Conservation Lands Foundation
Durango, CO · EIN 20-8924520. Reported 298 grants totalling $9,921,000 to 82 organizations across tax years 2021-2025, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Conservation Lands Foundation, the IRS classifies it under environment rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE C34) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 82 distinct organizations, with 7% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 86% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 4 year-to-year transitions. That is well above the 56% median for grantmaking charities, and above the 67% median for private foundations. It describes the organizations it already funds, not whether it would consider a new one.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $25,000. Half of what it reported fell between $10,000 and $50,000; the smallest was $6,500 and the largest $410,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The California Desert Land Conservancy | Joshua Tree, CA | $650,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Friends of the Inyo | Bishop, CA | $480,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Friends of the Owyhee | Ontario, OR | $438,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| New Mexico Wilderness Alliance | Albuquerque, NM | $428,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Archaeology Southwest | Tucson, AZ | $381,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Friends of Cedar Mesa | Bluff, UT | $360,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Friends of the Organ Mountains- Desert Peaks | Las Cruces, NM | $328,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Outside Las Vegas Foundation | Las Vegas, NV | $325,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Dolores River Boating Advocates | Dolores, CO | $310,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Conserve Southwest Utah | Saint George, UT | $305,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Transition Habitat Conservancy | Pinon Hills, CA | $300,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Native American Land Conservancy | Banning, CA | $295,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Grand Staircase Escalante Partners Inc | Kanab, UT | $250,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Friends of Nevada Wilderness | Reno, NV | $245,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Tuleyome | Woodland, CA | $232,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Friends of the Desert Mountains | Palm Desert, CA | $200,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Utah Dine Bikeyah | Salt Lake Cty, UT | $195,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Friends of Big Morongo Canyon Preserve | Morongo Vly, CA | $191,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Amah Mutsun Land Trust | Santa Cruz, CA | $190,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Conservation Legacy | Durango, CO | $177,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Amargosa Land Trust | Shoshone, CA | $160,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Blu Educational Foundation | Sn Bernrdno, CA | $150,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Nfria Wserc Conservation Center Inc | Paonia, CO | $150,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Colorado Canyons Association | Grand Jct, CO | $145,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Friends of Gold Butte | Mesquite, NV | $135,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Montana Wilderness Association Inc | Helena, MT | $128,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council | Alamosa, CO | $125,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Wilderness Workshop | Carbondale, CO | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Cofem | Los Angeles, CA | $107,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Wyoming Outdoor Council | Lander, WY | $105,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Mattole Restoration Council | Petrolia, CA | $102,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Oregon Natural Desert Association Inc | Bend, OR | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Cactustocloud Institute | La Quinta, CA | $94,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Friends of Amargosa Basin | Shoshone, CA | $92,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| National Wildlife Federation | Reston, VA | $90,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Trinidad Coastal Land Trust | Trinidad, CA | $90,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indigenous Voices Nevada | Las Vegas, NV | $85,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Wyoming Interfaith Network | Beulah, WY | $85,000 | 4 | 3 | 2025 |
| New Mexico Wildlife Federation | Albuquerque, NM | $80,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Friends of Avi Kwa AME | Searchlight, NV | $74,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Friends of Ironwood Forest | Tucson, AZ | $72,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Trail Access Project | Las Vegas, NV | $65,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Outward Bound Adventures Inc | Pasadena, CA | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Wyoming Wilderness Association | Sheridan, WY | $60,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Friends of the Lost Coast | Whitethorn, CA | $56,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Native Movement | Fairbanks, AK | $55,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Carrizo Plain Conservancy | Sn Luis Obisp, CA | $50,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance | Cortez, CO | $50,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Nevada Conservation League Education Fund | Las Vegas, NV | $48,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Friends of the Joshua Forest | Meadview, AZ | $46,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Friends of Point Arena-Stornetta Lands | Point Arena, CA | $46,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Chaparral Lands Conservancy | Escondido, CA | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Frontera Land Alliance | El Paso, TX | $40,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Fort Ord Recreational Trail Friends | Marina, CA | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe | Santa Fe, NM | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Grand Staircase Regional Guides Association | Escalante, UT | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Outdoor Outreach | San Diego, CA | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| San Juan Citizens Alliance | Durango, CO | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Southwest Organizing Project | Albuquerque, NM | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Upper Gila Watershed Alliance | Silver City, NM | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Friends of Red Rock Canyon | Las Vegas, NV | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| 7G Foundation | Pauma Valley, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Community Initiatives | Oakland, CA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Northern Alaska Environmental Center | Fairbanks, AK | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Alaska Center Education Fund | Anchorage, AK | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Together We Can Incorporated | N Las Vegas, NV | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Young Masterminds Initiative | Brooklyn, NY | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Friends of the Agua Fria National Monument | Black Canyon City, AZ | $26,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Friends of the Missouri Breaks Monument | Helena, MT | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument | Ashland, OR | $22,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Cortez, CO | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Friends of the Dunes | Arcata, CA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Upper Snake River Tribes Foundation Inc | Boise, ID | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Alaska Conservation Foundation | Anchorage, AK | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Birds of Prey Nca Partnership | Boise, ID | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Calwild | Oakland, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area | Terrebonne, OR | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of Black Rock High Rock Inc | Gerlach, NV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of the Yampa Inc | Steamboat Spr, CO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Native Land Trust Council | Cathedral Cty, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Tewa Women United | Espanola, NM | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Valle Del Sol Inc | Phoenix, AZ | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
70 of 82 (85%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 70 of 82 recipients we could match to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's, not ours -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51 | $1,656,500 | $20,000 |
| 2022 | 68 | $1,937,000 | $20,000 |
| 2023 | 65 | $1,917,000 | $25,000 |
| 2024 | 61 | $1,894,000 | $25,000 |
| 2025 | 53 | $2,516,500 | $25,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
38% of its giving went to organizations in California. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $25,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in California.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Conservation Lands Foundation's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Recipient classifications, the concentration and retention figures and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations from them, described in how we build this.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 63 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 2 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 835 E 2ND Ave Suite 305, Durango, CO, 81301.
EIN 20-8924520 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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