About Conservation Lands Foundation
To protect, restore, and expand the National Conservation Lands through education, advocacy and partnerships.
Focus Areas
Public lands conservationNational Monuments and National Conservation LandsWilderness protectionWild and Scenic Rivers and TrailsCommunity capacity buildingEnvironmental advocacy and policyClimate resilience through land protection
Who They Fund
wildlife and native speciesnatural ecosystems and habitatslocal and rural communities dependent on natural resources
Funding Style
direct program/project support
About Conservation Lands Foundation
Conservation Lands Foundation’s recent giving is built around campaigns to protect, restore, and expand National Conservation Lands. The largest grant in the recent list is $100,000 to New Mexico Wilderness Alliance for promote conservation, followed by $90,000 to Friends of the Owyhee in Ontario, Oregon for the same purpose. That pattern points to a funder that uses larger grants to support community-based organizations working on public lands advocacy, education, partnerships, and urgent conservation response. Across the grant list, the foundation repeatedly backs groups tied to specific landscapes and public-lands movements, including Friends of the Inyo in Bishop, California; Friends of Cedar Mesa in Bluff, Utah; and Friends of Nevada Wilderness in Reno, Nevada. These recipients suggest a grantmaker that works through local and regional partners rather than through individuals or program-related investments. Its active grant programs also show a preference for invited and staff-awarded support, including multi-year grants for long-term Friends Network partners and core grantmaking for organizations advancing National Conservation Lands campaigns. The foundation’s stated purpose centers on education, advocacy, and partnerships, with added emphasis on community-led movement building and increasing diversity in conservation advocacy. That combination makes its portfolio especially oriented toward nonprofit organizations already working on public lands protection and restoration in the Western United States.
What Conservation Lands Foundation Funds
Public lands conservation is the foundation’s central theme. In that area, it gave $80,000 to Archaeology Southwest in Tucson, Arizona to promote conservation, and $80,000 to New Mexico Wilderness Alliance in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the same purpose. The grantmaking structure points to long-term campaign support rather than one-off project funding alone. Wilderness and landscape protection also appears repeatedly. Conservation Lands Foundation awarded $70,000 to Bears Ears Partnership in Bluff, Utah, and $60,000 to Grand Staircase Escalante Partners Inc in Kanab, Utah, both for promote conservation. Those grants fit the funder’s focus on protecting and expanding National Conservation Lands. The foundation also supports organizations working on river and trail protection, as well as land stewardship. Friends of the Owyhee in Ontario, Oregon received $90,000 for promote conservation, and Dolores River Boating Advocates in Dolores, Colorado received $60,000 for the same purpose. These examples show how the funder connects advocacy with place-based conservation work.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$5M
Total Assets
$11.2M
Total Revenue
$10.2M
Total Expenses
$9.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $40K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$40K
Geographic Reach
Regional14 states funded
About 14% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Julie Thibodeau
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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