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Funding Opportunities
To fulfill our mission and have a greater impact on environmental conservation, NatureServe seeks to establish long-term philanthropic partnerships with private foundations, corporations and individuals who have a common goal — conserving our incredible planet! Based on your particular interests, NatureServe seeks partners to fund the following initiatives:
- Expanding Conservation Capacity
- Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change
- Educating and Informing the Public
- Assuring Scientific and Technology Excellence
- Educating Conservation Leaders
- Advancing Conservation Planning
- Endowments
- Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)
- iGive
Expanding Conservation Capacity
General operating support will allow for the overall advancement of NatureServe’s mission, which is to provide the scientific basis and information for effective conservation action. NatureServe has just completed a five–year strategic plan, which emphasizes significant growth. Based on this plan, NatureServe is ready to expand its work and strategic role in conservation. To assure its long-term sustainability, NatureServe is seeking general, unrestricted support to expand its capacity to provide the information, tools and networking opportunities needed to guide effective conservation action.
Based on your level of support, there will be associated visibility, co–branding and other benefits. For additional information, please contact , Director of Development, at (703) 908-1841.
Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change
Climate change poses a serious and pervasive threat not only to human communities, but also to plants, animals and their habitats. NatureServe has long been involved in helping reveal the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, but is now increasing its efforts to respond to this urgent issue. Applying lessons learned over the past three decades in evaluating the conservation needs of wildlife, we are now developing a rigorous approach for identifying which species will be most susceptible to climate change, and therefore most in need of conservation attention. With our international network of partners, NatureServe is well positioned to keep tabs on shifts in the distribution and abundance of key species and habitats. NatureServe has identified three goals in confronting the climate change issue:
- Advance the understanding of climate change impacts on plants animals and their habitats.
- Reduce adverse effects on plants and animals from human responses to climate change.
- Facilitate adaptation of plants and animals to climate change.
To continue our work and make a greater impact, NatureServe seeks partners to fund our climate change initiatives. We seek general sponsors and funders of specific program initiatives. To learn more about funding opportunities available, please contact , Director of Development, at (703) 908-1841. Help us weather climate change!
Educating and Informing the Public
NatureServe provides conservation and scientific data to the public through various educational and informational venues. While each venue provides different types of information about conservation issues, aimed at different audiences, all advance NatureServe’s overall goal of making environmental conservation information widely accessible to the public. In all, the following NatureServe websites receive more than 3 million unique visits per year. Our ultimate goal is to provide this information to anyone who makes conservation decisions, thereby having a direct impact on environmental issues.
LandScope America
LandScope America — a collaborative project of NatureServe and the National Geographic Society — is a new online educational resource for the land-protection community. By bringing together the best-available conservation science, information technology and professional expertise, LandScope America (www.landscope.org) is designed to increase the pace and effectiveness of conservation action and investment throughout the U.S.
NatureServe Explorer
NatureServe Explorer (www.natureserve.org/explorer) provides authoritative conservation information in a searchable database for more than 70,000 plants, animals, and ecosystems of the U.S. and Canada. It provides the most comprehensive, in—depth information and images on rare and endangered species currently available, and includes extensive information on common plants and animals as well. The website was recently ranked by the American Library Association as one of the top free reference websites.
InfoNatura
A multi-lingual education resource, InfoNatura (www.natureserve.org/infonatura) provides conservation information on the birds, mammals, and amphibians of Latin America and the Caribbean—more than 8,500 common, rare, and endangered species in 44 countries and territories. The website includes information on taxonomy, conservation status, and distribution for each species, all in a searchable database. The website is available in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
NatureServe seeks funders for this entire initiative or a particular site. Funding will allow us to dramatically expand the scope and quality of our education and information offerings, while reaching millions of people with reliable and scientifically sound information about the environment. This initiative presents a funder with significant visibility opportunities. To discuss funding options, please contact , Director of Development, at (703) 908-1841.
Assuring Scientific and Technology Excellence
NatureServe maintains a unique and critical scientific resource: the most comprehensive and high-quality data available on the location and condition of the nation’s at–risk species and natural habitats. Based on a 30–year partnership with our network of natural heritage programs, these data are regarded as the gold standard for informing conservation and natural resource management, and for evaluating the effects of development on endangered species and threatened ecosystems. Maintaining these high standards requires an on-going commitment to improvement of the scientific techniques for gathering and managing these data, and a dedication to quality assurance to ensure their consistency and reliability. The availability of this scientific resource has truly transformed the practice of conservation, and keeping this information accurate and up-to-date is at the heart of our mission.
Effective information management of this high–quality scientific data is pivotal to supporting the conservation planning and resource management needed to keep pace with environmental change and impact. NatureServe provides the technology framework to support this process and to put the right data into the hands of scientists, decision-makers, and the public. The framework structures a comprehensive set of systems and tools for database management, analysis, geographic information system (GIS) and decision support, web services, and wide-ranging websites. As both technology and conservation demands change rapidly, there is a continual need to advance our technology framework and to keep it aligned with current information management capabilities.
To assure quality and consistent scientific information is delivered on a state–of–the–art technology framework, NatureServe seeks support of these core needs of the organization. To learn how you can assist in assuring scientific and technology excellence in species conservation, please contact , Director of Development, at (703) 908-1841.
Educating Conservation Leaders
NatureServe provides environmental conservation education and training through its NatureServe Conservation Conference 2009, regional meetings, and technical training courses throughout the Western Hemisphere. These events bring together natural heritage program managers, biologists, scientists, state and federal policy–makers, corporate executives, and conservation groups to exchange ideas and learn from each other. Offering workshops and training sessions, the conferences, regional meetings and technical courses focus on science, technology and information, conservation action, and leadership and capacity building for conservation professionals. These leaders take the newly learned skills and information back to their respective locations, thereby having a greater impact on their local conservation efforts.
Biodiversity Without Boundaries Conference
The NatureServe Biodiversity Without Boundaries Conference is an international training and education event for the environmental conservation community. Conservation leaders, thinkers and doers come together for three days of education, discussion, idea exchange, innovation sharing, and professional networking. The conference brings together natural heritage program managers, biologists, scientists, ecologists, biological information managers, college and university staff, and others. Offering over 100 workshops, field trips, sessions, plenaries, and more, the conference focuses on science, technology and information, conservation action, and leadership and capacity building for conservation professionals.
Funding opportunities available include sponsoring general sessions, education tracks, workshops, receptions, keynote speakers, breakfasts, coffee breaks, scholarships, and more. Sponsorship levels range from $1,000 to $75,000. Your organization can receive visibility through various means such as brand and name recognition in the media, conference marketing collaterals, web site, general sessions, promotional materials, publications and receptions. For additional information, please contact Erin Chen, Director of Development, at (703) 908-1841.
Advancing Conservation Planning
Intertwined with, and supported by many of our other initiatives, NatureServe works directly with specific industry sectors to establish pathways for bringing the best information about species and ecosystems into established planning processes. We are actively engaged with forestry, transportation, land trusts, local governments and international lending agencies throughout the Western Hemisphere to help them achieve conservation objectives in the context of competing needs. Through our conservation analysis and planning services and family of websites, we continuously work to improve our ability to provide information to people and companies that need it to comply with established certification standards (e.g., forest product certification, LEED certification, biofuel production standards, etc.).
New innovations in conservation planning methods and tools are occurring everyday and NatureServe strives to evaluate and implement these new approaches so that we can continue to provide quality consultation and technical assistance to local communities, resource managers, and environmental groups. We seek funders for this initiative to assure NatureServe can offer the most comprehensive consultation and technical assistance to those who can make a difference. To explore opportunities to advance conservation planning, please contact , Director of Development, at (703) 908-1841.
Endowments
General Endowment Fund
NatureServe’s In the Spirit of Discovery Endowment Campaign officially ended December 31, 2006, but we continue to take donations for the fund. The general endowment fund will ensure the long-term sustainability of NatureServe and its international network of natural heritage programs. Having just completed an aggressive five-year strategic plan, the endowment will allow NatureServe to expand its work and move in new and exciting directions. Most importantly, the endowment will allow NatureServe to fulfill its unique role in the conservation community by continuing to provide reliable, unbiased information about plants, animals and ecosystems to natural resource decision-makers.
If you would like to make a contribution to our general endowment fund, please contact , Director of Development at (703) 908-1841.
Tom Breden Legacy Fund
We were saddened to announce the passing of Thomas F. Breden on July 1, 2003. Family and friends of Tom have created a fund at NatureServe to honor his memory and his dedication to protecting the natural world. Tom was a part of the NatureServe family for nearly 20 years.
He began in 1984 as an ecologist for the New Jersey Natural Heritage Program (a member of the NatureServe Network), rising to the position of Administrator of the Office of Natural Lands Management. Tom was a founding member of NatureServe’s board of directors, and served as board chairman. Tom guided the efforts of NatureServe and the network with a firm belief in the importance of our mission. He worked selflessly to advance the network as a whole, fostering communication and cooperation among his colleagues. Tom led NatureServe as it became an independent organization, and challenged us to focus on the long-term success of our work.
The Tom Breden Legacy Fund has been created as part of NatureServe's endowment and will support his efforts to create a vibrant, influential network of natural heritage programs and conservation data centers. These programs play a key role in state and national efforts to raise awareness, share knowledge, and influence society for the protection of the environment and our endangered natural resources. The Fund will continue in perpetuity, with proceeds supporting network coordination activities and ensuring the sustainability of the programs about which Tom cared so deeply.
To make a donation, please use the online donation link and note “Legacy Fund” in the gift information line. Gifts can also be mailed to:
- Tom Breden Legacy Fund
- NatureServe
- 4600 N. Fairfax Drive, 7th Floor
- Arlington, VA 22203
Checks should be made payable to NatureServe (with “Legacy Fund” on the memo line of your check).
If you need additional information, please contact , Director of Development at (703) 908-1841.
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)
Donate to NatureServe through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) if you are a federal government employee, military personnel, or retiree and you would like to give to NatureServe through the Combined Federal Campaign, please enter CFC #10299 on your pledge card.
iGive
Help NatureServe achieve our mission by shopping online with iGive. Up to 26% of every online purchase you make goes to NatureServe.