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Weeden Foundation

Annual Giving
$1.7M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.0M
Decision Time
2mo

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $1,705,283
  • Number of Grants: 138 (2024)
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $30,000 (typical)
  • Geographic Focus: Western United States, Alaska, Chile, plus select international projects
  • Assets: $37.3 million
  • Decision Schedule: Board meets last Saturday in February, June, and October

Contact Details

Website: https://weedenfoundation.org/

Email: info@weedenfoundation.org

Address: Bedford Hills, NY

Application Portal: grantinterface.com

Overview

The Weeden Foundation was established by Frank Weeden to address the impact of human population growth and overuse of natural resources on the planet's biological systems. Since 1984, the Foundation has helped preserve over 6 million acres of biologically important habitat worldwide and provided financing for the first debt-for-nature swap in Bolivia in 1992. The Foundation embraces the protection of biodiversity as its overarching priority, with approximately $1.7 million distributed annually across 138 grants. In 2019, the Foundation received a major estate bequest from trustee John (Jack) D. Weeden. In 2015, the Foundation co-founded the Quick Response Fund for Nature in partnership with 1% for the Planet and RESOLVE to support urgent habitat acquisition opportunities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Standard Grant Program: $10,000 - $30,000

  • Application through online portal
  • Fixed deadlines aligned with board meetings
  • Letter of Inquiry required for new applicants (due 4 weeks before deadline)

Quick Response Fund for Nature: $10,000 - $50,000 (typically; no minimum)

  • Rolling basis for critical habitat acquisition projects
  • Rapid decision-making commensurate with applicant needs
  • Email info@weedenfoundation.org to apply
  • No deadline; applications accepted year-round

Priority Areas

Geographic Programs:

  • Alaska: Tongass National Forest protection, maintaining Clinton-era Roadless Rule protections, expanding wilderness designations

  • California Floristic Province: Northern California focus on salmon protection, land conservation, wildlife corridors, and river restoration (particularly Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument)

  • Northern Rockies (Montana): High Divide region in SW Montana, identifying and protecting wildlife corridors, reducing livestock-carnivore conflict, expanding critical habitat for endangered species

  • Chilean Patagonia: Expansion and institutionalization of private land conservation initiatives, protecting endangered watersheds

Thematic Programs:

  • Bird Conservation: Conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas, preventing species extinctions and reversing declining populations

  • Global Biodiversity: Systemic support for wildlife corridors and broader conservation infrastructure

  • Marine Wildlife Conservation: Protecting endangered marine species in the Americas through research, advocacy, policy change, and habitat conservation

  • Environmental Education: Supporting organizations that provide future leaders with tools to effect environmental policies

  • Sustainable Consumption: Promoting environmental paper use and reducing plastics in the waste stream, particularly eliminating single-use plastic disposables by promoting reusable packaging

  • International Population: Reducing population growth rates in biodiverse countries through family planning, women's education, and women's empowerment

What They Don't Fund

  • Working landscapes
  • Museums
  • Capital construction
  • Animal rights
  • Wildlife rehabilitation
  • Government projects
  • Faith-based organizations
  • Energy projects (except dams)
  • Universities
  • Basic scientific research

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors:

  • Barbara Daugherty - President
  • John Weeden - Vice President
  • Norman F. Weeden Ph.D - Secretary
  • Nick Leibowitz - Treasurer
  • William Weeden
  • Malcolm Roux

Staff:

  • Peggy Kennedy - Foundation Administrator

The board and staff have been involved with numerous environmental organizations including National Audubon Society, Sierra Club Foundation, California Wilderness Coalition, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, American Bird Conservancy, Environmental Grantmakers Association, and Biodiversity Funders Group.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

New Applicants:

  1. Submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) through the "New Applicants" form at grantinterface.com
  2. LOI must be submitted at least 4 weeks before the proposal deadline
  3. Receive confirmation email when form is complete
  4. Foundation reviews and responds - if work fits program areas, they invite a full proposal
  5. Submit full proposal if invited

Returning Grantees (organizations that received a grant the previous year):

  • Do not need to submit an LOI
  • Complete "Returning Grantees" application directly
  • Include project purpose, brief evaluation process, Executive Summary, financial statements, Board of Directors list, IRS tax exemption documentation, and project/organizational budgets

Quick Response Fund for Nature:

  • Email info@weedenfoundation.org to learn about the application process
  • Applications accepted on rolling basis throughout the year

Application Deadlines

Board meetings occur the last Saturday in February, June, and October. Specific proposal deadlines are posted on the website (e.g., May 15th deadline for June board meeting). Letters of Inquiry must be submitted 4 weeks before the proposal deadline.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Must be a 501(c)(3) organization or international equivalent
  • No multi-year grants

Decision Timeline

Decisions are made at board meetings in late February, June, and October. The Foundation reviews LOIs and responds to applicants about whether to invite full proposals. Specific notification timelines are not publicly disclosed, but the LOI-to-deadline structure provides approximately 4 weeks of lead time for invited proposals.

For the Quick Response Fund for Nature, the team strives to make decisions within a timeline commensurate with the needs of the applicant.

Success Rates

Specific success rate data is not publicly available. The Foundation awarded 138 grants in 2024 from an undisclosed number of applications.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants are not publicly disclosed. The Foundation distinguishes between "new applicants" and "returning grantees" (those funded the previous year), but does not clarify policies for organizations that applied unsuccessfully. Organizations should contact the Foundation directly for guidance.

Application Success Factors

Emphasize Shorter Descriptions: The Foundation explicitly states that "shorter descriptions are preferred to longer descriptions." Be concise and direct in all application materials.

Executive Summary is Critical: The Foundation notes that "the Executive Summary is especially important as it is the best vehicle for an organization to present the nature and intent of their project directly to the Board of Directors." This section should be crafted with particular care.

Clear Purpose and Evaluation: Proposals must "describe both the purpose for which the grant is solicited and a brief evaluation process in a clear and precise manner." Don't overlook the evaluation component.

Geographic and Thematic Alignment: The Foundation has very specific geographic focus areas (Alaska, Northern California, SW Montana, Chilean Patagonia) and thematic priorities (birds, marine wildlife, sustainable consumption, population). Projects must fit clearly within these defined areas.

Biodiversity Protection First: All programs roll up to the Foundation's overarching priority of protecting biodiversity. Applications should explicitly connect their work to biodiversity outcomes.

Strategic Conservation Approach: The Foundation supports work that is strategic and systemic - habitat acquisition, policy change, corridor protection, institutional capacity building - rather than basic research or rehabilitation.

Consider the Quick Response Fund: For time-sensitive habitat acquisition opportunities, the Quick Response Fund for Nature offers faster decision-making on a rolling basis and can provide grants up to $50,000.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Keep it concise: The Foundation explicitly prefers shorter descriptions and values brevity in applications
  • Perfect the Executive Summary: This section goes directly to the Board and is your best opportunity to make your case
  • Know your geographic fit: The Foundation has four specific geographic areas (Alaska Tongass, Northern California Klamath-Siskiyou, Montana High Divide, Chilean Patagonia) - if your work isn't in these regions, it needs to fit a thematic program like bird conservation or sustainable consumption
  • Plan for the LOI step: New applicants must submit a Letter of Inquiry 4 weeks before the deadline - factor this into your planning and don't expect to submit a full proposal on first contact
  • Align with biodiversity: Everything the Foundation does ladders up to biodiversity protection - make this connection explicit in your proposal
  • Realistic grant expectations: Standard grants are $10,000-$30,000 (not larger) and there are no multi-year grants, so plan your budget and timeline accordingly
  • Consider timing options: Standard grants follow a fixed schedule with three board meetings per year, but the Quick Response Fund offers rolling applications for urgent habitat acquisition needs

References

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