To diversify the conservation movement by funding and supporting conservationists from underrepresented communities while educating and inspiring the next generation of leaders.
Conservation Nation centers its funding on diversifying the conservation movement by supporting conservationists from underrepresented communities and building the next generation of leaders. That mission shows up in a mix of fellowships, internships, scholarships, and project grants that support both people and field work. Recent awards include a $200,000 grant to City Kids to Wilderness Project Inc for outdoor educational and experiential programming in Washington, DC and Wyoming, and a $105,607 grant to African People & Wildlife Fund for rapid response anti-poaching teams and community-based human-elephant conflict mitigation officers. The foundation also backs conservation career pathways directly through its Chrysalis Fund, which lists internships and scholarships, and through fellowship programs that provide financial support, mentorship, networking, and professional development. Its recent grantmaking reaches city youth, local conservation practitioners, and community-based teams working on wildlife, biodiversity, habitat protection, and conservation leadership. Conservation Nation’s portfolio includes both established organizations and emerging conservationists, with funding used for education, skills training, mentorship, and field-based conservation work.
In youth outdoor education, Conservation Nation gave $200,000 to City Kids to Wilderness Project Inc for programming in DC and surrounding areas, summer camp in Jackson Hole, a Yellowstone trip, and a high school internship in Wyoming. It also awarded $100,000 to Inward Bound Mindfulness for mindfulness activities, resources, and staff development tied to the City Kids Wilderness programs. On wildlife protection, the foundation provided $105,607 to African People & Wildlife Fund for rapid response anti-poaching teams and community-based human-elephant conflict mitigation officers. Veterinary capacity is another thread: VIEW Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife received $102,100 to secure on-the-ground veterinary care in Rwanda and build the wildlife health workforce, and another $100,000 in 2025 for veterinary capacity-building, mentorship, and research. The foundation also supports species-specific and community-facing conservation work, including a $30,000 grant to WildlifeDirect Inc for kids’ conservation education and rhino materials.
$559K
$4.9M
$989K
$2.4M
Most grants fall between $8K and $90K, with a median of $26K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$26K
75th Percentile
$90K
About 10% of grants go to recipients in MT.
Lynn Mento
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Conservation Nation’s recent awards show a broad spread in size, with a p25 of $7,500, a median of $25,500, and a p75 of $90,000. At the upper end, grants reached $200,000 and $170,000, while many internship awards were $7,500. The portfolio includes repeated support to the same organizations across years, such as City Kids to Wilderness Project Inc, VIEW Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife, African People & Wildlife Fund, Save the Rhino International Inc, and Yellowstone Forever. The foundation is a regular funder and its programs include both unsolicited and non-unsolicited tracks: the Conservation Nation Grant Program and the Annual Grant Program accept unsolicited applications, while fellowship and internship programs are administered through structured programs.
Conservation Nation gives nationally, with 10% of grants landing in the District of Columbia. Recent grants also cluster in Massachusetts, which is the top state by grant count, including awards to organizations in Concord and Attleboro. Other recipient cities in the recent list include Bozeman, New York, Washington, Raleigh, Detroit, Missoula, Seattle, and Miami. All of the recent grants shown went to U.S. recipients.
The foundation funds wildlife conservation, biodiversity conservation, environmental education, capacity building, and community-based conservation. Recent grants also show support for anti-poaching teams, veterinary capacity for endangered wildlife, bioacoustics research, and youth outdoor education.
Yes. Its active programs include the Chrysalis Fund internships and scholarships, fellowships, and the Conservation Nation Fellowship Program. Recent grants also include multiple $7,500 internship awards through the Chrysalis Fund.
Some recipients appear in multiple years. Examples from the recent grants list include City Kids to Wilderness Project Inc, VIEW Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife, African People & Wildlife Fund, Save the Rhino International Inc, and Yellowstone Forever.
Yes for some programs. The Conservation Nation Grant Program and the Annual Grant Program both accept unsolicited applications.
The grant-size distribution is p25 $7,500, median $25,500, and p75 $90,000. Recent awards range from $7,500 internship grants to six-figure grants such as $200,000 and $170,000.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Conservation Nation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: DC-area Title I schools planning nature-based field trips using Conservation Nation's Educator's Guide to Exploring Nature in Washington, DC; school must sign the bus company contract and be responsible for the field trip; applicant applies on behalf of a Title I school in the DC Metro area.
Who can apply: Students pursuing conservation careers, particularly in marine or invertebrate conservation, via partner conservation organizations. Partner organizations are community-based conservation organizations connected to relevant college/university programs.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Kids to Wilderness Project Inc | Washington, DC | $150,000 | 2026 | Funds outdoor educational/experiential programming in DC and surrounding areas, youth attendance at a summer camp and participation in a summer internship program in WY, and a trip to Yellowstone National Park. |
| VIEW Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife | Bozeman, MT | $105,500 | 2026 | Funds veterinary capacity-building, mentorship, and research in Rwanda and a grantee working on elephant health in Myanmar |
| African People & Wildlife Fund | Bernardsville, NJ | $97,500 | 2026 | Funds the training/support for rapid response anti-poaching teams and a network of community-based human-elephant conflict mitigation officers. |
| Inward Bound Mindfulness | Attleboro, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | Funds the integration of mindfulness activities, resources, and training into the City Kids Wilderness programs and staff development activities. |
| Save the Rhino International Inc | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2026 | Funds contribute to the breaking of barriers to create female participation in nature resource management at the North Luangwa Conservation Program in Zambia. Activities include gender mainstreaming trainings, youth mentorship, fitness training, and the provision of female menstrual health supplies. |
| Wildlife Direct Inc | Washington, DC | $30,000 | 2026 | Funds provide children visiting the Wildlife Warriors Kids Field Lab with hands-on conservation education and support the development of education materials focusing on elephants. |
| Elephant Havens Wildlife Foundation Inc | Dallas, TX | $30,000 | 2026 | People & Pachyderms Collective Grant for Elephant Bomas. |
| The Girls Foundation of Tanzania | Portland, ME | $25,874 | 2026 | Funds support the development of a wildlife and climate-focused curriculum and program and to empower the girls as ambassadors to fellow Tanzanian youth. Activities include field trips, environmental clubs, and training. Additional funds provided in 2025 for storytelling workshop and book printing of the stories developed at the workshop. |
| Yellowstone Forever | Bozeman, MT | $20,000 | 2026 | Funds support the implementation of a wolf bioacoustic study and the creation of effective data collection protocols and AI models for bioacoustic research in Yellowstone and beyond. |
| City Kids to Wilderness Project Inc | Washington, DC | $170,000 | 2025 | Funds outdoor educational/experiential programming in DC and surrounding areas, youth attendance at a summer camp and participation in a summer internship program in WY, and a trip to Yellowstone National Park. |
| African People & Wildlife Fund | Bernardsville, NJ | $105,607 | 2025 | Funds the training/support for rapid response anti-poaching teams and a network of community-based human-elephant conflict mitigation officers. |
| VIEW Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife | Bozeman, MT | $100,000 | 2025 | Funds veterinary capacity-building, mentorship, and research in Rwanda. |
| Inward Bound Mindfulness | Attleboro, MA | $90,000 | 2025 | Funds the integration of mindfulness activities, resources, and training into the City Kids Wilderness programs and staff development activities. |
| Save the Rhino International Inc | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | Funds contribute to the breaking of impediments to create female participation in nature resource management at the North Luangwa Conservation Program in Zambia. Activities include gender mainstreaming trainings, youth mentorship, fitness training, and the provision of female menstrual health supplies. |
| Yellowstone Forever | Bozeman, MT | $40,000 | 2025 | Funds support the implementation of a wolf bioacoustic study, the creation of effective data collection protocols and AI models for bioacoustic research in Yellowstone and beyond, and youth and community outreach including a youth field trip to Yellowstone. |
| Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife Division | Lapwal, ID | $39,369 | 2025 | Funds a Carnivore Fellow for the Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife Division who is responsible for the implementation and collaborative production of carnivore management and conservation for the Nez Perce Tribe. |
| WildlifeDirect Inc | Washington, DC | $30,000 | 2025 | Funds provide children visiting the Wildlife Warriors Kids Field Lab with hands-on conservation education and support the development of education materials focusing on rhinos. |
| The Girls Foundation of Tanzania | Portland, ME | $25,500 | 2025 | Funds support the development of a wildlife and climate-focused curriculum and program and to empower the girls as ambassadors to fellow Tanzanian youth. Activities include field trips, environmental clubs, and training. |
| Vermilion Sea Institue | Seattle, WA | $7,500 | 2025 | 2024 Chrysalis Fund Internship |
| Nature's Nursey | Whitehouse, OH | $7,500 | 2025 | 2024 Chrysalis Fund Internship |
| A Rocha | Wheaton, IL | $7,500 | 2025 | 2024 Chrysalis Fund Internship |
| Field Inclusive Inc | Raleigh, NC | $7,500 | 2025 | 2024 Chrysalis Fund Internship |
| City Kids to Wilderness Project Inc | Washington, DC | $200,000 | 2024 | Provide educational/experiential programming in DC and surrounding areas. Summer camp in Jackson Hole for city kids. A trip to Yellowstone National Park and High School summer internship in WY. |
| VIEW Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife | Bozeman, MT | $102,100 | 2024 | The Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife can secure on-the-ground veterinary care for the first time in Akagera's history and build the capacity of Rwanda's wildlife health workforce. |
| African People & Wildlife Fund | Far Hills, NJ | $100,000 | 2024 | Training/support for rapid response anti-poaching teams and a network of community-based human-elephant conflict mitigation officers. |
| iBme Inward Bound Mindful Education | Concord, MA | $100,000 | 2024 | Work on the City Kids Project to better equip staff and participants with proactive mindfulness practices through workshop. |
| Save the Rhino International Inc | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | Training/support to females in natural resource management. |
| YellowStone Forever | Bozeman, MT | $50,000 | 2024 | A general-purpose data collection protocol to create effective AI models for bioacoustics will be created for long-term data collection in Yellowstone. This protocol can be applied and used for multiple species research both inside Yellowstone and beyond. |
| Snow Leopard Trust | Seattle, WA | $24,000 | 2024 | Fellowship for local woman for science based now leopard conservation. |
| Missouri Botanical Garden | St louis, MO | $9,956 | 2024 | Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot known for its unique and diverse lemur populations. The proposed project aims to protect 10 lemur species in the Vohibe Forest by monitoring the lemur population, studying their behavioral ecology, training Malagasy researchers and conservationists, reducing anthropogenic activities in the forest, conducting forest restoration, and working with local communities to establish alternative livelihood practices in the Ambalabe commune, Vatomandry district, where the Vohibe Forest is located. Working closely with our partner institution that manages the field site, the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) Madagascar Program, we will support on-going and expand conservation activities. Funding from Conservation Nation will directly support Malagasy scholars and community members who are the key to long-term, sustainable conservation efforts in Madagascar. |
| Detroit Hives | Detroit, MI | $7,500 | 2024 | Internships funding. |
| BWEEMS | Miami, FL | $7,500 | 2024 | Internships funding. |
| Ecology Project International | Missoula, MT | $7,500 | 2024 | Internships funding. |
| Inland Seas Education Association | Suttons Bay, MI | $7,500 | 2024 | Internships funding. |
| Mystic Aquarium | Mystic, CT | $7,500 | 2024 | Internships funding. |
| Puget Sound Estuarium | Olympia, WA | $7,500 | 2024 | Internships funding. |
| Galveston Bay Foundation | Kemah, TX | $7,500 | 2024 | Internships funding. |
| Pacific American Foundation | Kailua, HI | $7,500 | 2024 | Internships funding. |
| AFRICAN PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE | BERNARDSVILLE, NJ | $24,000 | 2023 | TO FUND YAMAT LENGAI AS A CONSERVATION NATION FELLOW. |
Funds outdoor educational/experiential programming in DC and surrounding areas, youth attendance at a summer camp and participation in a summer internship program in WY, and a trip to Yellowstone National Park.
VIEW Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife
$105,500Funds veterinary capacity-building, mentorship, and research in Rwanda and a grantee working on elephant health in Myanmar
Funds the training/support for rapid response anti-poaching teams and a network of community-based human-elephant conflict mitigation officers.
Funds the integration of mindfulness activities, resources, and training into the City Kids Wilderness programs and staff development activities.
Funds contribute to the breaking of barriers to create female participation in nature resource management at the North Luangwa Conservation Program in Zambia. Activities include gender mainstreaming trainings, youth mentorship, fitness training, and the provision of female menstrual health supplies.
Wildlife Direct Inc
$30,000Funds provide children visiting the Wildlife Warriors Kids Field Lab with hands-on conservation education and support the development of education materials focusing on elephants.
Elephant Havens Wildlife Foundation Inc
$30,000People & Pachyderms Collective Grant for Elephant Bomas.
The Girls Foundation of Tanzania
$25,874Funds support the development of a wildlife and climate-focused curriculum and program and to empower the girls as ambassadors to fellow Tanzanian youth. Activities include field trips, environmental clubs, and training. Additional funds provided in 2025 for storytelling workshop and book printing of the stories developed at the workshop.
Funds support the implementation of a wolf bioacoustic study and the creation of effective data collection protocols and AI models for bioacoustic research in Yellowstone and beyond.
Funds outdoor educational/experiential programming in DC and surrounding areas, youth attendance at a summer camp and participation in a summer internship program in WY, and a trip to Yellowstone National Park.
African People & Wildlife Fund
$105,607Funds the training/support for rapid response anti-poaching teams and a network of community-based human-elephant conflict mitigation officers.
VIEW Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife
$100,000Funds veterinary capacity-building, mentorship, and research in Rwanda.
Funds the integration of mindfulness activities, resources, and training into the City Kids Wilderness programs and staff development activities.
Funds contribute to the breaking of impediments to create female participation in nature resource management at the North Luangwa Conservation Program in Zambia. Activities include gender mainstreaming trainings, youth mentorship, fitness training, and the provision of female menstrual health supplies.
Funds support the implementation of a wolf bioacoustic study, the creation of effective data collection protocols and AI models for bioacoustic research in Yellowstone and beyond, and youth and community outreach including a youth field trip to Yellowstone.
Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife Division
$39,369Funds a Carnivore Fellow for the Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife Division who is responsible for the implementation and collaborative production of carnivore management and conservation for the Nez Perce Tribe.
WildlifeDirect Inc
$30,000Funds provide children visiting the Wildlife Warriors Kids Field Lab with hands-on conservation education and support the development of education materials focusing on rhinos.
The Girls Foundation of Tanzania
$25,500Funds support the development of a wildlife and climate-focused curriculum and program and to empower the girls as ambassadors to fellow Tanzanian youth. Activities include field trips, environmental clubs, and training.
Vermilion Sea Institue
$7,5002024 Chrysalis Fund Internship
A Rocha
$7,5002024 Chrysalis Fund Internship
Field Inclusive Inc
$7,5002024 Chrysalis Fund Internship
Provide educational/experiential programming in DC and surrounding areas. Summer camp in Jackson Hole for city kids. A trip to Yellowstone National Park and High School summer internship in WY.
VIEW Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife
$102,100The Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife can secure on-the-ground veterinary care for the first time in Akagera's history and build the capacity of Rwanda's wildlife health workforce.
African People & Wildlife Fund
$100,000Training/support for rapid response anti-poaching teams and a network of community-based human-elephant conflict mitigation officers.
Work on the City Kids Project to better equip staff and participants with proactive mindfulness practices through workshop.
Training/support to females in natural resource management.
A general-purpose data collection protocol to create effective AI models for bioacoustics will be created for long-term data collection in Yellowstone. This protocol can be applied and used for multiple species research both inside Yellowstone and beyond.
Fellowship for local woman for science based now leopard conservation.
Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot known for its unique and diverse lemur populations. The proposed project aims to protect 10 lemur species in the Vohibe Forest by monitoring the lemur population, studying their behavioral ecology, training Malagasy researchers and conservationists, reducing anthropogenic activities in the forest, conducting forest restoration, and working with local communities to establish alternative livelihood practices in the Ambalabe commune, Vatomandry district, where the Vohibe Forest is located. Working closely with our partner institution that manages the field site, the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) Madagascar Program, we will support on-going and expand conservation activities. Funding from Conservation Nation will directly support Malagasy scholars and community members who are the key to long-term, sustainable conservation efforts in Madagascar.
Detroit Hives
$7,500Internships funding.
Mystic Aquarium
$7,500Internships funding.
Puget Sound Estuarium
$7,500Internships funding.
TO FUND YAMAT LENGAI AS A CONSERVATION NATION FELLOW.
