How We Work

The Revolving Fund: Providing Bridge Financing for Conservation

Dollar for dollar, our Revolving Fund has protected more land than any other land conservation vehicle. Every $1 million invested in our Revolving Fund has conserved more than $25 million of land—that's a return on investment that cannot be matched.

We use our Revolving Fund to help our federal, state and local partners act quickly to save priority lands vulnerable to development or fragmentation. As immediate conservation opportunities arise, our conservation partners turn to us to quickly deploy the ready capital of our Revolving Fund.

Upon repayment, we “revolve” the money back into the fund. Every dollar in the Revolving Fund is used to buy land, and only land—no overhead, no administrative expenses. Imagine your donation helping to first protect a coastal wetland, then a wildlife corridor, and next a family ranch, multiplying your gift’s results. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

In Profile: Woolrich Protects the Wilds for Alaska's Salmon

Dating back to 1830, Woolrich, Inc. is an outdoor clothing company with deep roots in American adventure. True to its legacy, the company supports The Conservation Fund’s Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Initiative—an ambitious effort to protect the world’s largest spawning ground for wild salmon.

With a $150,000 grant from Woolrich, The Conservation Fund “matched” these dollars with federal and foundation funds to advance its protection of key salmon habitat in Alaska.

“We certainly feel that we have a responsibility as a company to support the environment. But for us, it's also personal. As the oldest privately-owned outdoor apparel company in the United States, Woolrich’s roots are in the natural world. Conservation is part of our core and we are committed to ensuring wild places like Southwest Alaska endure and are passed along to future generations.”

- Tim Joseph, Director of Marketing and Media, Woolrich, Inc.

Summary

With support from Woolrich, the Fund is conserving the habitats needed to help salmon thrive in Southwest Alaska. The Fund partners with the state of Alaska and others to purchase and protect strategic tracts of private land or to place conservation easements on that land, limiting development and securing salmon habitat.

Challenge

All five species of Pacific salmon in North America flourish in the great rivers and lakes of Southwest Alaska. Salmon support numerous species of fish and wildlife, sustain local communities and provide cultural, recreational, ecological and commercial benefits to the region and nation. However, vital salmon habitat is at risk from encroaching development.

Solution

Woolrich, a company with a long history of conservation throughout the country, joined The Conservation Fund’s program in Southwest Alaska to safeguard ecosystems, to protect wild salmon, strengthen fisheries, preserve the heritage of the indigenous people and maintain all the benefits that salmon provide.

Results

Woolrich’s support allows the Fund to focus on the most critical rivers and streams in Southwest Alaska that support the world’s largest population of wild salmon, as well as brown bears, caribou and other wildlife. Matching Woolrich’s support with other public and private dollars, the Fund has already protected 78,000 acres along these important waterways.

We Treat Conservation as Our Business

Every community—and landscape—is different. That's why conservation calls for different solutions, from protecting land to empowering rural communities, strategically planning infrastructure, investing in sustainable business and using water wisely. At The Conservation Fund, we do all this and more.

How? We’re a nonprofit that treats conservation as our business. We provide the skills, strategies and funds that our partners need to fulfill conservation priorities swiftly and successfully. With support from donors, we partner with community, government and corporate leaders to protect America's favorite outdoor places and to conserve resources for healthy, sustainable communities. We operate leanly, with no formal membership, charitable endowment or political agenda.

The fuel that powers our work is our land conservation Revolving Fund. Our Revolving Fund works like this: when we are asked to conserve high priority lands for one of our partners such as the National Park Service or a state wildlife agency, we use our Revolving Fund to acquire the land and hold it until the public agency can buy it back from us. Upon repayment, we return the money to the fund and it is ready for the next land conservation project. Dollar for dollar, our Revolving Fund has protected more land than any other land conservation vehicle. It's the gift that keeps on giving.