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BAND Foundation

Annual Giving
$6.9M
Grant Range
$15K - $0.5M

BAND Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $6,936,011 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed (invitation-only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $15,000 - $500,000
  • Geographic Focus: International (East Africa, Southeast US grasslands, coastal Maine, New York City, Long Island, Virginia Piedmont)
  • Total Assets: $132.6 million (2023)

Contact Details

Website: bandfdn.org

Phone: (800) 839-1754

Address: Wilmington, DE

Important Note: The BAND Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. All grants are made by invitation only.

Overview

The BAND Foundation was established in 1999 by Burks and Anthony Lapham, along with their children Nicholas and David, as a private family foundation focused on nature conservation and epilepsy care. With total assets exceeding $132 million and annual charitable disbursements of approximately $6.9 million (2023), the foundation takes a "flexible, risk-tolerant approach to grantmaking" and seeks to fund visionary organizations and science-based solutions. The epilepsy focus emerged after the tragic loss of a young family member to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) in 2008. The foundation favors locally-led conservation initiatives and operates in a collaborative, adaptive manner, prioritizing work in areas where donor funding and public attention have been disproportionately lacking.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Nature Conservation: $15,000 - $500,000

  • Supports locally-led initiatives promoting biodiversity and preserving natural landscapes
  • Multi-year core funding available for outstanding local organizations
  • Challenge grants to leverage additional support from other funders
  • Application method: Invitation only

Epilepsy Care: $20,000 - $500,000

  • Focuses on SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) research and prevention
  • Addresses treatment gaps in low-resource settings, particularly Africa
  • Supports advocacy, education, and systems integration
  • Application method: Invitation only

Priority Areas

Environmental Conservation:

  • Conserving and restoring biologically significant natural landscapes with emphasis on locally-led solutions
  • Protecting endangered species, particularly underappreciated groups: bats, amphibians, vultures, seabirds, island plants
  • Grassland conservation globally, especially Southeastern US grasslands
  • Community wildlife conservancies in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania)
  • Climate resilience and adaptation as essential components
  • Projects that blend conservation with enhanced local livelihoods
  • Scalable solutions capable of inspiring change at scale

Geographic Conservation Focus:

  • East Africa (concentrated investments in Kenya, Tanzania)
  • Coastal Maine, New York City, Long Island, Virginia Piedmont (US)
  • Parts of Asia (limited information available)

Epilepsy Research & Care:

  • SUDEP research, prevention, and family awareness initiatives
  • Integrating epilepsy services into public health systems in low-resource settings
  • Reducing stigma associated with epilepsy, particularly in Africa
  • Advocacy toolkits and education materials
  • Co-morbidity and mortality risk studies

What They Don't Fund

  • Unsolicited proposals from organizations without existing relationships
  • Organizations outside their strategic focus areas of nature conservation and epilepsy care
  • Projects without strong local leadership or community engagement
  • Initiatives lacking science-based approaches

Governance and Leadership

Burks B. Lapham – Chair Previously chaired CONCERN, INC., a community-driven environmental organization. Currently serves on the Chesapeake Bay Foundation board and has directed the Natural Resources Defense Council and Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Brings decades of conservation leadership experience.

Nicholas P. Lapham – President & Treasurer Lifelong conservationist with senior positions at Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, and the UN Foundation. Served in the State Department and White House during the Clinton administration. Currently owns an organic farming business in Virginia and serves as director of College of the Atlantic. Nicholas has stated: "By working together, conservation funders can move greater resources more effectively to outstanding local organizations that deliver results at the community level."

Clark S. Mitchell – Secretary Travel journalist with deep expertise in grasslands conservation. Steering committee member of the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative and director of the Center for Plant Conservation and Natural Areas Conservancy.

Gardiner O. Lapham – Board Member Passionate epilepsy advocate who lost her 4-year-old son to epilepsy. Former Board Chair of Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) and co-founder and three-time chair of Partners Against Mortality in Epilepsy (PAME). Received the 2021 Extraordinary Contributions to the Field of Epilepsy Award from the American Epilepsy Society. Gardiner brings personal experience and deep connections to the epilepsy research community.

Anthony A. Lapham (1936-2006) – Co-founder Distinguished lawyer and passionate conservationist who directed the Environmental Defense Fund, Audubon, Ocean Conservancy, American Farmland Trust, and American Rivers.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The BAND Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation accepts proposals by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited grant applications or funding requests.

The foundation actively seeks relationships with partner organizations rather than accepting traditional grant applications. They identify areas of high need where their support can be strategic and catalytic, then invite organizations to submit proposals.

Getting on Their Radar

The BAND Foundation operates through established relationships and strategic identification of high-impact organizations. Based on their documented approach:

Established Partnership Networks:

  • The foundation works with major conservation intermediaries including Maliasili, Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Network, and American Bird Conservancy
  • They partner with epilepsy organizations including the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE), Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), Epilepsy Foundation of America, and Partners Against Mortality in Epilepsy (PAME)
  • Nicholas Lapham's connections through Conservation International, WWF, UN Foundation, and College of the Atlantic provide entry points
  • Gardiner Lapham's networks through CURE, PAME, and the American Epilepsy Society are key for epilepsy-focused organizations

Foundation-Led Initiatives:

  • The foundation launched the Maasai Landscape Conservation Fund with $1 million in seed funding through Maliasili, demonstrating their approach of creating collaborative funding vehicles
  • They supported the Funders Learning Network for Global Epilepsy, indicating engagement with funder collaboratives
  • Their Utetezi Project provided small grants to IBE chapters in Africa, showing a willingness to support capacity building

Geographic and Thematic Alignment:

  • Organizations working in East Africa (particularly Kenya and Tanzania), Southeastern US grasslands, or in coastal Maine/Virginia Piedmont regions
  • Groups focused on bats, amphibians, vultures, seabirds, or island plants
  • Epilepsy organizations addressing SUDEP or working on treatment gaps in Africa
  • Locally-led conservation groups with deep ecosystem understanding

Strategic Positioning:

  • The foundation favors "areas where donor funding and public attention have been disproportionately lacking"
  • They seek organizations with "visionary individuals" and "science-based solutions"
  • Multi-year relationships are common; many grantees receive ongoing support

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. As an invitation-only funder, decision timelines vary based on strategic priorities and relationship development.

Success Rates

Not publicly disclosed. The invitation-only model means that organizations invited to submit proposals have already been vetted for strategic fit.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable for unsolicited applications. For invited partners, the foundation demonstrates a preference for multi-year relationships, with many grantees receiving ongoing support across multiple years.

Application Success Factors

Given the invitation-only nature of BAND Foundation grantmaking, the following factors are critical based on their documented priorities and funded projects:

Locally-Led Leadership: The foundation repeatedly emphasizes support for "locally-led initiatives" and "outstanding local organizations that deliver results at the community level." Projects should demonstrate deep community engagement and leadership by people with intimate knowledge of the ecosystems or health systems they're working to improve.

Science-Based Approaches: The foundation explicitly seeks to "promote science-based solutions" in both conservation and epilepsy care. Successful partnerships involve rigorous research, evidence-based interventions, and partnerships with academic or clinical institutions.

Underappreciated Focus Areas: The foundation gravitates toward "areas where donor funding and public attention have been disproportionately lacking." This includes grasslands (which have lost 90% of their original extent in the Southeast), underappreciated species (bats, amphibians, vultures), and neglected health issues (SUDEP, epilepsy treatment gaps in Africa).

Risk Tolerance and Innovation: The foundation describes itself as "risk-tolerant" and seeks "visionary individuals and institutions." Projects like supporting the documentary "The Curse of Stigma" (which won Best Documentary Short at the Hollywood Boulevard Film Festival and was accepted to 20+ festivals) demonstrate willingness to fund creative approaches.

Scalability and Catalytic Impact: The foundation looks for "scalable solutions capable of inspiring change at scale" and aims to "catalyze additional funding." Their $1 million commitment to launch the Maasai Landscape Conservation Fund, which leveraged an additional $2 million from other funders, exemplifies this approach.

Multi-Year Sustainability: Many grantees receive multi-year core support. The foundation provided over $800,000 to the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative through multiple grants and challenge grants designed to leverage additional support from other actors.

Collaborative Approach: The foundation operates "in a collaborative, adaptive manner" and values partnership. Nicholas Lapham emphasized that "conservation funders can move greater resources more effectively" when working together. Joint initiatives with other foundations (Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation, Whitten-Newman Foundation, UCB Innovation for Health Equity Fund) are common.

Climate Resilience Integration: For conservation projects, the foundation emphasizes "climate resilience and adaptation as essential components of long-term sustainability."

Recent Examples of Funded Work:

  • Amref Health Africa: $500,000 for comprehensive epilepsy care project in Tanzania
  • Southeastern Grasslands Initiative: $800,000+ over multiple years for grassland conservation and restoration
  • Maliasili: Multi-year support for Maasai Mara community wildlife conservancies during COVID-19
  • International Bureau for Epilepsy: Utetezi Project and advocacy toolkit development for making epilepsy a priority in Africa
  • Bat Conservation International: Mexican long-nosed bat restoration and Agave Restoration Initiative
  • BirdLife International: Preventing poisoning to save Africa's vultures

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only model means relationship building is essential – Connect through their existing partner networks (Maliasili, IBE, CURE, PAME, major conservation organizations) or through trustee networks in conservation and epilepsy sectors
  • Locally-led is non-negotiable – Projects must demonstrate genuine community leadership and deep local knowledge, not external organizations imposing solutions
  • Fill funding gaps strategically – The foundation targets underappreciated species, ecosystems, and health issues that lack proportional funding; position your work as addressing a neglected crisis
  • Think catalytic, not just programmatic – Demonstrate how their investment will leverage additional resources, inspire replication, or shift broader systems
  • Science-based with risk tolerance – Combine rigorous evidence with innovative approaches; the foundation values both scientific credibility and creative solutions
  • Multi-year relationships are the norm – If invited to apply, think beyond a single grant to how an ongoing partnership could deepen impact over time
  • Geographic focus matters – Strong alignment if working in East Africa, Southeast US grasslands, or their US regional focus areas; projects outside these areas need exceptionally strong strategic rationale

References

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