Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Cameron and Jane Bird Foundation funds a variety of global health and development nonprofits working around the world.
IP TAKE: This funder awards both project specific and general operating support grants. It does not award global development grants to organizations located outside of the United States. In addition, it does not operate a public web presence, which restricts information about grant strategies and giving.
This funder does important work, but it prefers a proactive grantmaking approach, which makes it less accessible. It also does not offer a clear way of getting in touch, except at the physical address or phone number below. This is a tough funder to crack.
PROFILE: Established in 1960, the Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation is located in New York. Cameron Baird was a former professor and chairman of the music department at the University of Buffalo. He also served there as conductor of the Buffalo Oratorio Chorus. The foundation maintains a low public profile, does not operate a website or employ a formal, paid staff; however, areas of grantmaking interest for the Baird Foundation include the arts, music, education, social services, family planning, conservation, and civil rights. While the foundation does not name global development as one of its main areas of grantmaking interest, its tax filings indicate strong support to related organizations.
Grants for Global Development, Global Health and Diseases
In the global development space, Baird awards grants to large international organizations such Oxfam, as well as smaller nonprofits, such as the Let There Be Light International, which received support for its solar light program in Africa.
While the foundation does not have a grantmaking program dedicated to global health causes, its tax filings indicate strong support for related organizations. For example, past grantees include Doctors Without Borders which received funding for its international programs improving access to medical care and alleviating poverty; and the LIG Global Foundation, which received a grant to support its work providing medical care to poor communities around the world.
Baird Foundation also does not name diseases as an area of grantmaking focus, but it has supported disease-related organizations in the past. Past Grantees in this area include the American Cancer Society, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation, Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, and Maria M. Love Convalescent Foundation.
Grants for the Environment
According to tax filings, the Baird Foundation tends to award conservation related grants to large, national organizations. For example, past grantees in this space include the Yosemite Foundation, which received funding for its ongoing work preserving national resources at Yosemite National Park; and the Union of Concerned Scientists which received grant funding for its “[s]cience based advocacy for a healthy environment.”
Important Grant Details:
The Baird Foundation made about $3 million in grants in a recent year. Grants tend to vary widely in amount, ranging from $1,000 to $700,000; however, most grants range from $5,000 to $75,000. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
The Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding.
PEOPLE:
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CONTACT:
Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation
726 Exchange Street
Buffalo, New York 14210
(716) 845-6000
