Whitney Johnson, Senior Program Officer
Amanda Hill, Program Officer
In 2022, the Natural Resources team enthusiastically implemented our first year of the Foundation’s 2022-2027 strategic plan. Lessons learned during its development have since serve to guide our team on the most impactful and intentional use of time and resources in the coming years — in both grantmaking and in strategic conversations and convenings. We know that tactical partnership is valued by our communities, so we are seeking ways to anticipate needs and be proactive in catalyzing these conversations and efforts.
New federal funding will provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to move the needle for communities and partners working in many of the Foundation’s priority areas. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes billions of dollars for western water infrastructure projects and for climate resilience strategies such as restoring wetland and riparian areas. In addition, the Inflation Reduction Act promises even more for investing in domestic energy production while promoting clean energy.
All of these opportunities are closely aligned with goals of the Natural Resources program:
Colorado communities and economies require dependable and clean water supplies, healthy forests and watersheds, and lands that support agricultural production, wildlife habitat, and a way for people in every corner of the state to access the benefits of being outdoors. We have had the opportunity to sustain commitments on some of these fronts and to foster new growth in others.
In 2022, the Natural Resources program awarded:
$2,526,500 in strategic grants to 18 organizations
$130,0000 in responsive capital grants to three organizations
The Foundation also made a $200,000 MRI commitment to the Future of Water Fund
Balanced Water Management: The aridification of the West and water shortages across the region highlight the urgency of new solutions and collaborative cross-sector solutions.
Staff took participated in meetings hosted by the Water Foundation’s Water Table throughout the year. This learning opportunity provides insights both wide and deep into the serious challenges we face across the West in supporting natural habitats, agricultural resources and communities, recreational use, and municipalities and industry with the water quality and quantities required for each use. That learning supported or encouraged our commitments to funding nature-based solutions with Quantified Ventures as a solution in climate change adaptation and building resilience in landscapes and communities and partnering with the Colorado Water Trust to pioneer the tools and research needed to address river flows to benefit the environment and communities. Investments in the San Luis Valley continue to grow in light of water export threats, climate change, and groundwater depletion. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, American Rivers, the Salazar Center, and Colorado Open Lands are all working to advance solutions in this part of the state.
Forest Health and Watershed Restoration: Forest health and watershed health are closely linked, with a majority of Colorado’s water supply coming from forested watersheds.
In 2022 we were continued our collaborative funding approach with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, and other state, federal, and private partners to support the RESTORE Colorado Program. This initiative advances land restoration efforts on river corridors, riparian areas and wetlands and forestland projects and prioritizing cross-jurisdictional projects at scale. Peaks to People is working to proactively treat fire risk in key watersheds in Northern Colorado, proving forest stewardship is an indispensable approach in achieving water security.
Landscape Conservation and Land Trust Capacity Building: We have sustained our commitment to our focused landscapes in Southeast Colorado and the San Luis Valley. Partner organizations Palmer Land Conservancy and the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust are collaborating with partners on innovative conservation tools and thoughtful approaches to ensure that the work done is resilient, community-based, and provides long-term solutions. A total of $1,185,000 of funding was distributed in 2022 in support of work in southeast Colorado and the San Luis Valley.
Multi-year commitments to land trust organizations Keep It Colorado and Montezuma Land Conservancy will sustain and grow the land trust community’s ability to advance policy in accordance with land conservation needs and opportunities while highlighting the history of land conservation and the challenges of creating a future that is equitable and invites all communities to engage with land and conservation in Colorado.
Our strategic plan calls for thoughtful advancement on climate and diversity, equity, and inclusion work across all our programs. These two pillars, which are inextricably intertwined, guide us both internally and externally to encourage critical thinking, to identify new voices and perspectives, and to be accessible to all communities working toward natural resources solutions in our state. We take seriously the opportunity to better elevate underrepresented voices and advance community-driven solutions to these challenges.
2022 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: NATURAL RESOURCES
| Grantee |
Amount Awarded |
Type |
Strategy |
Area Served |
|
American Rivers, Inc.
|
$50,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
Alamosa |
|
Audubon Rockies
|
$125,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
Larimer >
Fort Collins |
|
Colorado Headwaters Land Trust
|
$40,000 |
Capital Grant |
Natural Resources |
Grand >
Granby |
|
Colorado Open Lands
|
$150,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Land Trust Capacity Building |
Conejos |
|
Colorado State University
|
$50,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
Alamosa |
|
Colorado Water Trust
|
$75,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
* Statewide |
|
Colorado West Land Trust
|
$150,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
* Statewide |
|
Concrete Couch
|
$15,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
El Paso >
Colorado Springs |
|
Conservation Finance Network
|
$25,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Land Trust Capacity Building |
* Statewide |
|
Delta County
|
$50,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
Delta >
Hotchkiss |
|
Denver Botanic Gardens
|
$35,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
Arapahoe >
Littleton |
|
Denver Civic Ventures
|
$50,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
Denver >
Denver |
|
Eagle County
|
$25,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
Eagle >
Gypsum |
|
Keep it Colorado
|
$375,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Land Trust Capacity Building |
* Statewide |
|
Montezuma Land Conservancy
|
$300,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Land Trust Capacity Building |
Montezuma |
|
Montezuma Land Conservancy
|
$50,000 |
Capital Grant |
Natural Resources |
Montezuma |
|
Montrose Recreation District
|
$20,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
Montrose >
Montrose |
|
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
|
$225,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Forest Health & Watershed Restoration |
* Statewide |
|
National Wild Turkey Federation
|
$200,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Forest Health & Watershed Restoration |
* Statewide |
|
Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security
|
$25,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
* Statewide |
|
Park People
|
$40,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
Denver >
Denver |
|
Peaks to People Water Fund
|
$225,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
Larimer |
|
Quantified Ventures
|
$101,500 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
* Statewide |
|
Quantified Ventures
|
$100,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Forest Health & Watershed Restoration |
* Statewide |
|
Salida Area Parks, Open Space and Trails (SPOT)
|
$50,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
Chaffee County >
Salida |
|
Sonoran Institute
|
$100,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
* Statewide |
|
Strasburg Metro Parks and Recreation District
|
$25,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
Arapahoe >
Strasburg |
|
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
|
$50,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
* Statewide |
|
Town of Haxtun
|
$50,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
Phillips >
Haxtun |
|
Town of Silver Plume
|
$43,000 |
Capital Grant |
Natural Resources |
Clear Creek >
Silver Plume |
|
Trust For Public Land
|
$150,000 |
Capital Grant |
Parks & Recreation |
Weld |
|
Water Foundation
|
$150,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
* Statewide |
|
Western Resource Advocates
|
$50,000 |
Strategic Grant |
Natural Resources >
Balanced Water Management |
* Statewide |
A total of $1,110,956 committed to the 
