OVERVIEW: The Howard G. Buffett Foundation awards millions in grants annually to organizations that address agriculture as it relates to food security, conflict mitigation and worthy international causes.
IP TAKE: Securing funding from Buffett can be challenging since it does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding. It also does not announce regular calls for proposals. Grantseekers can contact foundation staff and coordinate with them about project ideas. The foundation prefers to work with well-established, large operations, so grassroots outfits should look elsewhere. However, modestly-sized outfits and newer bodies will need to cultivate key personnel.
PROFILE: The Howard G. Buffett Foundation was established in 1999 by the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett. The foundation seeks to catalyze “transformational change” to improve quality of life in impoverished and developing nations and populations. Its current geographic priorities are Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Rwanda and the United States, but it has previously funded projects all over the world, including South America, the U.K., Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and many African Countries. The foundation views its resources as “rare risk capital that can be deployed to improve conditions and create change in the most difficult circumstances and geographies.” The foundation’s key priorities are food security, conflict mitigation, and public safety.
Grants for Global Development, Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture
The Howard G. Buffett’s food security focus area takes a conservation-based approach to farming practices and focuses on resource development for smallholder farmers in least developed countries. In 2015, Buffett integrated its water security work into its food security program. As a result, it appears to award a small number of grants to water-related work through this portfolio. The foundation also believes that “conflict remains a key barrier to achieving global food security.” To mitigate conflict, the foundation seeks to create opportunities to “bring an end to active conflicts or improve the conditions that fuel conflict” and to “support communities that have been devastated by conflict.” The Buffett Foundation also awards several domestic grants, but its biggest projects remain those that are international. Buffett awards millions to the U.N. World Food Program each year. However, several NGOs with charitable operations abroad also receive substantial Buffett backing. Buffett’s grantmaking in this area centers around Central America, but also funds select programs in Africa. Other grantees include the Nature Conservation Trust, Mercy Corps, Sequoia Farm Foundation, Malpai Borderlands Group, and Central Park Conservancy.
Grants for Global Development, Peace and Security, Violence Prevention
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation’s conflict mitigation focus area addresses global conflict as a “barrier to achieving global food security and economic prosperity.” Its two-pronged strategy involves supporting organizations that help prevent or end active conflicts, as well as those that support communities affected by conflict. The foundation aims to address the root causes of conflict by funding “projects that promote economic development, good governance, strong institutions, and ultimately citizen security.” In Africa, it has supported efforts to promote stability in Congo and Rwanda, while in Mexico and broader Central America it seeks to “reduce violence, disrupt human trafficking and labor exploitation, create better economic opportunities in developing nations, and provide humanitarian assistance.” Grantees in this area include the Conflict and Development Foundation, International Justice Mission, and Project Harmony. Additionally, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation has deployed nearly $150 million in Ukraine since the conflict began.
While the majority of Buffett’s grantmaking is international, its domestic grantmaking centers on public safety. The foundation seeks to apply lessons learned from its international grantmaking to the United States, particularly Illinois and Arizona. It partners with law enforcement to “address key community public safety concerns,” as well as supporting rural fire departments where resources may be scarce. It has provided funding to Macon County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois and the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona, as well as Arizona Law Enforcement Air Support.
Important Grant Details:
Grants generally range from $10,000 to $100,000, but select grantees may receive upwards of $5 million a year. Most internationally focused Buffett grantees are U.S. nonprofits, foreign NGOs, or universities working on development, socio-political, and environmental issues in Latin America and Africa. A small portion of the foundation’s grantmaking referred to as non-strategic investments, support projects that do not fit quite neatly into its stated giving priorities. To better capture Buffett’s giving tendencies, take a look at its latest report, which is updated annually.
Note that the foundation does not award grants for general operating support.
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