Grants for Environmental Conservation
Grants for Environmental Conservation in the United States
Looking for grants for environmental conservation? This list of grants includes funding available for land/habitat conservation, recycling, freshwater conservation, wildlife management and more!
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400+ Grants for environmental conservation in the United States for your nonprofit
From private foundations to corporations seeking to fund grants for nonprofits.
300+
Grants for Environmental Conservation over $5K in average grant size
81
Grants for Environmental Conservation supporting general operating expenses
400+
Grants for Environmental Conservation supporting programs / projects
Grants for Environmental Conservation by location
Africa
Alabama
Alaska
American Samoa
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Georgia (US state)
Guam
Haiti
Hawaii
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Dakota
Northern Mariana Islands
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
View More
Explore grants for your nonprofit:
Rolling deadline
Cornell Douglas Foundation Grants
Cornell Douglas Foundation
US $15,000 - US $50,000
The Cornell Douglas Foundation is a private, non-operating foundation established in 2006. Its mission is to provide small grants to organizations which promote the vision of the foundation: advocating for environmental health and justice, encouraging stewardship of the environment, and furthering respect for sustainability of resources.Areas of Interest
- Environmental Health & Justice
- Land Conservation
- Sustainability of Resources
- Mountaintop Removal Mining
- Watershed Protection
Rolling deadline
SC Johnson Grants
SC Johnson Giving, Inc.
Unspecified amount
SC Johnson Grants and Product Donations Help Make Our Communities Better
Wherever we operate, we want to help make that place better, because we are there. This aspiration began more than a century ago, with our founder, Samuel Curtis Johnson. It’s reinforced by our corporate values statement, and acted on by SC Johnson people around the globe.
Since 1937, SC Johnson has given five percent of all pretax profits to charities. The year 2017 marked 80 years of company giving, and nearly six decades of our charitable foundation, SC Johnson Giving, Inc.
Understanding SC Johnson Charitable Contributions
Our primary corporate giving focus is on institutions or organizations that serve or directly affect communities where we have operations. Our areas of interest include:
Areas of Focused Giving
Community & Economic Development - Programs that improve the quality of life in the areas of economic and community infrastructure, capacity building, economic development, safe neighborhoods, cultural experiences and job training.
Social Services - Programs that provide supportive services for low-income/at-risk individuals or families to help them on the road to self-sufficiency, such as services for families, disabled or elderly citizens, domestic disaster prevention, temporary shelter, and support for those who are disadvantaged or living in poverty.
Health & Well-Being - Programs that help educate about and combat mosquito-borne diseases, or encourage public health and wellness education and equitable access to health care.
Education - Programs that emphasize student academic achievement, with a focus on academic enrichment and advancement, such as early childhood education, K-12, post-secondary, technical and vocational schools.
Sustainability & Environmental Programs - Programs that encourage sustainability through stewardship of community ecosystems, pollution abatement, natural resource conservation, environmental beautification, renewable energy and wildlife preservation.
Rolling deadline
UPS Foundation Grant
Ups Foundation Inc
Unspecified amount
Note: UPS does not accept or respond to unsolicited grant proposals. Nonprofit funding is determined in one of two ways: The UPS Foundation solicits grant proposals from preeminent organizations within our focus areas or through a recommendation made by a UPS employee who is actively volunteering with the agency. The best way for your organization to be considered for funding by UPS is to engage UPS volunteers and then ask them to log their volunteer hours in the Neighbor-to-Neighbor tracking system. Any hours logged are open for funding opportunities by our local offices.
The Logistics of Caring
UPS founder Jim Casey established The UPS Foundation in 1951 with a mission to help build stronger, safer and more resilient communities around the world. And that's exactly what we've been doing for more than 60 years now.
To us, giving means more than writing a check. It means combining employees' skill, passion and time with our logistics expertise, transportation assets and charitable donations to make a measurable difference in society. In 2016, we invested nearly 2.7 million volunteer hours and more than $116 million dollars into our global communities.
As our communities continue to grow and evolve, so do we. The Foundation's current philanthropic approach focuses on four areas that represent the purpose of our mission and reflect UPS's corporate values and expertise.
Focusing Our Efforts
Diversity & Inclusion
UPS’s longstanding policies and inclusive culture make it one of the most diverse companies in the world. We know an internal focus isn’t enough, and so The UPS Foundation also supports community efforts to provide diverse populations with advancement opportunities.
Volunteerism
UPS employees are passionate about making the world a better place, which is why they volunteered more than 2.7 million hours in local communities with their favorite nonprofit organizations last year. The UPS Foundation provides those organizations with the operational expertise, leadership development and technology enhancements they need to tackle today's societal challenges.
Community Safety
UPS aims to make the world a safer place by using our company's logistics expertise and training to teach safety practices in the local and global communities we serve. The UPS Foundation supports these efforts by creating and funding programs focused on road safety and humanitarian relief and resilience. In 2016, The UPS Foundation donated $13 million in financial and in-kind contributions to organizations that embody community safety.
Environmental Sustainability
Every day, UPS delivers nearly 17 million packages by air, land and sea. We’re constantly operating within the environment, so it’s important that we do our part to preserve and protect it, long-term.
To do so, The UPS Foundation provides financial and employee volunteer support to environmental programs with a focus on reforestation and conservation, carbon reduction efforts and environmental research/education.
Rolling deadline
Waste Management Charitable Contributions Program
Waste Management
Unspecified amount
Healthy thriving communities depend on involved citizens, organizations and corporate partners for momentum. We lend our support and services to causes that promote civic pride, economic development and revitalization. Every community has its own challenges, and we strive always to be part of problem-solving initiatives.
Giving Guidelines
These guidelines outline the programs that Waste Management is most motivated to support:
Environment - The environment affects all aspects of our lives, from the air we breathe, to the way we power our homes, to the parklands in which we play. Waste Management is committed to helping provide renewable resources to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and to conserving and maintaining wetlands, wildlife habitats and green spaces for people's enjoyment. Understanding the importance of the environment, Waste Management supports organizations and programs that preserve and/or enhance natural resources.
Environmental Education - The key to ensuring the preservation of the environment is learning about the importance of protecting it and acting in an environmentally responsible manner. To this end, Waste Management prefers to support environmental education programs targeted at middle and high school students. This includes environmental and science related projects, science fairs, Earth Day projects and others.
Causes important to the areas where we operate - Waste Management is committed to enhancing our communities through programs that help make them cleaner and better places to live. Local Waste Management facilities are proactive in identifying charities located in the immediate community that they serve and in many cases may have predetermined which organizations they will be supporting that year.
Applications dueJun 1, 2023
HDR Foundation - Small Grant Cycle
HDR Foundation
US $5,000 - US $30,000
About HDR Foundation
We believe giving back is not only a civic duty, but a privilege.
Our company founder, H.H. Henningson, noted over a century ago, “There is always time enough for kindness.” Founded in 2012 by HDR Chairman and CEO Eric Keen, the HDR Foundation is an extension of that mission, aiming to benefit the communities in which we live and work.
The HDR Foundation provides grants to qualified organizations that align with HDR’s areas of expertise: education, healthy communities and environmental stewardship. As an employee-funded and employee-driven foundation, preference is given to organizations located in communities where HDR employees live and work, and those with strong employee involvement. Since its inception, the HDR Foundation has provided more than $6 million in grants to over 250 organizations.
Our Areas of Focus
The foundation's areas of focus mirror HDR's breadth of knowledge and expertise. We provide grants for projects that demonstrate direct impact as well as projects that can be replicated or scaled.
Education
Our company, clients and communities benefit from a well-educated, skilled and informed population. We believe education is perhaps the most powerful tool for reducing poverty, improving health and advancing prosperity. We fund educational grants addressing education from pre-K through college.
Healthy Communities
With a globally recognized healthcare design practice, we value the importance of healthcare and healthy communities. Promoting healthy living at the community level brings the greatest health benefits to the greatest number of people. We fund grants that address active lifestyles, wellness education and preventative healthcare.
Environmental Stewardship
We promote the value of environmentally responsible practices to our clients, employee-owners and communities. We are all responsible for the use, stewardship and protection of our natural environment. We support grants that address restoration, renewal, conservation and sustainable best practices of our global resources.
Full proposal dueJul 7, 2023
Park Foundation Grants: Media, Environment, & Animal Welfare
Park Foundation, Inc.
Unspecified amount
NOTE: Letters of Inquiry (LOI) are accepted at any time. Once an LOI is submitted, please do not submit a full proposal, due at the next deadline date above, unless contacted by a staff member.
About Us
The Park Foundation was formed in 1966. Its original focus was on education and grant-making in communities where Park Communications had interests. When he died in 1993, Mr. Park bequeathed more than 70 percent of his holdings to the Foundation.
The Foundation is dedicated to the aid and support of education, public broadcasting, environment, and other selected areas of interest to the Park family. Scholarship programs have been established in Mr. Park’s name at the two institutions with which he was so close — Ithaca College and North Carolina State University. The two scholarship programs emphasize academic excellence, leadership, and community service — in keeping with Mr. Park’s values. Public broadcasting is a particularly meaningful recipient of funding because the Foundation had its origin in the world of communications. More recently, the Foundation’s interest in environmental causes has been refined to focus on issues of freshwater, particularly in the eastern United States.
Media
The Foundation supports public interest media that raises awareness of critical environmental, political and social issues to promote a better informed citizenry in the U.S. It supports quality, non-commercial media that is substantive, fair, and accurate. Program priorities include investigative journalism, media policy and public broadcasting.
Investigative Journalism
Supports excellence in reporting on nationally-significant public affairs issues in the U.S. Competitive proposals will show evidence of groundbreaking content employing multi-platform media tools with potential to achieve broad distribution and social impact.
Media Policy
Supports nationally-significant initiatives that promote fair and open media systems and policies in the U.S. The Foundation supports projects that advance universal access to communications, a "neutral" Internet, diverse and independent ownership, public interest media and the future of journalism.
Public Broadcasting
Supports nationally distributed and aired television and radio programming. Preference is given to in-depth, investigative reporting projects that include diverse, public interest voices and perspectives.
Documentary Films
Supports a very limited number of small grants to individual documentary projects related to civil society and democracy, environment and animal welfare. Requests for funding greatly exceed available resources and preference is given to projects with wide distribution and community engagement. Prior to submitting a proposal, prospective applicants should contact the Foundation via phone or e-mail to determine appropriate fit. Please be prepared to provide information regarding content and treatment, distribution, outreach, budget, funding sources (and fiscal sponsorship as appropriate).
Media projects are also funded in the Foundation's Environment program.
Environment
The Foundation’s Environment Program has two major interests:
- To ensure drinking water is clean, affordable, and accessible, protected and managed as a public necessity; and
- To challenge continued shale gas extraction and infrastructure expansion.
Drinking Water
The Foundation supports efforts on a national scale or in New York State that promote: strong and enforced water policies; increased investment in publicly owned and operated water infrastructure; empowerment of communities and individuals to exercise their rights to protect drinking water resources; and reduced consumption of bottled water.
On a limited basis, the Foundation is exploring opportunities to support organizing and advocacy at the national scale to address lead in drinking water.
Energy
The Foundation supports statewide efforts in New York that decrease reliance on fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, by challenging the expansion of its infrastructure, including pipelines, compressor stations and new natural gas power plants. The Foundation will also consider requests that will help shift the state’s energy needs away from conventional fossil fuel sources and toward a clean energy system that is accessible, affordable and protective of citizens’ health.
Types of Activities Funded
The Foundation is interested in catalyzing action and is willing to consider diverse approaches that raise awareness and offer solutions to drinking water and energy concerns, including, but not limited to, policy development, advocacy, organizing, and corporate responsibility.
Additionally, the Foundation will consider support for investigative reporting outlets that raise awareness and provide new information on drinking water and shale gas energy issues. Stories may be national in scope, but funding is generally targeted to coverage of issues that are relevant to New York State.
Other
Other environmental grants that cover additional geographic and issue areas are made at the Foundation's initiative and the scope of these interests is separate from these guidelines. Please contact the Foundation for more information.
Animal Welfare
The Foundation supports nationally-significant efforts to ensure the humane treatment, care and well-being of domestic animals and the protection and conservation of endangered wildlife and wildlife in captivity in the U.S. The program supports innovative, comprehensive, solution-oriented models that lead to systemic change, reduce suffering, and foster a more compassionate society.
In addition, the Foundation has decided to focus on the following specific areas:
- Organizing, education, legal advocacy, and power building in support of endangered wildlife and significant national policies that are protective of endangered species and related ecosystems;
- Indigenous wildlife management practices;
- Maintaining support for existing partner sanctuaries caring for great apes; and]
- National and regional efforts to preserve the following species/groups and related habitats:
- Pollinators
- Wolves
- Whales
- Birds
The Park Foundation has committed to providing support to the Tompkins County SPCA, which is located in the community where the Foundation offices are located, as the sole support for companion animals.
Letter of inquiry dueSep 12, 2023
Thriving Communities: National and International Environmental Grantmaking
The New York Community Trust
Up to US $60,000
National Environment
Program goals: 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; and
- 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 storm-water run-off and absorbs storm surges;
- protecting shoreline communities by conserving or enhancing natural barriers;
- encouraging more sustainable building design and land use through policy reforms; and
- 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; and
- 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.
International Environment
Each year, we make only two or three international grants to U.S. organizations that are building the capacity of government, academic institutions, private sector entities, and nonprofits to:
- Protect biodiversity;
- Improve environmental health; and
- Reduce greenhouse gases around the world.
Letter of inquiry dueMar 1, 2024
Harris Foundation Grant
William H & Mattie Wattis Harris Foundation
Up to US $6,000
Mission Statement
The Harris Foundation envisions making the world a better place for the well-being and safety of plants, animals and human beings.
Areas of Support
The William H. and Mattie Wattis Harris Foundation funds organizations that qualify for 501(c)(3) status in five areas:
- Animal Welfare: sanctuaries, no-kill animal shelters, rescue, adoption and population control.
- The Arts: children’s theater, documentaries, videos, and Community outreach.
- Conservation: animal field research, protection of natural resources including conservation education programs, documentaries, videos, and community outreach.
- Educational Camps: environmental, health and special needs camps.
- Preventative Health: animals for the physically challenged, children’s health, global populations, women’s health.
Geographical Focus
The geographical focus for giving is concentrated in the western United States including the Rocky Mountains and intermountain regions. International Conservation & Global Population programs are also of interest.
Criteria
The Directors consider projects for funding which identify root causes and develop innovative solutions.
Other criteria for funding are as follows:
- That the project be unique and have a far reaching impact with lasting benefits.
- That the organization be able to fulfill the goals set, and
- That there are specific plans for continuing the work started by this project.
Applications dueMar 31, 2024
MCFA Grant
Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas
Unspecified amount
Note: Most grants are pursuant to proposals solicited by MCFA. Ideal timing for proposals is during the first quarter of the calendar year.
Since 1991, MCFA has been promoting environmental causes throughout the Americas to support projects that align with four central aims:
Biodiversity Conservation
We promote the conservation of biological diversity and natural resources by supporting research, the establishment of protected areas, and strategies for valuing the natural environment such as Payments for Ecosystem Services.
Environmental Education
We support environmental education programs that raise public awareness about the environment, and foster greater appreciation for the value and scarcity of natural resources, and the importance of environmental stewardship.
Environmental Justice
We promote environmental justice by supporting the rights of marginalized communities to live in a clean and safe environment and participate in decision-making that impacts their environment. This helps to ensure that the burdens of industrial development are not unfairly imposed on those communities that are the most vulnerable to negative environmental impacts.
Sustainable Development
We support sustainable development by means of local livelihood development for communities in environmentally sensitive areas, support for small and medium size enterprises in developing countries, and by promoting sustainable business practices.
Grants for Environmental Conservation over $5K in average grant size
Grants for Environmental Conservation supporting general operating expenses
Grants for Environmental Conservation supporting programs / projects
Cornell Douglas Foundation Grants
Cornell Douglas Foundation
- Environmental Health & Justice
- Land Conservation
- Sustainability of Resources
- Mountaintop Removal Mining
- Watershed Protection
SC Johnson Grants
SC Johnson Giving, Inc.
SC Johnson Grants and Product Donations Help Make Our Communities Better
Wherever we operate, we want to help make that place better, because we are there. This aspiration began more than a century ago, with our founder, Samuel Curtis Johnson. It’s reinforced by our corporate values statement, and acted on by SC Johnson people around the globe.
Since 1937, SC Johnson has given five percent of all pretax profits to charities. The year 2017 marked 80 years of company giving, and nearly six decades of our charitable foundation, SC Johnson Giving, Inc.
Understanding SC Johnson Charitable Contributions
Our primary corporate giving focus is on institutions or organizations that serve or directly affect communities where we have operations. Our areas of interest include:
Areas of Focused Giving
Community & Economic Development - Programs that improve the quality of life in the areas of economic and community infrastructure, capacity building, economic development, safe neighborhoods, cultural experiences and job training.
Social Services - Programs that provide supportive services for low-income/at-risk individuals or families to help them on the road to self-sufficiency, such as services for families, disabled or elderly citizens, domestic disaster prevention, temporary shelter, and support for those who are disadvantaged or living in poverty.
Health & Well-Being - Programs that help educate about and combat mosquito-borne diseases, or encourage public health and wellness education and equitable access to health care.
Education - Programs that emphasize student academic achievement, with a focus on academic enrichment and advancement, such as early childhood education, K-12, post-secondary, technical and vocational schools.
Sustainability & Environmental Programs - Programs that encourage sustainability through stewardship of community ecosystems, pollution abatement, natural resource conservation, environmental beautification, renewable energy and wildlife preservation.
UPS Foundation Grant
Ups Foundation Inc
Note: UPS does not accept or respond to unsolicited grant proposals. Nonprofit funding is determined in one of two ways: The UPS Foundation solicits grant proposals from preeminent organizations within our focus areas or through a recommendation made by a UPS employee who is actively volunteering with the agency. The best way for your organization to be considered for funding by UPS is to engage UPS volunteers and then ask them to log their volunteer hours in the Neighbor-to-Neighbor tracking system. Any hours logged are open for funding opportunities by our local offices.
The Logistics of Caring
UPS founder Jim Casey established The UPS Foundation in 1951 with a mission to help build stronger, safer and more resilient communities around the world. And that's exactly what we've been doing for more than 60 years now.
To us, giving means more than writing a check. It means combining employees' skill, passion and time with our logistics expertise, transportation assets and charitable donations to make a measurable difference in society. In 2016, we invested nearly 2.7 million volunteer hours and more than $116 million dollars into our global communities.
As our communities continue to grow and evolve, so do we. The Foundation's current philanthropic approach focuses on four areas that represent the purpose of our mission and reflect UPS's corporate values and expertise.
Focusing Our Efforts
Diversity & Inclusion
UPS’s longstanding policies and inclusive culture make it one of the most diverse companies in the world. We know an internal focus isn’t enough, and so The UPS Foundation also supports community efforts to provide diverse populations with advancement opportunities.
Volunteerism
UPS employees are passionate about making the world a better place, which is why they volunteered more than 2.7 million hours in local communities with their favorite nonprofit organizations last year. The UPS Foundation provides those organizations with the operational expertise, leadership development and technology enhancements they need to tackle today's societal challenges.
Community Safety
UPS aims to make the world a safer place by using our company's logistics expertise and training to teach safety practices in the local and global communities we serve. The UPS Foundation supports these efforts by creating and funding programs focused on road safety and humanitarian relief and resilience. In 2016, The UPS Foundation donated $13 million in financial and in-kind contributions to organizations that embody community safety.
Environmental Sustainability
Every day, UPS delivers nearly 17 million packages by air, land and sea. We’re constantly operating within the environment, so it’s important that we do our part to preserve and protect it, long-term.
To do so, The UPS Foundation provides financial and employee volunteer support to environmental programs with a focus on reforestation and conservation, carbon reduction efforts and environmental research/education.
Waste Management Charitable Contributions Program
Waste Management
Healthy thriving communities depend on involved citizens, organizations and corporate partners for momentum. We lend our support and services to causes that promote civic pride, economic development and revitalization. Every community has its own challenges, and we strive always to be part of problem-solving initiatives.
Giving Guidelines
These guidelines outline the programs that Waste Management is most motivated to support:
Environment - The environment affects all aspects of our lives, from the air we breathe, to the way we power our homes, to the parklands in which we play. Waste Management is committed to helping provide renewable resources to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and to conserving and maintaining wetlands, wildlife habitats and green spaces for people's enjoyment. Understanding the importance of the environment, Waste Management supports organizations and programs that preserve and/or enhance natural resources.
Environmental Education - The key to ensuring the preservation of the environment is learning about the importance of protecting it and acting in an environmentally responsible manner. To this end, Waste Management prefers to support environmental education programs targeted at middle and high school students. This includes environmental and science related projects, science fairs, Earth Day projects and others.
Causes important to the areas where we operate - Waste Management is committed to enhancing our communities through programs that help make them cleaner and better places to live. Local Waste Management facilities are proactive in identifying charities located in the immediate community that they serve and in many cases may have predetermined which organizations they will be supporting that year.
HDR Foundation - Small Grant Cycle
HDR Foundation
About HDR Foundation
We believe giving back is not only a civic duty, but a privilege.
Our company founder, H.H. Henningson, noted over a century ago, “There is always time enough for kindness.” Founded in 2012 by HDR Chairman and CEO Eric Keen, the HDR Foundation is an extension of that mission, aiming to benefit the communities in which we live and work.
The HDR Foundation provides grants to qualified organizations that align with HDR’s areas of expertise: education, healthy communities and environmental stewardship. As an employee-funded and employee-driven foundation, preference is given to organizations located in communities where HDR employees live and work, and those with strong employee involvement. Since its inception, the HDR Foundation has provided more than $6 million in grants to over 250 organizations.
Our Areas of Focus
The foundation's areas of focus mirror HDR's breadth of knowledge and expertise. We provide grants for projects that demonstrate direct impact as well as projects that can be replicated or scaled.
Education
Our company, clients and communities benefit from a well-educated, skilled and informed population. We believe education is perhaps the most powerful tool for reducing poverty, improving health and advancing prosperity. We fund educational grants addressing education from pre-K through college.
Healthy Communities
With a globally recognized healthcare design practice, we value the importance of healthcare and healthy communities. Promoting healthy living at the community level brings the greatest health benefits to the greatest number of people. We fund grants that address active lifestyles, wellness education and preventative healthcare.
Environmental Stewardship
We promote the value of environmentally responsible practices to our clients, employee-owners and communities. We are all responsible for the use, stewardship and protection of our natural environment. We support grants that address restoration, renewal, conservation and sustainable best practices of our global resources.
Park Foundation Grants: Media, Environment, & Animal Welfare
Park Foundation, Inc.
NOTE: Letters of Inquiry (LOI) are accepted at any time. Once an LOI is submitted, please do not submit a full proposal, due at the next deadline date above, unless contacted by a staff member.
About Us
The Park Foundation was formed in 1966. Its original focus was on education and grant-making in communities where Park Communications had interests. When he died in 1993, Mr. Park bequeathed more than 70 percent of his holdings to the Foundation.
The Foundation is dedicated to the aid and support of education, public broadcasting, environment, and other selected areas of interest to the Park family. Scholarship programs have been established in Mr. Park’s name at the two institutions with which he was so close — Ithaca College and North Carolina State University. The two scholarship programs emphasize academic excellence, leadership, and community service — in keeping with Mr. Park’s values. Public broadcasting is a particularly meaningful recipient of funding because the Foundation had its origin in the world of communications. More recently, the Foundation’s interest in environmental causes has been refined to focus on issues of freshwater, particularly in the eastern United States.
Media
The Foundation supports public interest media that raises awareness of critical environmental, political and social issues to promote a better informed citizenry in the U.S. It supports quality, non-commercial media that is substantive, fair, and accurate. Program priorities include investigative journalism, media policy and public broadcasting.
Investigative Journalism
Supports excellence in reporting on nationally-significant public affairs issues in the U.S. Competitive proposals will show evidence of groundbreaking content employing multi-platform media tools with potential to achieve broad distribution and social impact.
Media Policy
Supports nationally-significant initiatives that promote fair and open media systems and policies in the U.S. The Foundation supports projects that advance universal access to communications, a "neutral" Internet, diverse and independent ownership, public interest media and the future of journalism.
Public Broadcasting
Supports nationally distributed and aired television and radio programming. Preference is given to in-depth, investigative reporting projects that include diverse, public interest voices and perspectives.
Documentary Films
Supports a very limited number of small grants to individual documentary projects related to civil society and democracy, environment and animal welfare. Requests for funding greatly exceed available resources and preference is given to projects with wide distribution and community engagement. Prior to submitting a proposal, prospective applicants should contact the Foundation via phone or e-mail to determine appropriate fit. Please be prepared to provide information regarding content and treatment, distribution, outreach, budget, funding sources (and fiscal sponsorship as appropriate).
Media projects are also funded in the Foundation's Environment program.
Environment
The Foundation’s Environment Program has two major interests:
- To ensure drinking water is clean, affordable, and accessible, protected and managed as a public necessity; and
- To challenge continued shale gas extraction and infrastructure expansion.
Drinking Water
The Foundation supports efforts on a national scale or in New York State that promote: strong and enforced water policies; increased investment in publicly owned and operated water infrastructure; empowerment of communities and individuals to exercise their rights to protect drinking water resources; and reduced consumption of bottled water.
On a limited basis, the Foundation is exploring opportunities to support organizing and advocacy at the national scale to address lead in drinking water.
Energy
The Foundation supports statewide efforts in New York that decrease reliance on fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, by challenging the expansion of its infrastructure, including pipelines, compressor stations and new natural gas power plants. The Foundation will also consider requests that will help shift the state’s energy needs away from conventional fossil fuel sources and toward a clean energy system that is accessible, affordable and protective of citizens’ health.
Types of Activities Funded
The Foundation is interested in catalyzing action and is willing to consider diverse approaches that raise awareness and offer solutions to drinking water and energy concerns, including, but not limited to, policy development, advocacy, organizing, and corporate responsibility.
Additionally, the Foundation will consider support for investigative reporting outlets that raise awareness and provide new information on drinking water and shale gas energy issues. Stories may be national in scope, but funding is generally targeted to coverage of issues that are relevant to New York State.
Other
Other environmental grants that cover additional geographic and issue areas are made at the Foundation's initiative and the scope of these interests is separate from these guidelines. Please contact the Foundation for more information.
Animal Welfare
The Foundation supports nationally-significant efforts to ensure the humane treatment, care and well-being of domestic animals and the protection and conservation of endangered wildlife and wildlife in captivity in the U.S. The program supports innovative, comprehensive, solution-oriented models that lead to systemic change, reduce suffering, and foster a more compassionate society.
In addition, the Foundation has decided to focus on the following specific areas:
- Organizing, education, legal advocacy, and power building in support of endangered wildlife and significant national policies that are protective of endangered species and related ecosystems;
- Indigenous wildlife management practices;
- Maintaining support for existing partner sanctuaries caring for great apes; and]
- National and regional efforts to preserve the following species/groups and related habitats:
- Pollinators
- Wolves
- Whales
- Birds
The Park Foundation has committed to providing support to the Tompkins County SPCA, which is located in the community where the Foundation offices are located, as the sole support for companion animals.
Thriving Communities: National and International Environmental Grantmaking
The New York Community Trust
National Environment
Program goals: 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; and
- 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 storm-water run-off and absorbs storm surges;
- protecting shoreline communities by conserving or enhancing natural barriers;
- encouraging more sustainable building design and land use through policy reforms; and
- 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; and
- 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.
International Environment
Each year, we make only two or three international grants to U.S. organizations that are building the capacity of government, academic institutions, private sector entities, and nonprofits to:
- Protect biodiversity;
- Improve environmental health; and
- Reduce greenhouse gases around the world.
Harris Foundation Grant
William H & Mattie Wattis Harris Foundation
Mission Statement
The Harris Foundation envisions making the world a better place for the well-being and safety of plants, animals and human beings.
Areas of Support
The William H. and Mattie Wattis Harris Foundation funds organizations that qualify for 501(c)(3) status in five areas:
- Animal Welfare: sanctuaries, no-kill animal shelters, rescue, adoption and population control.
- The Arts: children’s theater, documentaries, videos, and Community outreach.
- Conservation: animal field research, protection of natural resources including conservation education programs, documentaries, videos, and community outreach.
- Educational Camps: environmental, health and special needs camps.
- Preventative Health: animals for the physically challenged, children’s health, global populations, women’s health.
Geographical Focus
The geographical focus for giving is concentrated in the western United States including the Rocky Mountains and intermountain regions. International Conservation & Global Population programs are also of interest.
Criteria
The Directors consider projects for funding which identify root causes and develop innovative solutions.
Other criteria for funding are as follows:
- That the project be unique and have a far reaching impact with lasting benefits.
- That the organization be able to fulfill the goals set, and
- That there are specific plans for continuing the work started by this project.
MCFA Grant
Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas
Note: Most grants are pursuant to proposals solicited by MCFA. Ideal timing for proposals is during the first quarter of the calendar year.
Since 1991, MCFA has been promoting environmental causes throughout the Americas to support projects that align with four central aims:
Biodiversity Conservation
We promote the conservation of biological diversity and natural resources by supporting research, the establishment of protected areas, and strategies for valuing the natural environment such as Payments for Ecosystem Services.
Environmental Education
We support environmental education programs that raise public awareness about the environment, and foster greater appreciation for the value and scarcity of natural resources, and the importance of environmental stewardship.
Environmental Justice
We promote environmental justice by supporting the rights of marginalized communities to live in a clean and safe environment and participate in decision-making that impacts their environment. This helps to ensure that the burdens of industrial development are not unfairly imposed on those communities that are the most vulnerable to negative environmental impacts.
Sustainable Development
We support sustainable development by means of local livelihood development for communities in environmentally sensitive areas, support for small and medium size enterprises in developing countries, and by promoting sustainable business practices.
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