About Wildlife Conservation Network
WCN brings together conservationists and supporters to advance solutions for wildlife and people to coexist and thrive.
Focus Areas
Wildlife conservationSpecies protection (elephants, rhinos, lions, pangolins, painted dogs, sea otters, etc.)Anti-poaching and anti-traffickingHabitat protection and landscape conservationCommunity wellbeing and human-wildlife coexistenceCapacity building and organizational supportRapid crisis & emergency relief funding
Funding Style
general operating supportunrestricted supportcore/program support
About Wildlife Conservation Network
Wildlife Conservation Network Inc. uses its grantmaking to back species-focused conservation and the organizations working around them. In the recent grants list, that shows up in a large $1,000,000 grant to Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency for general program support, alongside a $718,193 grant to University of CA Davis for general program support. The funding also reaches landscape and habitat work, with gifts to groups such as Amah Mutsun Land Trust and Trust for Public Land. The foundation’s active programs point to a clear conservation strategy built around named species and urgent threats. It supports elephants, rhinos, lions, pangolins, painted dogs, bats, Bornean elephants, Andean cats, and California wildlife, while also funding anti-poaching, habitat protection, landscape conservation, and human-wildlife coexistence. It combines species recovery with organizational support, and its recent awards include both large unrestricted-style general program support and targeted conservation partnerships. The result is a portfolio that mixes broad support for conservation organizations with focused funds tied to specific animals and regions.
What Wildlife Conservation Network Funds
A major thread in the foundation’s work is habitat and landscape conservation. It gave $1,000,000 to Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency for general program support and $500,000 to Amah Mutsun Land Trust for general program support, both pointing to land-based conservation priorities in California. Another theme is scientific and field-based conservation capacity. University of CA Davis received $718,193 and then another $333,557, both for general program support, while University of CA Santa Cruz received $60,000 and $17,000. The foundation also supports advocacy and stewardship organizations that work alongside conservation efforts. The Nature Conservancy received $565,665 for general program support, and Green Foothills Foundation received $300,610 for general program support. These grants show a mix of institutional support and landscape-oriented conservation work.
How Wildlife Conservation Network Gives
Wildlife Conservation Network Inc. gives at a large scale: typical grants run from a p25 of $97,500 to a median of $207,900 and a p75 of $384,750. The recent grants list also includes several awards well above that range, indicating room for larger project and operating support. The pattern looks sustained rather than one-off. University of CA Davis and Environment in the Public Interest each appear more than once in the recent grants list, and University of CA Santa Cruz also received multiple awards. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Its stated philosophy emphasizes general operating, unrestricted, and core/program support.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$5.7M
Total Assets
$98.1M
Total Revenue
$86.1M
Total Expenses
$54.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $98K and $385K, with a median of $208K.
25th Percentile
$98K
Median
$208K
75th Percentile
$385K
Geographic Reach
Regional7 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
CHARLES KNOWLES
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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