Wallace Genetic Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Wallace Genetic Foundation’s global development grants typically revolve around sustainable agriculture, food security and economic security, while its global health grants typically concern sustainable agriculture, water, hygiene and sanitation, as well as global health advocacy. The foundation also invests in wildlife conservation, sustainable agriculture, farmland preservation, biodiversity, reduction of environmental toxins, climate change and education.

IP TAKE: Wallace no longer accepts unsolicited requests for funding, but since it does not award multi-year grants, the funding door is open that much wider for newcomers. Wallace's website offers little information regarding its investment strategies, thus preferring a broad and non-transparent approach. It predominantly funds established, large organizations.

PROFILE: Henry Wallace was the founder of the first commercial hybrid seed company, Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Company, and later served as Vice President of the United States under Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1959, he and his wife established the Wallace Genetic Foundation with shares from Pioneer. In the mid-1990s, foundation trustees agreed to split the foundation into three separate entities: Wallace Genetic, Wallace Global Fund, and Wallace Research Foundation. Each organization is governed by their independent missions, based on the beliefs of founder Henry Wallace. The Wallace Genetic Foundation supports organizations whose work concerns “conservation of natural resources, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity protection, reduction of environmental toxins, clean drinking water, and global climate issues.”

Grants for Global Development, Conservation, Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture

The Wallace Genetic Foundation focuses its funding attention on environmental protection, conservation and climate change. Much of its broad grantmaking centers around sustainable agriculture in the United States and globally, as well as issues related to water usage, sanitation, air pollution, and land and wildlife conservation. Grantmaking overlaps between several fields and appears broad in order to fund a wider range of projects. Grantees include Conservation Fund, Earthjustice, Environmental Protection Network, National Parks Conservation Association, UNC Water Institute and the Wilderness Society.

In the global development space, grantmaking further supports sustainable agriculture programs. Wallace believes that fostering sustainable agriculture in developing countries promotes economic stability and food security. Giving often supports organizations that also address these intersecting global development issues. For example, Global Greengrants Fund, Action Against Hunger and Ceres are all past grantees.

Grants for Global Health

In the global health space, grantmaking supports water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as global health advocacy. Wallace also backs efforts related to vaccines and access to medicines, though on a smaller scale than its other global health grantmaking. For example, Direct Relief, InterAction, and Water for Life are all past grant recipients.

Grants for Animals and Wildlife

The foundation's animal and wildlife grantmaking is broad. It offers a handful of grants to wildlife conservation; however, many of the projects relate to agricultural practices in some way. Past grantees include the American Bird Conservancy for its work in protecting birds, wildlife and humans from pesticides and toxins; the Center for Biological Diversity for its national pesticides and endangered species campaign; and to the National Audubon Society for habitat restoration for endangered roseate terns in Maine. Advocacy and education comprise the other main themes in the foundation’s grantmaking. It has funded the Amazon Conservation Team for its efforts to promote biodiversity conservation and ethno-education in Colombia and the International Fund for Animal Welfare to support its Animal Action Education program.

Important Grant Details:

Grant amounts typically range from $25,000 to $150,000, with most from $25,000 to $50,000. Awards are spread relatively evenly between small, mid-sized and large organizations. To learn more about the types of groups Wallace Genetic supports, look over its grant history lists.

The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding and does not award multi-year grants. General inquiries may be submitted to the foundation via email.

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