About
The Conservation Fund is a national environmental nonprofit headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, that creates lasting solutions to protect nature, support sustainable economies, and help communities thrive. Founded in 1985, the Fund is known for pairing conservation with economic opportunity: it moves quickly to acquire at-risk lands and then works with long-term partners to shape permanent conservation outcomes. Since its founding it has protected more than 9 million acres across all 50 states.
Mission
The Conservation Fund "creates lasting solutions that protect nature, support sustainable economies, and help communities thrive." Its defining approach is to integrate environmental protection with economic opportunity, supporting jobs and communities alongside land and wildlife conservation.
What they do
- Conserving land: using expertise in land acquisition and innovative finance to act quickly to protect at-risk properties, then working with partners to secure permanent conservation solutions.
- Supporting working lands: ensuring working timber forests and farms continue to provide both environmental and economic benefits.
- Helping communities thrive: projects such as urban parks and the restoration of historically significant sites in communities across the nation.
- Facilitating the clean energy economy: work aimed at powering the future while building climate resilience.
Its portfolio spans securing at-risk lands, protecting wildlife habitat, conserving outdoor access, addressing climate change, and supporting rural communities.
History
The Conservation Fund was founded in 1985 and describes an unbroken record of innovation and achievement since then. It is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with operations spanning 18 states.
Scale and impact
The organization reports that it has protected more than 9 million acres across all 50 states, while supporting thousands of jobs and strengthening communities. It describes itself as nationally recognized for going beyond financial metrics to meet the highest standards of effectiveness in achieving results.
Financials
According to IRS Form 990 data on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer for the fiscal year ending December 2023, The Conservation Fund reported total revenue of $327,435,060, total expenses of $309,335,935, and total assets of $874,252,941. Most revenue came from program services (63.2 percent) and contributions (34.6 percent).
Governance
Lawrence A. Selzer serves as CEO and President. Other senior executives reported in the organization's IRS filings include Dean H. Cannon, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, and John S. Gilbert, Executive Vice President and CFO.