Gates Family Foundation Invests $375,000 in Conservation Coalition Efforts
Grant to Keep It Colorado supports statewide strategies and growth
Jan. 30, 2023 – DENVER – Keep It Colorado has been awarded $375,000 from Gates Family Foundation to support the coalition’s strategic initiatives and help sustain and grow the private lands conservation sector. Disbursed over a period of three years, the funds will enable Keep It Colorado to build on the nonprofit’s successes since Gates Family Foundation helped it relaunch in 2019, and provide ongoing leadership, strategy and collaboration to a coalition of 56 member organizations. Members include nonprofit land trusts, public agencies, conservation professionals and nonprofit partners.
“We’ve been making great strides to increase the pace of land conservation and secure a stable future for this sector, but we know we cannot do this work alone,” said Melissa Daruna, Keep It Colorado’s executive director. “The Gates Family Foundation’s generous support and leadership over the past several years gives us the additional vote of confidence that we’re on the right path, and that we’ll succeed in keeping this sector healthy and growing.”
Gates’ investment will support Keep It Colorado as it develops a strategic action plan, implements a robust development plan, implements a private lands conservation plan, and works across its five core focus areas between 2023 and 2025:
Public Policy Advocacy: Goals are to pass public policy that supports conservation, increases conservation funding and incentives, and ensures that private lands conservation is part of Colorado’s larger planning efforts. In the next three years the coalition will seek reauthorization of the state’s conservation easement tax credit program, and participate in statewide planning around conservation investments and policies to combat the climate crisis.
Member Connection and Coalition Building: Goals are to continue convening and connecting members while broadening engagement in the coalition to strengthen collective impacts. The coalition will provide frequent opportunities for members to connect, network, learn and address challenges together, while inviting new partners to join the conversation and participate in coalition initiatives.
Emerging Issues and Opportunities Forum: Goals are to continue to collaboratively problem-solve and explore innovative opportunities for conservation, restoration and stewardship. Examples include finalizing an alternative method to value conservation easements; addressing inequities in the conservation sector; pursuing more incentives for voluntary land conservation, land management practices and recreation access; and better aligning members’ conservation work with climate resiliency.
Health and Sustainability Solutions: Goals are to continue exploring and developing creative solutions for a sustainable land trust and land conservation sector – such as providing efficient grant opportunities for urgent conservation projects and solutions to identified emerging issues, and additional state and federal funding sources.
Advancing a Culture of Conservation: Goals are to help Coloradans understand the value of private lands conservation in daily life, and support organizations pursuing this work. Activities will include public awareness and outreach campaigns that inspire action and engagement with conservation, stewardship and policy advocacy.
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