacity and qualifications necessary to implement the proposed project.
• Innovation and Creativity: how unique the project is or the methodology used are.
• Feasibility of implementation: technological, financial, and political factors that may influence the success of the project.

Strong consideration will be given to projects that involve collaborations and stakeholder engagement, model best practices, can demonstrate measurable outcomes in a one-year timeframe, and share successes broadly. For anything we fund, particularly demonstration projects or place-based work, we prefer opportunities for broader impact through replicating or scaling.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here. 

The focus area for this year is Wildlife Conservation. We believe it's our duty to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. We envision a world where everyone works in harmony to protect what is important so that all life on this planet can thrive.

Land and Climate Grant Program

Across the country, communities and ecosystems are experiencing climate change and grappling with its unknowns. How much will temperatures rise and how quickly? How will these changes impact the forests, streams, and wildlife we protect?

Despite this uncertainty, scientists agree: land protection is, and will remain, a key strategy for ensuring that natural systems — and the plants, animals, and people that depend upon them — can continue to thrive.

Since 2012, OSI has been helping land trusts and other groups that protect and steward land develop effective approaches to conserving land in a rapidly changing climate. Working alongside our capital grants program that funds the acquisition of land that is resilient and stores and sequesters carbon, OSI has supported the development of over 70 climate-aligned conservation plans and offered workshops, webinars, and trainings to over 6,000 participants.

OSI’s Catalyst Program currently focuses on addressing the following climate issues: habitat resilience, forest carbon storage and sequestration, and community resilience to climate impacts such as flooding. We support conservation groups and communities by offering planning grants and technical assistance, authoring guidance documents, and hosting workshops.

Land and Climate Catalyst Planning Grants

Through a collaboration between Open Space Institute and Land Trust Alliance, $300,000 is available in the 2023 grant round to help land trusts, other not-for-profit organizations, and state and federally recognized Tribes integrate climate science into strategic land protection plans or forest stewardship plans.

Land trusts may also apply for climate-informed land conservation planning or communications technical support from the Land Trust Alliance.

2023 Grant Program

Open Space Institute and the Land Trust Alliance are pleased to announce the 2023 Land and Climate Grant Program. The program aims to support and build the capacity of land trusts and other groups that conserve and steward land to integrate climate change into land protection and management decisions.

The program will support the development of climate-informed land conservation, stewardship, policy, or communications plans that address one or more of the following issues: habitat resilience, carbon mitigation, renewable energy siting or community adaptation to climate impacts such as stronger storms, flooding, drought, fire or extreme heat.

Projects should achieve one or more of the following deliverables:

Land Protection Plans

Incorporate climate science into new or existing strategic conservation plans that target land protection for climate adaptation or mitigation.

Management Plans

Incorporate climate science into land stewardship or management plans to address adaptation or mitigation strategies.

Communications Plans

Develop a comprehensive climate communication strategy that promotes the adaptation and mitigation goals of the organization and its conservation or stewardship plans

Renewable Energy Siting Plans

Develop a plan, decision matrix or policies to guide organizational engagement with renewable energy siting on conservation lands and/or in service areas.

The program encourages proposals that address the inequitable burdens of climate change and environmental racism on Black, Indigenous and People of Color and low-income communities.

We at Service Objects are passionate about data and environmental conservation causes. This passion is in our DNA, and it’s what helps define us as a company. And while these two passions appear disconnected, we’ve found unique ways to use our data validation service to help organizations that support, protect and aid our natural world. This is the catalyst behind Service Objects In-Kind Grants.

We believe in the physical, economic and the social benefits of a healthy environment, and that a strong connection with data quality will lead to greater support and protection of our natural resources. Our goal for creating this unique program is to inspire and assist non-profit organizations that are working to promote environmental health, economic vitality, informed land-use decisions and sound management of our planet's natural resources.

Service Objects In-Kind Grants will support organizations that encourage environmental leadership through the reduction of waste, and caring for our resources. We will provide in-kind donations to organizations that are working to encourage environmental conservation, as well as providing education for both personal and environmental health. In-kind contributions support the programs and/or daily operations of an environmental organization.

Data quality and validation services may include: address validation, email appending, phone number appending, email validation, demographics data, geocoding with latitude-longitude coordinates, and other data validation services. 

All funding requests should be quantifiable with specific product requests and plan objectives, with a clear measure for evaluating success. Projects should have a good chance of significant measurable results with momentum over a fairly short term (one to three years).

Yamaha Dealers and Customers Supporting Access to Land for Work and Play

The Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative is dedicated to those who work and play outdoors including, but not limited to, those who rely on off-highway vehicles (OHVs) to ride, camp, hunt or fish.

Supporting the outdoor enthusiast, the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative’s mission is to provide practical support for efforts that promote safe, responsible use of OHVs, educate the public on proper recreational land use and wildlife conservation practices, and protect appropriate and sustainable access to public lands.

Each quarter, Yamaha accepts applications from non-profit or tax exempt groups (clubs & associations), public riding areas (local, state and federal), outdoor enthusiast associations and land conservation organizations, and communities with an interest in protecting, improving, expanding and/or maintaining access for safe, responsible and sustainable use by motorized off-road vehicles. Our committee will review each application and award funds to deserving projects.

Our Mission Statement

The Von Voigtlander Family Foundation, an irrevocable charitable trust under Michigan law was created by Jeff and Kathleen Von Voigtlander.

Our mission is to make the world a better place by being part of the building and strengthening of those in need of assistance.

• The Foundation will strive to support public education through grants to education institutions for scholarships, extracurricular programs, athletics, technology, and motivational speakers for assemblies, as well as other educational needs.
• We will strive to make a difference in the lives of under-privileged, disabled and terminally ill children through grants to hospitals and other public charities for medical research, education, and programs dedicated to helping such children achieve their dreams.
• Since recreation and the preservation of land for the enjoyment of everyone ties to the well-being of both young and old, the Foundation will make grants to those public charities that work to protect our parks and recreational areas.
• We will also make grants in support of programs at public charities that are dedicated to the rescue and protection of animals due to disaster, abandonment, or abuse, as well as the training of dogs for special needs children and the disabled.
• The Foundation will focus on supporting our military and veterans affairs programs.

Areas of Focus:

Youth - Assisting our youth is an important facet of our Foundation’s mission. Providing scholarships to deserving students in need, supporting our public schools, and assisting programs and camps for disadvantaged children are ways that we strive to help our youth. Supporting these programs can benefit those with and without disabilities by giving them a sense of accomplishment and inclusion.

Animals - Pets are important members of many families. Our Foundation seeks to support animals of all kinds, from relocation and homing efforts, to assistance after natural disasters, to training service animals to assist with disabled members of our community.

Conservation -Our Foundation strives to support our community recreations areas, such as bike and hike trails. In addition to the many health benefits that these areas provide, such as reducing obesity and diminishing chronic diseases, recreational areas provide social benefits and support for our youth. Reducing crime and uniting families are some of the social benefits, and decreasing drug and alcohol use are ways that these areas support our youth population.

Military Veterans - Supporting those who have served is extremely important to the members of our Foundation. This includes the families of veterans, who are advocates in assisting veterans in getting the services they need and deserve. Supporting the training of service dogs for our veterans suffering from PTSD or other physical and mental disabilities is something we are all passionate about.

With major support from Toyota Motor North America, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is excited to announce $200,000 in grant funding to support shovel-ready pollinator habitat enhancement projects on America’s public lands.

Habitat enhancement projects should directly support the creation, restoration, remediation, improvement, and/or protection of habitats for important pollinator species such as butterflies, bees, bats, and more. The project should impact pollinators on at least 150 acres of public land. Additionally, projects should incorporate community outreach and engagement activities designed to educate and empower the public to help enhance pollinator habitats.

Funding Priorities

Habitat Enhancement Projects

Projects must implement on-the-ground activities designed to increase the quality, quantity, and connectivity of pollinator habitats. Applicants must define a step-by-step plan including site preparation, size of the project area, and description of target pollinator(s). Due to the time needed for large-scale habitat restoration projects, NEEF will consider proposals that are already underway or that propose a distinct piece of an existing restoration project. Conservation and habitat restoration activities should be varied and science-based. If preparing a proposal that includes collecting seeds or cultivating native seedlings, applicants should describe the intended use of the seed or seedlings, and it should only represent one piece of the project. For new projects, they must be shovel-ready, meaning ready to implement the proposed project within 3 months of the award date.

Community Engagement

All project proposals must provide opportunities for public engagement through education- or volunteer-focused events. Projects should aim to collaborate with a diverse group of community partners to achieve engagement and educational outcomes. Grantees will be required to report on the number of events implemented and the number of participants engaged during the grant period. Priority will be given to proposals that serve underrepresented audiences in the outdoors with an emphasis on serving communities marked disadvantaged by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool.

Project Metrics

To better gauge progress on individual grants and to ensure greater consistency of project data provided by multiple grantees, NEEF has provided a list of recommended project metrics. All applicants must commit to collecting and reporting on key project metrics listed below. 

Acres Enhanced: 

• Number of Acres 
• Number of Acres of Monarch Habitat
• Number of Individual Project Work Sites

Biodiversity Enhanced: 

• Number of Pollinator Species Promoted
• Number of Imperiled Species Protected
• Number of Native Plant Species Installed
• Number of Milkweed Plants Installed

Community Members Engaged: 

• Number of Individuals Engaged in Volunteer Activities 
• Number of Individuals Engaged in Outreach Activities 
• Number of Landowners Engaged
• Number of Toyota Employees Engaged
• Number of Individuals Engaged from Underserved Communities

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

The Trails Capacity Program invests in nationwide trails community capacity. We will maximize available funding focused on trail maintenance, research, and stewardship training projects. We find the best trail partners from all nonmotorized and motorized trail user groups (including water trails), and we measure our success in terms of visible, on-the-ground maintenance of trails and increased capacity of trail stewards to do the job effectively.

What the program does:

Supports partners to complete trail research, design, planning, stewardship, and maintenance projects that are inclusive, foster improved trail user behavior and connect trail assets to a broader spectrum of users. This program is targeted for non-Forest Service Federal lands, as well as State, local, and private lands. Projects on Forest Service lands should be directed to the Legacy Trails Program.

Our Mission

American Trails advances the development of diverse, high quality trails and greenways for the benefit of people and communities. Through collaboration, education, and communication, American Trails raises awareness of the value these trail systems offer.

Vision

American Trails envisions the nation’s public trails and greenways being within reach of all people wherever they live, work, and play. This vision ensures that:

• We connect people with the natural world by enabling those who build, maintain, use, and dream of trails.
• We improve the nation’s quality of life, health, and well-being with trails and greenways used for recreation and transportation.
• We invigorate communities financially by supporting trails that add valuable amenities that spur economic development.

American Trails Grant

Our Mission

To protect and restore America’s trails.

Our Vision

The Trail Fund’s vision is to engage the trail, outdoor recreation, and conservation industry giving community to partner with critical stewardship organizations to save our trails.

Our Values

• We connect - Providing a link between foundations, businesses, and the trails community, we enable and inspire our colleagues to work together to protect the trails that are vital to their business.
• We are collaborative - We recognize that our greatest strength is our collective nature. Our partners are trail industry leaders who come together around a common need of saving our trails from neglect.
• We get results - We strive to put 90-95% of all funds collected in our inaugural year directly into trail maintenance, research, and stewardship training projects. We strive to find the best trail partners from across the trails spectrum, and we measure that success in terms of measurable, on-the-ground maintenance of trails and increased capacity of trail stewards to do the job effectively.
• We are responsible - As a group of trails industry representatives, we have a responsibility to invest in protecting the trails that are a critical part of the American experience.

The Trail Fund will be administered by the Trails Move People Coalition, a diverse coalition of trail user groups, led by American Trails, and will support grants for trail maintenance, research, and stewardship training all across the country, serving all types of trail users. The amount of funding available and number of grants we can offer will vary year by year, pending funding.

The Trail Fund is a collaborative program of American Trails (a private 501(c)(3) charitable organization) launching with a generous gift of $50,000 from the Ford Corporation (plus additional funding in smaller amounts from individuals from the trails community and ongoing support from the Waterford Press and Rhino Marking and Protection Systems). With this gift, Ford, through the Bronco Wild Fund made clear its commitment to support all trail users across the country and ensure that high-quality trails are available to all.

Our Funding Priorities

Priority #1: Trail Maintenance Backlog on State and Local Lands

• Unfortunately, trails do not receive the ongoing maintenance support that they need through the Federal, State, and local appropriations process, resulting in a huge trail maintenance backlog.
• By current estimates in the US Forest Service alone, if nothing were to change in the current appropriations for trail maintenance, it would take over 1000 years to eliminate the current trail maintenance backlog.
  • And that does not even take into consideration the additional miles of trail that will be added to the backlog in that same time.
• Maintenance is not sexy, or easy to fund, but it is critical in helping our country, our citizens, and our communities maintain their connection to nature and to the enjoyment of our country’s most beautiful landscapes.

• Priority #2: Research:
  • Research and data on trails are critical to show the impact and benefits of trails.
  • The trails community is witnessing unprecedented growth and a shift in leadership away from Federal agencies, toward foundation and private investment driving trail development.
    • This highlights the need to develop the tools that allow a dynamic trail community to come together, professionalize and standardize, document our value and impact, and articulate this value and impact to public leaders, the outdoor industry, and other industries that unwittingly benefit from trails.
  • Our goal is to establish a robust and collaborative industry research capacity with a focus on the development and understanding of how trails and the industry create value and impact at the community, state, and federal level. Utilize the data and knowledge from research initiatives to inform and grow the trails knowledge base that would inform the needs in creating a professional development program.
• Priority #3: Stewardship Training:
  • Research informs us how to effectively engage trail stewards on public lands.
  • By focusing on engaging younger, under-served, and diverse populations as active trail stewards, we can build a force of passionate individuals to tackle our nation’s trail maintenance needs.
  • The goal of developing high quality, consistent training opportunities is to preserve skills that have been developed over decades as well as teaching the newest technology.
  • Top quality and readily accessible training will help all of us perform to the best of our abilities.
  • By focusing on engaging younger, diverse populations as active trail stewards, we can build a force of passionate individuals to tackle our nation’s trail maintenance needs.

Who We Are

World Land Trust (WLT) is an international conservation charity that protects the world’s most biologically significant and threatened habitats.

Working through a network of partner organisations around the world, WLT funds the creation of reserves and provides permanent protection for habitats and wildlife. Partnerships are developed with established and highly respected local organisations who engage support and commitment among the local community.

Mission

Helping people across the world protect and restore their land to safeguard biodiversity and the climate.

The Type of Projects Supported By WLT

WLT funding aims to create long-term and sustainable support for on-the-ground conservation activities, including land acquisition, protected area creation, reserve protection and ecosystem restoration. WLT prioritises supporting projects in countries with high levels of biodiversity and which have the fewest resources available for biodiversity protection – consequently we mainly support organisations based in the Global South.

The main project activities supported by WLT are the creation of protected areas and the protection and restoration of threatened habitats. Project activities may include land acquisition through a range of mechanisms including land purchases, leases, conservation easements, community reserves the legal declaration of protected areas (gazetting).

WLT’s core focus is on bringing new areas of land into conservation protection, but we also support activities that support this core objective including habitat protection (e.g. rangers and patrols), habitat restoration, community activities that are essential for the success of new areas, research and monitoring, and income generation activities that support the financial sustainability of newly created areas or organisations. These latter activities are unlikely to be funded on their own and would only be considered if they are part of a wider conservation project with the creation or expansion of reserves as the main objective.

All WLT funded projects need to have clear benefits, and no net negative impact to biodiversity, communities and the climate.

America the Beautiful Challenge

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), through anticipated cooperative agreements from the Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is pleased to announce the launch of the America the Beautiful Challenge (ATBC) 2022 Request for Proposals (RFP). The ATBC vision is to streamline grant funding opportunities for new voluntary conservation and restoration projects around the United States. This Request for Proposals is a first step toward consolidating funding from multiple federal agencies and the private sector to enable applicants to conceive and develop large-scale, locally led projects that address shared funder priorities spanning public and private lands.

In year three of the ATBC, approximately $119 million will be awarded in nationwide funding to conserve, connect, and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend. The ATBC seeks to fund projects across the following themes:

• Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands and watersheds 
• Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands and other important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks 
• Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds and seascapes 
• Improving ecosystem and community resilience to flooding, drought and other climate-related threats
• Expanding access to the outdoors, particularly in underserved communities

Collectively, these themes allow applicants to develop landscape-level ATBC proposals that address conservation and public access needs that showcase cumulative benefits to fish and wildlife, carbon sequestration and storage benefits, engage with and benefit underserved communities, support community access to nature, and help safeguard ecosystems through conservation, resilience-focused and nature-based solutions. 

Program Priorities

ATBC will prioritize proposals that implement voluntary large-scale, on-the-ground conservation activities or otherwise lead to on-the-ground implementation through capacity building, community engagement, planning and project design. The overarching goal is to advance existing landscape conservation plans and/or propose to knit together a diverse stakeholder partnership that develops and/or implements new conservation plans. As part of this, projects should address priority species and/or habitat conservation actions identified in existing plans or other species recovery or conservation plans. Projects that are informed by Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) and promote Tribal co-stewardship are also encouraged. 

Competitive proposals will increase interagency and intergovernmental collaboration and address more than one of the program priorities below. 

Benefit At-Risk Fish, Wildlife and Plant Species

Conserve and restore habitat to improve ecosystem function and biological diversity, as identified by conservation plans, ITK, or emerging information for priority fish, wildlife and/or plant resources, such as threatened and endangered species, species of greatest conservation need (including game species). 

Expand Habitat Connectivity

Conserve and restore priority habitat and stopover areas along key migratory routes; conserve, restore or improve fish passage; conserve or restore lands and/or waters that are critical to habitat connectivity; or expand and enhance wildlife corridors that contribute to larger-scale conservation efforts (e.g., removing and right-sizing culverts, removing encroaching trees from grassland and sagebrush ecosystems, rehabilitating areas damaged by fire, treating exotic/invasive vegetation to improve habitat values, or voluntary conservation easements to strengthen habitat connectivity).

Provide a Range of Ecosystem Services

Demonstrate and quantify a range of ecosystem services restored (e.g., improving stream flow for aquatic resources, watershed health, carbon sequestration, restoration of Tribal subsistence resources).

Strengthen Ecosystem and Community Resilience

Conserve and restore natural systems that help ecosystems and/or communities respond to, mediate and recover from disturbances such as floods, wildfire, drought (e.g., enhancing a wetland to improve coastal resilience, invasive species prevention or removal to reduce wildfire risk, restoring fire resilient stand structure and species composition in fire prone forests, water conservation to address drought, expansion of wetlands to protect from flooding, grassland restoration to promote natural prairie ecosystems).

Expand Public and Community Access to Nature

Create, improve or expand opportunities for public access and recreation, in particular for underserved communities that lack access to the outdoors, in a manner consistent with the ecological needs of fish and wildlife habitat. Projects should be conducive to high-quality recreational experiences, such as biking, birding, boating, fishing, hiking, outdoor education, cultural activities, hunting and wildlife viewing. Projects should be predominantly nature-based in application. Hard infrastructure, such as parking lots and visitor center amenities, are not eligible under this funding opportunity.

Engage Local Communities

Applicants are encouraged to develop projects that incorporate outreach to communities, particularly underserved communities in accordance with the Administration’s Justice40 initiative, foster community engagement, and pursue collaboration with farmers, ranchers, Tribal Nations, states or other land managers to produce measurable conservation benefits. When possible, projects should be developed through community input and co-design processes, and incorporating ITK when possible. Additionally, projects should engage community-level partners (e.g., municipalities, NGOs, community organizations), as appropriate, to help design, implement, and maintain projects to secure maximum benefits for communities, maintenance, and sustainability post-grant award. 

Support Tribally Led Conservation and Restoration Priorities

Consistent with the Administration’s commitment to honoring Tribal sovereignty and advancing equity for Indigenous people, applicants are encouraged to prioritize projects that uplift Tribal and Indigenous-led efforts. These efforts may include but are not limited to Tribal co-stewardship of federal or other lands, restoration of Tribal homelands, access to and/or restoration of sacred sites, and elevation of ITK.  

Contribute to Local or Tribal Economies

Implement conservation projects that, as a co-benefit, directly contribute to local economies and underserved communities. For example, projects could help expand tourism or recreational economies, promote regenerative agriculture, or contribute to working lands and/or community or Tribal forestry. Applicants are encouraged to estimate the economic benefits that are expected because of the project (e.g., number of jobs sustained or created). 

Contribute to Workforce Development

Develop the next generation of conservation professionals, including through support for national service, youth and conservation corps engaged in conservation and climate-related work. Projects that develop the restoration workforce, in particular with AmeriCorps and 21st Century Conservation Service Corps programs, are encouraged.

Background

We support non-profit organizations committed to making an impact in addressing environmental problems, engaging in conservation and resource protections, and tackling social concerns. Through these small and mid-scale grants, we aim to support like-minded organizations with missions that align with the work of the Wright-Ingraham Institute. The Wright-Ingraham Institute has been awarding grants since 2012. In that time, we have awarded more than $400,000 to over 65 organizations.

Focus Areas

Our grants are designed to help address problems in three main areas.

Climate Change

Today, efforts to cope with the climate crisis are estimated to be costing the global economy approximately $3 trillion annually. We support organizations that are actively solving problems of how to bring clean air and water to global communities, how to prevent or stem natural disasters and meteorological events, and how to best promote sustainable practices and support renewable sources of energy.

Land Issues

Our grants strengthen organizations that are looking at different ways to apply concepts of sustainability, including ways to reverse the loss of fragile ecosystems that connect people and animals with land, or that work at the nexus of food, fuel and shelter. Additionally, we seek to better understand how human systems and natural systems intersect one another.

Wildlife Conservation

We support organizations that are working courageously on ways to conserve and preserve important wildlife habitats, as globalization continues to seek to develop every corner of the globe.

Elizabeth Wright Ingraham Grant

The Elizabeth Wright Ingraham Grant is dedicated to the founder of the Wright-Ingraham Institute. This grant is awarded to an organization exploring how human systems interact with natural systems, for example, how to create living spaces that utilize land responsibly.

Amount: $10,000

Why Confluence?

The Confluence Program, launched in 2021, seeks to expand The Conservation Alliance’s network of grantee and business partners. We know that our network does not represent a coalition of everyone working to protect natural places. Great things happen when a diverse coalition of voices and perspectives comes together to champion solutions that balance the best interests of land and water, wildlife, and people. The Confluence Program is a first step in our efforts to help create new systems and structures that bring all of the groups, organizations, and businesses committed to this work closer together to protect our shared natural places.

The Program

The goal of the Confluence Program is to intentionally connect to historically racially excluded people for the protection of natural places. Each year, The Conservation Alliance awards four grants to groups led by Asian, Black, Brown, Hispanic, Indigenous, Latin American, or additional communities who identify as People of Color working to protect a natural place. Each grantee receives $100,000 over a two-year period ($50,000 per year) for their effort to protect or conserve land and/or water to foster a planet where natural places, wildlife, and people thrive together.

We work to build trust and meaningful relationships with the Confluence grantees through resource-sharing and communications support. The support provided by this program is shaped to meet the unique needs of each group. Through the application review process, we also capture and share our learnings regarding the gap between financial needs and available funding, and share the list of applicants with other funders. Our goal is to help shed light on the volume of qualified groups that need funding, and help make connections to our network of partners that might offer direct funding or other resource support.

Our Organization

Our mission is to foster the science and art of natural resource conservation.

The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) is the premier international organization for professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation. We believe sustainable land and water management is essential to the continued security of the earth and its people. Our goal is to cultivate an organization of informed, dynamic individuals whose contributions create a bright future for agriculture, the environment, and society.

Who We Are

Our community of more than 2,000 conservation leaders represents nearly every academic discipline and many different public, private, and nonprofit institutions around the world. Our skilled members include researchers, administrators, planners, policymakers, technical advisors, teachers, students, farmers, and ranchers, all who share the common goal of building a more sustainable future.

SWCS members lead at the chapter level to tackle critical conservation issues of regional and local significance. Chapter events and initiatives engage members in field tours and other learning opportunities, provide a network of experts in the area, and educate local leaders regarding environmental issues in their communities. Members of student chapters on university campuses participate in activities that foster their interests in natural resource management and prepare them for successful professional careers.

Conservation Innovation Award

The Conservation Innovation Award recognizes an outstanding activity, product, or service by a group, business firm, corporation, or organization that promotes the conservation of soil, water, and related natural resources.

Criteria:

• The effort or activity is in line with the SWCS mission
• The effort or activity contributed to bringing about better conservation of soil, water, and related natural resources and/or better understanding of natural resource conservation issues
• The effort or activity is a result of an organized program and may include the activity of an agency or government
• The effort or activity had an effect over a large area, at least a large part of a state or province, or parts of several states or provinces
• The principal effect of the effort or activity was directed to other than professional conservationists

We welcome bold proposals that align with our 2021-2030 Strategic Plan.

Our Strategic Plan is a roadmap to award more than $1.2 billion from 2021-2030. It is a plan to focus the Foundation’s resources on the most powerful pathways to greater opportunity and prosperity for the people of southwestern Pennsylvania. And to do even more to protect, steward, and activate environmentally sensitive land in southwestern Pennsylvania and across the United States.

Funding Programs

We strive to improve the competitive position of the region; strengthen the vitality of Southwestern Pennsylvania, particularly the City of Pittsburgh and its neighborhoods; and protect important habitats and natural amenities in Western Pennsylvania and across the United States.

• Conservation
  • Wildlife flourishes and people thrive in once-imperiled habitats, through strategic land protection, stewardship, and activation, and sustainable economic development that deploys renewable energy and new technologies that foster livable communities and healthy natural systems.
• Economic Development
  • To help make Southwestern Pennsylvania an engine for economic growth and vitality by investing in the ingenuity and creativity of its population, enhancing individuals’ economic prosperity, and strengthening our sense of community.
• Economic Mobility
  • All children and youth living in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties will be able to access their most promising future.
  • We invest in pathways to opportunity for vulnerable children and youth to overcome the obstacles to achieving economic mobility.
• Health & Well-Being
  • Everyone in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, particularly the most vulnerable, has the opportunity to live a healthy life.
• Organizational Effectiveness
  • Our partners will have the organizational strength and agility to pursue big ideas and take risks in service of accelerating achievement of their strategic priorities.
• Social-Impact Investments
  • The Foundation's social-impact investing enables mission-driven for-profit companies to secure the risk capital, networks and resources they need to develop products, deploy services and address societal issues at the individual and community level.

We welcome proposals that span funding programs.

General Application

The General Application is for proposals that align with our 2021 – 2030 Strategy and one – or several – of our funding programs.

The General Application is our most flexible application option. The General Application does not have deadlines, so you can submit at any time throughout the year. Through the General Application, you can apply for general operating support or project-specific support. You can also seek funding for planning and innovation, implementation, or scaling activities.

The FairWays Foundation

Environmental stewardship is not an initiative. It is a long-term investment into our future and the future of our industry. The FairWays Foundation directly funds local and global projects that advance the conservation of our natural resources. These projects help to preserve the environment we live and work in whilst encouraging education and stewardship not only within our own industry but also within wider communities.

The FairWays Foundation is a stand-alone not-for-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding our environment. The FairWays Foundation supports conservation-based projects; big and small, as well as educational events for professionals, newcomers to the field and for future minds.

Grant Guidelines

The FairWays Foundation supports conservation-based projects where the belief and commitment demonstrated offer a meaningful contribution to long term change.  The very heart of the foundation lies in the green industry and we are committed to further supporting both industry partners and their local communities, we believe that the push for change must continue to come from the grass roots level, these are the voices which speak loudest to The FairWays Foundation.

We directly fund local and global projects that demonstrate an aspiration to protect our natural resources. 

Focus Areas

The cornerstone of successful applicants will highlight undertakings in the following key focus areas:

• Conservation
  • Globally golf courses occupy over one million acres of land, encouraging conservation of our natural resources helps to ensure a positive use of that land, with benefits that extend beyond the golf course.
• Stewardship
  • Responsible use of resources not only within our industry but also within the wider community protects the environment we live in for future generations.
• Education
  • We have a responsibility to protect the habitats we work and live in, education regarding conversation and sound stewardship in our industry is to be encouraged.

We Fund Work That

• Offers commitment to reduce the facilities ecological footprint
• Increases the boundaries of standard husbandry
• Includes benefits to the local community
• Protects existing natural resources

All successful applicants must:

• Show a clear strategy
• Identify goals / objectives which can be measured to evaluate success

Potential Projects

Projects that make a difference to the community or industry, such as –

• Supporting habitats and wildlife
• Educational events
• Linking landscape and business
• Encouraging sustainable management practices
• Environmental improvement projects

Resources Legacy Fund Grantmaking Opportunity

Resources Legacy Fund works to secure a just and resilient world for people and nature by building alliances that mobilize influence, knowledge, and expertise. Connecting philanthropic funding with organizations advancing environmental outcomes, equity, and justice is the keystone of our work.

RLF’s grantmaking seeks to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion by directing funds to those who have been marginalized and to build long-term capacity within their communities. We believe that the most effective alliances represent diverse experience and perspectives, and that the most meaningful and lasting outcomes are often co-created with those typically underrepresented in decision-making. With our funding partners, we seek to change how environmental solutions are understood, developed, and implemented. Learn more about our grantmaking approach.

Program Areas

• Climate & Energy
• Healthy & Resilient Communities
• International Conservation
• Ocean, Coast & Fisheries
• Public Funding & Policy
• Social Justice & Equity
• Western Land Conservation & Restoration