Cornell Douglas Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Cornell Douglas Foundation focuses on environmental conservation, environmental health concerns and sustainable food systems.
IP TAKE: This accessible and open-minded funder supports large international organizations as well as smaller, grassroots operations with grants of $50,000 or less. The foundation accepts applications on a rolling basis via its online form. A great funder to know in the environmental space. Don’t hesitate to reach out no matter your organization’s size.
PROFILE: The Cornell Douglas Foundation was established in 2006 by Ann Cornell. Cornell is the granddaughter of Henry Wallace, who served as Secretary of Agriculture and Vice President under FDR and ran for president in 1948. Henry Wallace also made a fortune by developing hybrid seeds and founding the first commercial hybrid seed company in the U.S. in 1926. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, this foundation works in the areas of environmental conservation and, to a lesser extent, public health. It also gives an annual Pearl Award to individuals or organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to the sustainability of the Earth for future generations. This funder maintains a sparse website and does not outline specific goals for its grantmaking.
Grants for Environmental Conservation and Justice
The Cornell Douglas Foundation’s conservation funding tends to focus on the preservation and maintenance of holistic ecosystems and natural resources. One past grantee, the Rock Creek Conservancy, works to maintain the ecosystems of Rock Creek Park, a national park situated in Washington D.C. Another grantee, the Honeybee Conservancy, works across the U.S. to rehabilitate honeybee populations and educate communities about ecosystems and food justice. Other past grantees are the Audubon Naturalist Society, Beyond Pesticides and the Grand Canyon Trust, which works to protect ecosystems in canyons, deserts and forested mesas of the Colorado Plateau. Most conservation grants provide general support to grantees.
Grants for Marine and Freshwater Conservation
A significant portion of Cornell Douglas’s funding is directed toward organizations that are involved with marine and freshwater conservation. In the foundation’s home state of Maryland, one grantee, the Anacostia Watershed Society, aims to involve community partners in efforts to maintain clean waters in the Anacostia River. And in New York, the Catskill Mountainkeeper, conducts and reports research on the impact of industry on local bodies of water.
Grants for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
The foundation has supported several organizations that are involved with the sustainable production of food and education about food systems and agriculture. Past grantees include the Center for Food Safety, which promotes organic, ecological and sustainable alternatives to industrial farming, and Rooftop Roots, which supports community gardening and greenspace projects.
Grants for Public Health
This funder’s public health grantmaking overlaps with its environmental work in that it supports organizations that address health issues that are caused or exacerbated by environmental degradation. Past grantees include Toxic Free Future, an organization involved in research, advocacy and education about the effect of toxic chemicals on human and environmental health, and the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project, which provides healthcare support and advocacy for people whose health has been impacted by gas or oil development and/or fracking. The foundation also supports some public health causes that are not associated with the environment. These grantees include the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center, Doctors Without Borders, Jonas Philanthropies and the End Fund, which supports the treatment and prevention of tropical diseases in Africa and Asia.
Important Grant Details:
This funder gives away just over $400,000 a year, with grants ranging from a few thousand dollars to $100,000. Its average grant size is about $25,000, and it supports organizations of all sizes. For information about past grantees, see the foundation’s grants page. According to the foundation, its funding has increased to $5 million in the past four years and it hopes to remain at that level for the foreseeable future.
The Cornell Douglas Foundation accepts applications for funding at any time via an online form. According to the foundation’s guidelines, applicants may request grants in amounts up to $50,000. General inquiries may be directed to foundation staff via email or telephone at 301-229-3008.
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