OVERVIEW: The Turner Foundation supports land, water and wildlife conservation and initiatives to advance the transition to clean energy in the U.S.
IP TAKE: The Turner Foundation works mainly with state-level and regional conservation and clean energy initiatives. It has also demonstrated a commitment to educating and enlisting affected communities in these causes. A significant portion of grantmaking goes to organizations in the states of Georgia, Montana, Colorado and New Mexico.
This is not an accessible funder in that it does not accept unsolicited proposals of letters of inquiry. General inquiries should be submitted to the foundation via its contact page.
PROFILE: Conservation is serious business for Ted Turner, who established the Turner Foundation in 1990, in Atlanta, Georgia. A media mogul and landowner, Turner describes protecting the environment as an “effort to ensure the survival of the human species,” and his foundation funds conservation initiatives that safeguard threatened landscapes and wildlife across the globe. A family operation, Ted Turner serves as the foundation’s chair, and his five children occupy director positions. Stated grantmaking priorities include land, air, water, and growing the movement, which promotes “conservation engagement across all ages, ethnicities, political associations, and interest groups.”
This funder does not place geographic restrictions on its grantmaking, but most grants go to organizations and initiatives in the U.S., and the states of Montana, Colorado, New Mexico and Georgia appear to be areas of priority.
Grants for Environmental Conservation and Justice
The Turner Foundation’s land initiative “supports the restoration and protection of both private and public lands.” Public land funding prioritizes defense of conservation laws, expansion of public land protection, large-scale restoration of habitats and ecosystems and the creation of “opportunities to shift attitudes and management practices from extraction to conservation.” Grantmaking aimed at private land conservation focuses on regional programs for private land conservation, the recruitment of landowners for conservation and protection initiatives and support for initiatives that “protect corridors and buffer zones to adapt to a changing climate.” In a recent year, the foundation supported the Malpai Borderlands Group, an organization that supports the conservation of private ranchlands in the areas where the states of New Mexico and Arizona border Mexico. Another land conservation grantee, the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, organizes young people “to educate, cultivate and empower an engaged public in the stewardship of public lands.” Other grantees include the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Trust for Public Land and the Western Landowners Alliance.
Grants for Animals and Wildlife
The Turner Foundation supports the conservation of wildlife and relevant ecosystems and habitats across all its grantmaking initiatives, giving to organizations that work regionally and nationally on public and privately-owned land and waterways. A major recipient in this area of grantmaking is the Turner Endangered Species Fund, which is also steered by the Turner family, and which focuses on “species with historic ranges on properties owned by Ted Turner.” Another recent grantee, Save Florida’s Gopher Tortoises, rescues and relocates endangered tortoises from soon-to-be developed areas. Other grantees involved in wildlife conservation include Montana’s Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the International Crane Foundation, the National Audubon Society and the Property and Environmental Research Center, which promotes the maintenance of migratory corridors in the American West.
Grants for Marine and Freshwater Conservation
Turner’s water initiative prioritizes the maintenance of natural water infrastructures, water efficiency, the preservation of aquatic ecosystems, sustainable fishing and supporting watershed organizations in the U.S. Recent grantees include the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, which aims to protect and preserve the Chattahoochee River Basin in Georgia, and the River Network, an organization that aims to increase the number of water conservation and restoration projects in Colorado and neighboring states. Other past grantees include the Flint Riverkeeper, the Georgia River Network and Virginia’s Trout Unlimited, which protects sensitive watersheds in New Mexico.
Grants for Climate Change and Clean Energy
Climate change and clean energy grantmaking stems mainly from Turner’s air initiative, which aims to scale clean energy technologies, emphasizing wildlife-friendly and affordable sources of energy. The foundation also aims to engage businesses and investors in the move towards clean energy in the U.S. and abroad. One recent grantee, Atlanta’s Greenlinks Analytics, Inc., works with municipalities to create transitional plans toward 100% clean energy. Another grantee, the Nava Education Project, engages indigenous communities in “a collective learning process on energy policy.” Other climate change grantees include Kansas’s Climate Change and Clean Energy Project, New Mexico’s Prosperity Works and the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, Inc.
Important Grant Details:
Over the past several years, the Turner Foundation has made between $2.5 and $6 million in grants a year. Its average grant size is about $35,000. This funder tends to work with state-level or regional organizations with specific goals in the areas of land, water and wildlife conservation or the transition to clean energy sources. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s past grantees page.
This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals and is not able to review unsolicited materials. General inquiries may be made via the foundation’s contact page or by telephone at 404-681-9900.
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