Environment

Through the Environment Program, the foundation seeks to ensure a thriving, resilient environment for wildlife and people, and foster an inclusive, effective conservation movement.

Doris Duke was a lifelong environmentalist with a keen interest in conservation. In her will, which guides our focus areas, she expressed her interest in "the preservation of wildlife, both flora and fauna" and in supporting "ecological endeavors."

Grand mountain valley landscape with two people walking on the foreground

Why It's Important

In the wildest places and the most urban, our health and quality of life depends on the natural world—from the water we drink, the air we breathe and the food we eat, to the places where we may find inspiration, joy, healing or kinship. Increasingly, nature depends on us as well, to be responsible stewards of the ecosystems where we and millions of other species dwell. In the face of accelerating extinctions and global climate change, now is the critical decade for taking action.

What We Support

The Doris Duke Foundation seeks to demonstrate how effective conservation can protect and restore nature, help address climate change and promote a more equitable society. We support initiatives that increase the pace and scale of land conservation and stewardship across the United States to protect biodiversity, bolster the resilience of natural areas and advance climate change mitigation. We also focus on conservation efforts that advance equity, in particular for communities that identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color. To achieve these goals, the foundation concentrates on three complementary and intersecting areas of focus.

Key Regranting Programs and Competitions

CRF Climate Resilience Fund

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NLC Landscape Conservation Catalyst Fund

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OSI Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund

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WCS Climate Adaptation Fund

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Grantmaking Process

Through the Environment Program, the foundation typically awards grants via invited proposals and, occasionally, open funding competitions. A variety of foundation-supported funding opportunities are also available through regranting programs administered by partner organizations.

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