Devon Creek Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Devon Creek Foundation supports global health, women and girls, the environment, human rights, civic engagement and democracy and the arts.
IP TAKE: This funder maintains a strong interest in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of obstetric fistula and has been an active supporter of this cause in Africa. The Devon Creek Foundation accepts letters of inquiry via its online form.
While this is not the most accessible funder, it does accept letters of inquiry, so you can still hustle to get on its radar despite it’s crowded grant space.
PROFILE: Based in Reston, Virginia, the Devon Creek Foundation, formerly known as the Sly Wind Foundation, was established in 2014 by Michael Chenoweth, a lawyer who has worked extensively in environmental law. This small foundation’s mission is to “to promote sustainability at the global, national and local level.” Its stated goals are population, energy, human rights, reproductive health, justice, education, the environment, civil society, arts, conflict resolution and strengthening NGOs. This funder’s website is sparse, limiting information about its grantmaking.
Grants for Global Health
Devon Creek supports global health through its population, reproductive health and human rights programs. The population program names the broad goal of “a sustainable world where all of its inhabitants have health and prosperity,” and the reproductive health program focuses primarily on the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula, an injury that can result from unattended childbirth and leave victims incontinent and outcast from their communities. The foundation has given to Operation Fistula which works in Madagascar to locate and treat fistula victims, and the Protect Your Sister Project, which works to prevent, treat and rehabilitate victims in Madagascar, Ethiopia, Uganda and Niger. Another past area of interest is vision care; the foundation has supported Himalayan Cataract Project, an organization that brings eyecare and cataract removal surgery to underserved areas of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Grants for Women and Girls
Although this funder does not name women and girls as an area of focus, a significant portion of its funding supports women’s health, education and economic security. In addition to its work in reproductive health, Devon Creek’s education funding emphasizes women and girls in developing nations. One past grantee is Dignity Period, which helps adolescent girls in Ethiopia to “stay in school by providing the supplies and education they need to manage menstruation.” In the U.S., the foundation has supported reproductive rights, including grants to the Women’s Emergency Network of Miami, which subsidizes abortion care for low-income women and girls.
Grants for Climate Change and Clean Energy
Devon Creek’s environmental funding prioritizes resource, land and species conservation. The foundation’s geographic priority for its environmental funding appears to be Florida. Past grantees include the Islamorada Bay Institute of Science, the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, the Everglades Law Center, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and the Friends and Volunteers of Refuges of the Florida Keys. On the national level, the foundation has given to the Izaak Walton League, which aims to conserve lands and natural resources and promote outdoor recreation.
Grants for Global Security and Human Rights
The foundation’s human rights grantmaking emphasizes “reproductive health, justice and educational opportunity for women,” overlapping with several other areas of funding. One past recipient is Heifer International, which aims to eliminate poverty through sustainable community development and agriculture. The foundation has also made contributions to the NGOs Americares and Human Rights Watch.
Grants for Civic Engagement and Democracy
Devon Creek’s civil society program promotes universal engagement with and participation in democratic processes. Past grantees in this area include the ACLU and public media outlets including Vermont Public Radio, WLRN Inc. Miami, Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media, WUSF Public Media Orlando and WGCU Public Media Fort Meyers.
Grants for Arts and Culture
Devon Creek’s arts initiative is one of its smallest and overlaps significantly with its civic engagement funding. In addition to many public radio outlets, the foundation has supported the Florida Grand Opera, located in Miami.
Important Grant Details:
Devon Creek’s grant amounts are relatively modest, typically ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, and the foundation typically gives away between $100,000 and $200,000 a year. While this funder works globally in health, women and girls and human rights, its U.S. funding emphasizes Florida. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
While this funder does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding, it does accept letters of inquiry via an online form on its website. General inquiries may be made via the foundation’s contact page.
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