Conservation Alliance Disburses $450,000 in Grants
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04.22.08
Seventeen grassroots environmental organizations across North America are receiving funds from a $450,000 pool of grants allocated by the Conservation Alliance.
The Alliance is 130 member outdoor industry companies who make a yearly contribution to grant fund. Since its founding in 1989, by industry leaders REI, Patagonia, The North Face, and Kelty, the Conservation Alliance has supported environmental organisations to the tune of $6.5 million. This financial assistance has helped protect more than 35 million acres of land, stop or remove 26 dams, and preserve access to thousands of miles of rivers and several climbing areas.
This round of grants worked out to roughly about $25,000 per organisation, and were spread geographically from Alaska to North Carolina. (See the full list here) “The Conservation Alliance believes that the most effective conservation work happens at the local level, driven by local people. Most of the groups we support are rooted in the communities most strongly connected to the wild places they are working to protect. These organizations are lean, but are driven [by] passionate staff and volunteers.”
The Alliance aims to grow their annual grant budget so it exceeds $1 million. Imagine the positive impact on society if other industries had similar tithing programs where they came together to support local community initiatives. ::Conservation Alliance
Photo: Ben Moon, from Conservation Alliance website.
Disclosure: This writer was a member of the (now defunct) Australian outdoor industry's Conservation Alliance.
