The McDanel Land Foundation is a Pacific Northwest–focused conservation funder that prioritizes land and habitat protection, ecological stewardship, and outdoor-access projects. They concentrate support on regional conservation groups and land trusts working on habitat restoration, invasive species control, salmon/river protection and stewardship science, with occasional grants for local trail and park infrastructure. The foundation repeatedly funds established conservation organizations in Idaho, Washington and adjacent British Columbia, signaling a geography-driven conservation strategy.
A 2025 grant of $25,000 to The Lands Council for highway rerouting to benefit salmon captures the Mcdanel Land Foundation’s pattern: project-specific conservation funding tied to habitat outcomes in the Inland Northwest. Across recent grants, the foundation backs land and habitat protection, stewardship science, invasive species control, and infrastructure that supports access to conserved places. The portfolio reaches conservation groups, land trusts, and advocacy organizations working in Washington, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. The foundation has also supported The Nature Conservancy Idaho with multiple science-program grants, including $39,000 in 2024 and $15,000 in 2025, indicating repeated support for technical conservation work rather than one-off awards. Other grants point to a similar approach: the foundation funds organizations working on salmon and river corridor protection, natural-area stewardship, and restoration of conserved lands. Its grants also extend to local trail and outdoor-access projects, showing that conservation and public use can appear together in the same portfolio. Recipient locations cluster in the Pacific Northwest, with most awards going to organizations in Washington and Idaho, and additional grants in Montana and British Columbia-linked stewardship work.
Land and habitat protection is central to the foundation’s giving. It awarded $15,000 to Conservation NW in 2025 for environmental preservation and another $13,000 to Idaho Conservation League in 2025 to protect Idaho’s environment. Those grants sit alongside support for organizations working across the Inland Northwest conservation landscape. Salmon and river work appears in multiple forms. The foundation gave $3,000 to Save Our Wild Salmon in 2025 for dam removal on the Snake River, and earlier gave $1,500 to the same group for a science-based plan on removing the four federal dams on the Lower Snake River. It also provided $25,000 to The Lands Council for highway rerouting for salmon. Stewardship and restoration are another recurring theme. In 2024, it gave $11,500 to Vital Ground Foundation for invasive species stewardship on a 100-acre site, and in 2025 it supported the same organization with $8,000 for grizzly habitat restoration.
Typical grants cluster in the five-figure range, with a p25 of $9,500, median of $12,750, and p75 of $15,000. The listed recent grants show repeated support for several organizations across multiple years, including The Nature Conservancy Idaho, Conservation NW, American Friends of Nature Conservancy of Canada Inc, Selkirk Conservation Alliance, Vital Ground Foundation, and Save Our Wild Salmon. That pattern suggests follow-on support rather than isolated awards. Mcdanel Land Foundation is not a fund for individuals and does not make program-related investments, so its grantmaking is organized around direct organizational grants.
$258K
$947K
$249K
$232K
Most grants fall between $10K and $15K, with a median of $13K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$13K
75th Percentile
$15K
About 33% of grants go to recipients in WA.
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Moderately sized, targeted grants concentrated on a small set of regional conservation organizations, with several repeat grantees (e.g., The Nature Conservancy Idaho, Conservation NW). Funding mixes stewardship/science support and project-specific grants (restoration, bridge repairs, rerouting) rather than general operating portfolios.
Notable grantees: The Nature Conservancy (Idaho), Conservation NW, The Lands Council, Ferry County Rail Trail Partners, American Friends of Nature Conservancy of Canada (West Kootenay stewardship)
Grant recipients are concentrated in the Pacific Northwest and nearby conservation geographies. Washington accounts for 33% of grants, and the recent grants show repeated awards in Seattle, Spokane, Malo, and Priest River. Idaho is another major recipient state, with Boise appearing several times in the grant list. Outside the United States, the foundation supported stewardship work tied to the West Kootenay natural area of British Columbia through a grant to an organization based in Buffalo, New York.
Its grants center on land and habitat protection, stewardship science, invasive species removal, salmon and river protection, and outdoor-access projects. Recent examples include environmental preservation, bridge repair on a rail trail, grizzly habitat restoration, and support for dam removal planning on the Lower Snake River.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeat support for several groups across multiple years, including The Nature Conservancy Idaho, Conservation NW, Selkirk Conservation Alliance, Vital Ground Foundation, and Save Our Wild Salmon. That points to an ongoing relationship with a set of regional conservation organizations.
The foundation’s grant sizes are usually in the low five figures. The provided distribution shows a 25th percentile of $9,500, a median of $12,750, and a 75th percentile of $15,000.
Its giving is regional, with the highest share of grants going to Washington-based recipients. The recent grants also show multiple awards in Idaho, plus stewardship support connected to British Columbia and a conservation group based in Buffalo, New York.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE LANDS COUNCIL | SPOKANE, WA | $25,000 | 2025 | FUNDING HIGHWAY REROUTING FOR SALMON |
| CONSERVATION NW | SEATTLE, WA | $15,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IDAHO | BOISE, ID | $15,000 | 2025 | SCIENCE PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| THE MOUNTAINEERS | SEATTLE, WA | $15,000 | 2025 | FUNDING ICHELLIUM SKATE PARK |
| IDAHO CONSERVATION LEAGUE | BOISE, ID | $13,000 | 2025 | PROTECT IDAHO'S ENVIRONMENT |
| VITAL GROUND FOUNDATION | MISSOULA, MT | $8,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT GRIZZLY HABITAT RESTORATION |
| SELKIRK CONSERVATION ALLIANCE | PRIEST RIVER, ID | $8,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION |
| SAVE OUR WILD SALMON | SEATTLE, WA | $3,000 | 2025 | FUNDING DAM REMOVAL ON SNAKE RIVER |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IDAHO | BOISE, ID | $39,000 | 2024 | SCIENCE PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CONSERVATION NW | SEATTLE, WA | $15,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION |
| VITAL GROUND FOUNDATION | MISSOULA, MT | $11,500 | 2024 | SUPPORT 100-ACRE INVASIVE SPECIES STEWARDSHIP |
| IDAHO CONSERVATION LEAGUE INC | BOISE, ID | $10,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT EFFORTS TO PROTECT IDAHO'S ENVIRONMENT |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA INC | BUFFALO, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT STEWARDSHIP NEEDS OF THE WEST KOOTENAY NATURAL AREA OF B.C. |
| FERRY COUNTY RAIL TRAIL PARTNERS | MALO, WA | $16,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT BRIDGE REPAIR ON THE FERRY COUNTY RAIL TRAIL. |
| CONSERVATION NW | SEATTLE, WA | $15,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IDAHO | BOISE, ID | $14,000 | 2023 | SCIENCE PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA INC | BUFFALO, NY | $14,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT STEWARDSHIP NEEDS OF THE WEST KOOTENAY NATURAL AREA OF B.C. |
| SELKIRK CONSERVATION ALLIANCE | PRIEST RIVER, ID | $8,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO STOP OR MITIGATE DAMAGE TO THE PRIEST LAKE ECOSYSTEM THREATENED BY THE PROPOSED COOLIN WETLAND DEVELOPMENT. |
| ALDO LEOPOLD FOUNDATION | BARABOO, WI | $2,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
| SAVE OUR WILD SALMON | SEATTLE, WA | $1,500 | 2023 | FUNDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SCIENCE BASED PLAN ON HOW BEST TO REMOVE THE FOUR FEDERAL DAMS ON THE LOWER SNAKE RIVER. |
THE LANDS COUNCIL
$25,000FUNDING HIGHWAY REROUTING FOR SALMON
CONSERVATION NW
$15,000ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IDAHO
$15,000SCIENCE PROGRAM SUPPORT
THE MOUNTAINEERS
$15,000FUNDING ICHELLIUM SKATE PARK
IDAHO CONSERVATION LEAGUE
$13,000PROTECT IDAHO'S ENVIRONMENT
VITAL GROUND FOUNDATION
$8,000SUPPORT GRIZZLY HABITAT RESTORATION
SELKIRK CONSERVATION ALLIANCE
$8,000ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION
SAVE OUR WILD SALMON
$3,000FUNDING DAM REMOVAL ON SNAKE RIVER
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IDAHO
$39,000SCIENCE PROGRAM SUPPORT
CONSERVATION NW
$15,000ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION
VITAL GROUND FOUNDATION
$11,500SUPPORT 100-ACRE INVASIVE SPECIES STEWARDSHIP
IDAHO CONSERVATION LEAGUE INC
$10,000SUPPORT EFFORTS TO PROTECT IDAHO'S ENVIRONMENT
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA INC
$10,000SUPPORT STEWARDSHIP NEEDS OF THE WEST KOOTENAY NATURAL AREA OF B.C.
FERRY COUNTY RAIL TRAIL PARTNERS
$16,000SUPPORT BRIDGE REPAIR ON THE FERRY COUNTY RAIL TRAIL.
CONSERVATION NW
$15,000ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IDAHO
$14,000SCIENCE PROGRAM SUPPORT
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA INC
$14,000SUPPORT STEWARDSHIP NEEDS OF THE WEST KOOTENAY NATURAL AREA OF B.C.
SELKIRK CONSERVATION ALLIANCE
$8,000TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO STOP OR MITIGATE DAMAGE TO THE PRIEST LAKE ECOSYSTEM THREATENED BY THE PROPOSED COOLIN WETLAND DEVELOPMENT.
ALDO LEOPOLD FOUNDATION
$2,000SUPPORT YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS
SAVE OUR WILD SALMON
$1,500FUNDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SCIENCE BASED PLAN ON HOW BEST TO REMOVE THE FOUR FEDERAL DAMS ON THE LOWER SNAKE RIVER.