Interlaken Foundation concentrates its giving in large, targeted awards to wildlife conservation organizations and place-based community philanthropy. Almost all grants are multi‑million dollar gifts made to a small set of recipients, indicating strategic, high-impact support rather than broad grantmaking. The foundation shows particular interest in global wildlife protection and in supporting local charitable infrastructure in Santa Cruz County. Repeat funding to the Wildlife Conservation Network suggests sustained partnerships with conservation NGOs.
Highly concentrated: very few, very large grants (multi‑million each) with repeat funding to select conservation organizations and a major unrestricted gift pathway through a local community foundation. Emphasis on strategic, relationship‑driven grants rather than many small awards.
Interlaken Foundation Inc C/o Christopher Wilmers makes very large, targeted grants, with the biggest recent award going to Wildlife Conservation Network for $10,550,000 in 2025. That pattern matches a broader portfolio built around wildlife conservation and place-based philanthropy rather than a wide set of smaller awards. The foundation also gave $8,500,000 to Wildlife Conservation Fund in 2023, showing sustained support for conservation intermediaries and networks that channel resources into wildlife protection work. A second clear thread is community philanthropy in Santa Cruz County. In 2025, the foundation granted $7,000,000 to Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, following a $4,700,000 grant to the same organization in 2023. Those repeated awards suggest ongoing support for local charitable infrastructure alongside conservation priorities. The grant list also includes a smaller set of awards outside those two areas, including support for civic participation and regional nonprofits. Overall, the foundation’s giving points to concentrated relationships, high-dollar commitments, and a limited number of recipients that receive multi-year backing.
Wildlife conservation is a central part of the foundation’s work. In 2025, it gave $10,550,000 to Wildlife Conservation Network for the organization’s charitable use, and in 2023 it gave $8,500,000 to Wildlife Conservation Fund for the same purpose. It also made a $3,000,000 grant to Wildlife Conservation Network in 2023, reinforcing that conservation networks are a core recipient type. Place-based philanthropy is another visible theme. The foundation gave $7,000,000 in 2025 to Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, after a $4,700,000 grant to that organization in 2023. That repeated support indicates an interest in local philanthropic infrastructure. Beyond those areas, the foundation has made grants connected to civic participation and voting reform, including $600,000 to Unite America Institute and $250,000 to Rank the Vote Inc.
The recent grant pattern is highly concentrated and large-scale. Typical grant size sits at $437,500 at the 25th percentile, $2,000,000 at the median, and $4,275,000 at the 75th percentile. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Giving appears relationship-based rather than one-off: Wildlife Conservation Network and Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County each received multiple grants across 2023 and 2025. The grants are described as for the organization’s charitable use, which indicates broad support rather than tightly restricted project funding. The data does not show an application process.
$18.4M
$366.8M
$24.6M
$22.3M
Most grants fall between $438K and $4.3M, with a median of $2M.
25th Percentile
$438K
Median
$2M
75th Percentile
$4.3M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Notable grantees: Wildlife Conservation Network, Wildlife Conservation Fund, Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County
All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients. California is the top state by grant count, with grants landing in San Francisco and Santa Cruz. Other recipient locations include Washington, DC; Denver, CO; Hanover, NH; Cambridge, MA; and Boston, MA. The foundation’s headquarters is in New York, but none of the recent grants in the sample went to New York recipients.
The clearest patterns are wildlife conservation organizations and community philanthropy groups. Recent grants include Wildlife Conservation Network and Wildlife Conservation Fund, plus repeated support for Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County. The foundation has also funded civic participation groups such as Unite America Institute and Rank the Vote Inc.
Yes. Wildlife Conservation Network appears more than once in the recent grants list, with grants of $10,550,000 in 2025 and $3,000,000 in 2023. Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County also received two grants, $7,000,000 in 2025 and $4,700,000 in 2023.
The grant-size distribution is very large: the 25th percentile is $437,500, the median is $2,000,000, and the 75th percentile is $4,275,000. That places most grants well above standard small-grant levels.
California is the top state by grant count. In the recent grant list, California recipients are in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, while other U.S. recipients are in Washington, DC; Denver, CO; Hanover, NH; Cambridge, MA; and Boston, MA.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK | San Francisco, CA | $10,550,000 | 2025 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County | Santa Cruz, CA | $7,000,000 | 2025 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| UNITE AMERICA INSTITUTE | DENVER, CO | $600,000 | 2025 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| RANK THE VOTE INC | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $250,000 | 2025 | FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK | San Francisco, CA | $10,000,000 | 2024 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County | Santa Cruz, CA | $6,150,000 | 2024 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | CONCORD, NH | $250,000 | 2024 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| THE PRESIDENT & TRUSTEE OF WILLIAMS COLLEGE | WILLIAMSTOWN, MA | $200,000 | 2024 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FUND | Washington, DC | $8,500,000 | 2023 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County | Santa Cruz, CA | $4,700,000 | 2023 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK | San Francisco, CA | $3,000,000 | 2023 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| MAKEWAY DESIGNATED FUND OF RSF SOCIAL FINANCE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,000,000 | 2023 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| OAK HILL | Hanover, NH | $250,000 | 2023 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
| TRUSTEES OF THE RESERVATION | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2023 | FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE |
FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE
RANK THE VOTE INC
$250,000FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE
FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE
THE PRESIDENT & TRUSTEE OF WILLIAMS COLLEGE
$200,000FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FUND
$8,500,000FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE
FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE
MAKEWAY DESIGNATED FUND OF RSF SOCIAL FINANCE
$1,000,000FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE
OAK HILL
$250,000FOR ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE USE