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Wilburforce Foundation

Annual Giving
$20.2M
Grant Range
$1K - $1.3M

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Wilburforce Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $20.2 million (2023)
  • Total Assets: $141 million (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by docket; three board meetings annually
  • Grant Range: $1,000 - $1,300,000
  • Median Grant: $50,000
  • Geographic Focus: Western North America (13 priority regions)

Contact Details

Address: 2034 NW 56th St, Ste 300, Seattle, WA 98107
Phone: 206.632.2325
Email: grants@wilburforce.org
Website: https://wilburforce.org
Location: Greenfire Campus, Ballard neighbourhood, Seattle

Note: Prospective applicants must contact a programme officer before submitting proposals. Staff directory available on the foundation's About Us page.

Overview

Founded in 1991 by philanthropist Rose Letwin, Wilburforce Foundation is a Seattle-based private foundation dedicated to protecting the lands, waters, and wildlife of western North America. With assets of $141 million and annual giving of $20.2 million (2023), the foundation has invested more than $217 million in conservation efforts and is recognised as an international leader in collaborative conservation. Rose's scientific background shaped the foundation's science-driven philosophy of employing metrics and foundational data to analyse problems and design programmes for greatest impact. The foundation's approach is holistic, multi-faceted, and highly collaborative, emphasising long-term partnerships and capacity building to help grantees achieve higher levels of effectiveness.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Geographic Programmes - The foundation organises grantmaking into three regional programmes covering 13 specific priority regions:

  1. Alaska and British Columbia Programme: Arctic (Alaska/Yukon), Tongass National Forest, Great Bear Rainforest, Transboundary AK/BC Watersheds, BC's Central Interior

  2. Northwest/Southwest Programme: Cascadia, Great Basin, Southwest Crescent (spanning from ancient rainforests through the Sagebrush Sea to the Transboundary Sky Islands, including lands in six US states and two Mexican states)

  3. Yellowstone to Yukon Programme: Crown of the Continent, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Inland Rainforest, Salmon-Selway/Hells Canyon, Y2Y Far North

Supporting Programmes - Cut across all geographic regions:

  • Conservation Science: $10,000 - $50,000 typical range. Supports rigorous research and information sharing to advance durable solutions to ecosystem conservation, with emphasis on studies that inform policy and management decisions

  • Conservation Law & Policy: $20,000 - $575,000 range. Focuses on defending key environmental laws and increasing support for advancing conservation plans, policies, and practices across priority regions; aims to educate and engage US citizens and leaders on pressing conservation issues

  • Capacity Building: Available only to current grantees (not open application). Provides coaching, consulting, and training through TREC (Together Rising as an Environmental Community) in areas including leadership development, governance, fundraising, financial management, strategic planning, evaluation, messaging and communications, public engagement, technology, and collaborative partnerships

Conservation Leadership Awards: Annual awards honouring exceptional conservation leadership, including $10,000 cash award to the individual plus $5,000 to their organisation

Priority Areas

  • Science-driven conservation efforts focused on wildlands and habitat connectivity
  • Landscape-scale conservation enabling wildlife movement and thriving populations
  • Wildlife protection and biological diversity preservation
  • Water quality and ecosystem restoration
  • Federal and state conservation policy advancement
  • Indigenous-led conservation initiatives
  • Grassroots advocacy for environmental protection
  • Long-term, sustained conservation partnerships

What They Don't Fund

Based on older grant guidelines, the foundation does not support:

  • Habitat restoration projects (outside of strategic priorities)
  • Pollution prevention initiatives
  • Air quality projects
  • Energy-related issues
  • Transportation-related issues
  • Work outside western North America's 13 priority regions
  • Organisations with more than one active grant (except by invitation)
  • Multi-year grants (except by invitation)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors/Trustees:

  • Rose Letwin - Founder and President. Established the foundation in 1991 after recognising that rehabilitated wildlife lacked protected habitat to return to. Her scientific background shaped the foundation's metrics-driven approach.

  • Lisa Weinstein - Executive Director (joined 2018). M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.S. in Environmental Biology and Ecology from Michigan State University. Previously Senior Programme Officer at Turner Foundation and Assistant Chief of Nongame Conservation with Georgia's Department of Natural Resources. Serves as Board Vice President of Biodiversity Funders Group.

  • Tim Greyhavens - Trustee and former Executive Director (1994-2016). Nationally recognised philanthropic and conservation leader with over 35 years in environmental work. Appointed to America's Great Outdoors Task Force by U.S. Department of Interior in 2010.

  • Birch (Paul) Beaudet - Board member and former Executive Director (2017-2023). Joined Wilburforce in 1999 as Programme Officer for Evaluation, became Associate Director in 2002. Retired after almost 25 years with the foundation. Reflected: "When I started at Wilburforce in 1999, I never would've imagined I would spend the remainder of my professional life in one place."

  • Jennifer Miller Herzog - Board member (rejoined 2024). Brings 25+ years in nonprofit conservation with expertise in landscape-scale conservation, wildlife connectivity, water quality restoration, grassroots advocacy, and federal/state policy. Previously worked at Wilburforce from 2001-2011 as Programme Officer for the Yellowstone to Yukon region.

  • Stephanie Nichols-Young - Board member and Treasurer. Attorney in private practice in Phoenix for 30 years. Law degree and undergraduate degree from University of Arizona.

  • Jim Orr - Board member (joined 2017). Lifelong conservationist raised in National Park Service family. Earned music and education administration degrees from Washington State University; taught for 36 years.

Key Leadership Team:

  • Courtney Price - Chief Operations Officer
  • Programme Directors for three regional areas (Alaska/British Columbia, Northwest/Southwest, Yellowstone to Yukon)

On Funding Philosophy:

Jamie Clark on founder Rose Letwin: "Rose Letwin has put her investments where her heart is. Her life-long commitment to sustaining wild places for wildlife and people has enriched our nation and is a gift to generations to come."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

CRITICAL FIRST STEP: The Wilburforce Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Organisations interested in funding must contact a programme officer BEFORE submitting any proposal. The foundation emphasises this requirement to ensure alignment and save both organisations time, money, and resources.

Process:

  1. Initial Contact: Review the foundation's Strategic Framework document (available on website) and priority regions map to confirm alignment with foundation interests

  2. Programme Officer Consultation: Contact the appropriate programme officer using information from the About Us page. This consultation determines:

    • Whether your work aligns with current priorities
    • Which docket (funding cycle) would be appropriate
    • Proposal deadline specific to your project
    • Any additional requirements

  3. Proposal Submission: Deadlines are determined individually during consultation with programme officers—there are no standing deadlines

  4. Board Review: Grants are presented at three annual board meetings, typically organised by geographic region or programme area into specific funding "dockets"

Important Restrictions:

  • Organisations may have only ONE active grant at a time (except by invitation)
  • Multi-year grants are available only by foundation invitation
  • Organisations can submit proposals for new projects before current grants end, though funding would not commence until completion of the active grant

Decision Timeline

Decisions are made at three board meetings annually. Specific timelines from proposal submission to decision vary depending on which docket cycle your proposal enters, as determined during programme officer consultation.

Success Rates

The foundation awarded 224 grants totalling $20.2 million in 2023. Success rates and total application numbers are not publicly disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants are not publicly documented. Organisations should discuss reapplication possibilities directly with programme officers during the initial consultation or follow-up conversations.

Application Success Factors

Organisational Profile: Grantees tend to be well-established environmental organisations actively working in the foundation's geographic priority areas or involved in law and/or policy development aimed at protecting these areas. Inside Philanthropy notes that "smaller organisations may find it difficult to secure funding here as the foundation prioritises working with larger, more established conservation groups."

Science-Driven Approach: The foundation's philosophy emphasises "employing metrics and foundational data to analyse problems and design programmes for greatest impact." Successful proposals demonstrate rigorous, science-based approaches with measurable outcomes.

Geographic Alignment: Projects must clearly fall within one of the foundation's 13 priority regions across Alaska/British Columbia, Northwest/Southwest, or Yellowstone to Yukon programmes. Consult the priority regions map on the foundation website to confirm alignment.

Long-Term Partnership Potential: The foundation "makes sustained investments in partners over time and builds their capacity to achieve higher levels of effectiveness." Proposals should demonstrate potential for ongoing partnership and capacity growth.

Policy and Management Impact: For Conservation Science grants, the foundation prioritises "rigorous studies and projects that inform policy and management." Research should have clear applications to conservation decision-making.

Collaborative Approach: The foundation values organisations that build "strong relationships with our grantee partners and encourage collaborative work with scientists, decision-makers, and other allies." Demonstrate how your work connects to broader conservation networks.

Strategic Impact: The foundation uses a Theory of Change framework to define outcomes and ensure programmes focus on measurable results. Proposals should clearly articulate how activities will lead to specific conservation outcomes.

Capacity for Growth: Rose Letwin's "years of consulting and volunteer experiences with nonprofit organisations led to the foundation's commitment to empowering and building up the leadership capabilities of its grantees." Organisations should demonstrate openness to capacity building support.

Examples of Funded Work: Recent major grants include MakeWay Foundation for the Wilburforce Canadian Conservation Fund ($1.3M in 2023) and Training Resources for the Environmental Community ($800K in 2023). Conservation Leadership Award recipients provide insight into valued approaches—recent honourees include leaders in wildlife connectivity (building wildlife crossings), Indigenous-led conservation, landscape-scale protection, and science communication.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Pre-application consultation is mandatory - Do not submit proposals without first speaking to a programme officer. Use this conversation to understand current priorities and ensure strong alignment before investing time in a full proposal.

  • Geographic specificity matters - Your work must clearly align with one of 13 designated priority regions. Review the foundation's priority regions map carefully and be explicit about geographic connections in your outreach.

  • Science-based approaches win - The foundation's roots in scientific methodology mean proposals must demonstrate rigorous, data-driven approaches with measurable outcomes that inform policy and management decisions.

  • Think partnership, not transaction - The foundation seeks long-term partnerships and invests in organisational capacity building. Frame proposals as the beginning of a sustained relationship rather than one-off projects.

  • Established organisations have an advantage - While not impossible for newer groups, the foundation tends to prioritise well-established conservation organisations with proven track records in their priority regions.

  • Collaboration is valued - Demonstrate how your work connects to broader conservation networks, engages scientists and decision-makers, and contributes to landscape-scale conservation efforts.

  • Be strategic about grant limitations - With only one active grant allowed per organisation (except by invitation), ensure you're requesting support for your highest-priority work that aligns with foundation interests.

References

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