About American Forest Foundation
Deliver meaningful conservation impact through the empowerment of family forest owners. Through strong partnerships and advocacy, we strive to equip America's rural landowners with the tools they need to improve the health and productivity of their forests.
Focus Areas
Forest conservationFamily forest owner supportForest carbon / nature-based climate solutionsWildfire mitigationSustainable forestry and wood supplyRural community economic supportBiodiversity and habitat conservation
Who They Fund
private landowners (farmers, ranchers, forest owners)partner organizations (local NGOs, conservation districts, agencies)federal grant-making agencies (as funding partners)
About American Forest Foundation
American Forest Foundation centers family forest owners in its grantmaking, using partnerships and federal grant coordination to move conservation work onto private lands. Recent awards show a clear pattern: the foundation backs organizations that can reach landowners, deliver technical support, and implement forestry practices tied to carbon, resilience, and habitat outcomes. A 2025 grant of $457,942 to The Nature Conservancy for partners and federal grants sits alongside $402,720 to Purdue University for the same purpose, pointing to a model that relies on implementation partners as much as direct field work. The foundation’s funding reaches landowner networks, universities, conservation groups, and local cooperatives. In 2023 and 2024, it supported groups such as Wallowa Resources, Black Family Land Trust, and the Center for Heirs Property Preservation through federal-grant-linked work, while also funding landowner outreach through Mcintosh Sustainable Environment. The result is a portfolio aimed at helping rural landowners improve forest health, productivity, and resilience through project-based support rather than unrestricted funding.
What American Forest Foundation Funds
Forest carbon is a major thread in the portfolio. The Family Forest Carbon Program is designed to help family forest owners access finance from the voluntary carbon market, and a 2025 grant of $324,190 to the Center for Heirs Property Preservation supported partners and federal grants tied to that work. Landowner outreach is another clear area. American Forest Foundation gave $341,974 to Mcintosh Sustainable Environment in 2023 and $184,797 in 2024 for landowner outreach, indicating repeated investment in getting conservation practices in front of forest owners. It also funded the Society of American Foresters with $156,250 for landowner outreach. Wildfire mitigation appears in the program list and in grants to western partners. Colorado Firecamp received $63,944 in 2023, and Conservation Legacy Southwest Conservation Corps received $63,588, both for partners in federal grant work connected to forest resilience and treatment. Rural economic and stewardship capacity also show up through grantees such as Roanoke Economic Development and the Winston County Self Help Cooperative.
How American Forest Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.5M
Total Assets
$157.8M
Total Revenue
$20.3M
Total Expenses
$31.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $53K, with a median of $16K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$16K
75th Percentile
$53K
Geographic Reach
National35 states funded
About 1% of grants go to recipients in GA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
RITA HITE
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