We work within specific areas of western North America. We use conservation science to identify priority regions that correspond with our focus on wildlands and habitat connections that allow wildlife to thrive.
Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona. Photo: BLM/Bob Wick
Connecting Wildlands, Wildlife, & People
Wilburforce Foundation empowers conservation leaders to protect the irreplaceable lands, waters, and wildlife of western North America.
We support and connect organizations and individuals that are committed to protecting wild places and the wildlife that depend on them. We invest in science-based solutions, advocate for responsible policies, and strengthen our grantees’ capacities to achieve lasting outcomes.
wilburforce foundation grants
What we fund
We exist to preserve western North America’s irreplaceable biological diversity and ecological integrity. We work with our partners to defend and use environmental policies that safeguard wildlife and wild places.
Who we support
We support a diversity of organizations and collaborative efforts throughout our priority regions. We make sustained investments in our partners over time and build their capacity to achieve higher levels of effectiveness.
news & information
We are honored to receive the Defenders of Wildlife Legacy Award, presented in recognition of more than 20 years of an exceptional partnership. This award means a lot to the staff and board at Wilburforce. Defenders of Wildlife works in ways that are aligned with our own mission, vision, and values. We are more powerful working together in efforts to protect habitat, advocate for species, defend conservation laws, use science, and forge relationships that connect wildlife, wildlands, and people.
This rings so true after yesterday's Monument declaration and the weeks-long celebration of Coast Salish culture through the Paddle to Muckleshoot. Respect.
Today, we are celebrating President Biden's declaration of Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints Grand Canyon National Monument, almost 1 million acres of the ancestral homelands of the Tribes of the Colorado Plateau, doubling the amount of protected lands around our iconic Grand Canyon National Park. The President took this action on behalf of the 13 Tribes of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition (who will co-manage the Monument with the Federal Government), their allies in the NGO community, and political leadership in the state of Arizona. ![]()
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These new protections are the culmination of decades of patient work by the Tribes and their allies, and will permanently withdraw toxic uranium mining from the new Monument's lands, protect wildlife habitat and connectivity from southern Nevada through northern Arizona to southern Utah, and prevent degradation of springs and riparian systems on the Canyon’s north rim. ![]()
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We are beyond grateful to the Tribes and our grantee partners for their creativity, patience, and perseverance to protect this incredible landscape.
We Still Keep Watching Over This Land
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