Re:wild (Formerly the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation)
/OVERVIEW: Re:wild is a new organization derived from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which continues to be a major supporter of environmental causes around the world. Its interests include rewilding the global through wildlife and wildland protection that considers animal, land and marine conservation; climate change; research; digital media advocacy and education, and Indigenous people.
IP TAKE: The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, established in 1998, supported efforts to preserve ecosystems and species around the world. It also supported the dissemination of information about climate change and the rights of indigenous peoples. Application for funding was by invitation only. His previous foundation was dedicated to “the long-term health and well-being of all Earth’s inhabitants’’ and supports projects that “build climate resiliency, protect vulnerable wildlife and restore balance to threatened ecosystems and communities.”
In 2019, LDF announced that it had merged its grantmaking into a new organization, Earth Alliance, co-chaired with billionaire philanthropists Laurene Powell Jobs and Brian Sheth, that is dedicated to combating biodiversity loss and climate change.
Then, in 2022 it rebranded as Re:wild. So far, it appears even more collaborative than DiCaprio’s previous reiteration, as it looks to help organizations scale their work in the race against collapsing species populations.
DiCaprio has served on the board of several environmental organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, the National Resource Defense Council and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and he is the chairman and director of his foundation. If it’s feasible for your organization’s resources, networking with the organizations at which Leo serves as a board member.
This (new) organization likes to work “hand-in-hand with national, regional, and global partners, Indigenous peoples and local communities,” so your work needs to as well in order to get noticed.
This latest reiteration of Leo’s work is still not an accessible, unless you attract its attention by conducting big work. Often supportive and very collaborative once you get a grant here, the foundation liked to fund according to its founder’s evolving interests. Very tough nut to crack, but as recommended, it may be advised to smooze with Leo’s people at one of the many events for the organizations on which he serves on their board.
PROFILE: Re:wild, formerly the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF), was reimagined in 2021, by the well-known actor, producer and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio, who sits on the board, and several leading conservation scientists. Re:wild intends to “protect and restore the wild.” In this vein, the foundation has a singular focus: “the wild as the most effective solution to the interconnected climate, biodiversity and pandemic crises.”
Similar to LDF’s previous investments in wildlife and landscape; marine life and oceans; climate change; media, science and technology; indigenous rights and the environmental protection of California, Re:wild reimagines LDF’s work in similar terms, but evolves previous programs into larger scale thinking about related issues. Rather than breaking it’s interests into separate programs, it interconnects them so that all programs focus on Indigenous people and the climate, while using journalism and digital media as a thread and tool to spread the word. In this light, Re:wild sees itself as a “force multiplier that brings together Indigenous peoples, local communities, influential leaders, nongovernmental organizations, governments, companies and the public to protect and rewild at the scale and speed we need. Re:wild makes grants for wildlands, wildlife and guardians.
Grants for Animals and Wildlife, the Environment, Indigenous Rights and Climate Change
The foundation invests in the protection and restoration of endangered wildlife around the world through its wildlife and wildlands programs. The wildlife program prioritizes direct, “on-the-ground” operations that aim to effect long-term solutions for endangered animals and their habitats. This program focuses “on protecting some of the rarest and most threatened species in the world, and also on restoring species on the brink of extinction as part of our strategy to recover entire ecosystems.” Grants here tend to support organizations that work with indigenous populations of critical areas. Through extensive on-the-ground local partnerships, these programs address preventing wildlife crime; supporting conservation breeding programs; and creating and managing protected areas. Re:wild makes grants to protect wildlife conservation across several species, so if it hasn’t named the species you’re trying to protect, there’s a good chance this funder is interested provided that you can make a strong case.
All funding for wildlife and wildlands conservation uses some combination of these solutions:
science-based decision-making
protected area management
ecosystem restoration
wildlife crime prevention
conservation breeding, translocations and reintroductions
partnering with Indigenous peoples
protected area creation
advocating for earth
cultivating conservation leaders
exploration
action funds
In contrast, Re:wild’s wildlands program focuses on the relationship between wildlife habitats — such as “forests, grasslands, peatlands, freshwater rivers and lakes, coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses and other natural ecosystems — and the animals who need those ecosystems to survive. In order to stabilize both the climate and protect biodiversity, this program mobilizes resources and political will to build a balanced world through rewilding.” Re:wild works in more than 80 countries and prioritizes the protection of Key Biodiversity Areas within Biodiversity Hotspots and High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas.
Important Grant Details:
Re:wild grants are often in the range of several million dollars and support well-established organizations in the foundation’s areas of grantmaking interest.
This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals or provide a clear avenue for getting in touch. An address and phone number are provided below.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
CONTACT:
Re: Wild
PO Box 129
Austin, TX 78767 USA
(512) 686-6062
