Conservation Capacity Program
Our Conservation Capacity program is designed especially to support the growth of skills, competencies, and infrastructure needed to achieve a higher level of organizational performance within the Northwest conservation community. It specializes in the areas of communications, leadership development, and planning and innovation.
To this end, two different tracks guide our investments in this funding area:
- Support for individual groups or coalitions that demonstrate an interest and readiness to increase their effectiveness (This funding is earmarked for groups already receiving support from our Conservation Policy or Place-based Conservation programs.)
- Support for service providers offering a range of tools aimed at strong advocacy and effective movement building
Long-term Goals
By the time the foundation closes its doors, we aim to see:
- Access to key service providers for groups supporting conservation values.
- Strong and adaptive leadership practices demonstrated by grantees.
- Grantees that use enhanced communications and engagement tools.
- Conservation issues effectively covered in the media.
- A stable base of funding for grantees.
- Increased interest and investment by donors and funders for conservation-focues efforts.
- Learning organizations: grantees that share information, successful strategies, resources, and technical support.
Types of Grantees
- Regionally focused service providers that offer communications training and analysis, leadership development, and technical and legal assistance
- Individual grantees or coalitions engaging in leadership development or organizational planning
- Individual grantees or coalitions engaging in communications planning
- Organizations that contribute to a vibrant media in order to elevate civic education and engagement related to conservation issues.
Funding details
Typical grants, awarded at one of three board meetings held each year, range from $10,000 to $50,000 and can be awarded for multiple years. Inquiries are accepted on an ongoing basis. Proposals are accepted by invitation only.
Success!
Court rejects illegal National Forest regulations for third time
A federal court recently ruled against the U.S. Forest Service in its third attempt to eliminate virtually all environmental safeguards from the rules that oversee the management of our national forests. Several current and past Brainerd grantees were plaintiffs in this legal challenge by Western Environmental Law Center, including Gifford Pinchot Task Force, Cascadia Wildlands Project, the Lands Council, Forest Service Employeees for Environmental Ethics, Oregon Wild and The Wilderness Society.