What Conservation Lands Foundation does

Conservation Lands Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2007 and headquartered in Durango, Colorado. Its mission is to protect and expand America's National Conservation Lands — the 38 million acres of public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and designated for conservation under federal law. The organization serves western U.S. communities, tribal nations, and conservation advocates by combining grantmaking, federal policy advocacy, coalition litigation, and on-the-ground field organizing.

Its core programmatic products are grantmaking cycles (86 grants totaling $1,952,000 across 11 states in 2023, with a 2024 budget of $2 million) and the Friends Grassroots Network, a coalition of 80+ community-based partner organizations that has grown from 24 members in 2009–10. Underlying technology is modest and operational rather than product-oriented: LittleGreenLight for donor and grant CRM, Google Analytics for web measurement, and The Climate Atlas, an interactive mapping and visualization tool for climate and conservation data. Multi-year grants introduced in 2021 have shifted the funding model from transactional annual awards to sustained partner commitments.

The business model is donor-funded philanthropy rather than commercial revenue. Income is generated across individual giving, stock gifts, IRA qualified charitable distributions, donor-advised funds, planned giving, and corporate giving programs. Third-party validations include the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency and a Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating, both of which lower due-diligence friction for institutional funders. In 2026, the organization is actively defending Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments against reduction by the Trump administration, signaling that regulatory advocacy remains a central, not peripheral, activity.

Name

Conservation Lands Foundation

Legal name

Conservation Lands Foundation

Website

https://conservationlands.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Conservation Lands Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that protects and expands America's 38 million acres of National Conservation Lands through grantmaking, advocacy, and a network of 80+ grassroots partner organizations across the western United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Lands Conservation

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Public lands conservation
• Conservation grantmaking
• Grassroots advocacy
• Federal land protection
• Nonprofit conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Durango

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individual supporters through website, direct mail, and giving programs including stock/mutual fund donations, IRA donations, and planned/legacy giving.
2. Grant Making to Network Partners: CLF makes grants to nonprofit community-based organizations that align with goals to protect, restore, and expand National Conservation Lands. In 2023, gave 86 grants in 11 states totaling $1,952,000. 2024 grantmaking budget is $2 million. Grants typically awarded in fall or spring. Also awards mini-grants up to $10,000 throughout the year.
3. Corporate Giving: Corporate partnerships and workplace giving programs including percentage-of-revenue donations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Conservation Lands Foundation protects and expands America's National Conservation Lands (38 million acres of BLM-managed public lands, rivers, and trails) through a combination of grantmaking to community-based nonprofit partners, direct advocacy campaigns, coalition building, strategic litigation, and grassroots network organizing. The organization operates the Friends Grassroots Network of 80+ community partners and runs multiple giving programs (online donations, stock gifts, IRA, Donor Advised Funds, planned giving) to fund its conservation mission.

Product overview

Conservation Lands Foundation is a nonprofit organization (not a technology product company) focused exclusively on protecting and expanding America's National Conservation Lands—38 million acres of public lands, rivers, and trails managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The organization operates several interconnected programs: a Grant Making Program that provides funding to community-based organizations through one-year, multi-year, and mini-grants; a Friends Grassroots Network of over 80 partner organizations across the western U.S.; Immersive Trips allowing supporters to experience National Conservation Lands; The Climate Atlas mapping tool; and ongoing Advocacy Campaigns to defend monuments, protect wilderness, and advance public lands legislation. Additional services include newsletter communications, donor engagement programs, and educational resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friends Grassroots Network: A network of community-based organizations working to protect National Conservation Lands across the western U.S.
• National Conservation Lands

Products and services

• Grant Making Program Funds community-based nonprofit organizations through grants to advance campaigns for new or expanded National Conservation Lands, respond to conservation opportunities or urgent crises affecting public lands, and increase diversity of voices in the public lands movement. Includes one-year grants, multi-year grants (three or four consecutive years), and mini-grants up to $10,000. In 2023, CLF awarded 86 grants in 11 states totaling $1,952,000; 2024 grantmaking budget is $2 million.
• Friends Grassroots Network A network of more than 80 community-based organizations across the western U.S. working to protect National Conservation Lands through local advocacy, education, and partnership. The network was created in 2009-10 with approximately 24 organizations and includes organizations that CLF typically funds.
• Immersive Trips to National Conservation Lands Organized trips and expeditions allowing supporters to explore and experience National Conservation Lands, including the Eastern Sierra Nevada and other protected landscapes.
• The Climate Atlas An interactive mapping tool that allows users to learn about biodiversity, climate, and other benefits of public lands, and identify new opportunities for their protection. CLF partners with The Climate Atlas to provide this resource.
• Advocacy Campaigns Campaigns to defend national monuments (Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Chaco Canyon), protect wilderness areas, advocate for public lands funding, and oppose legislative attacks on protected lands. Supporters can take action via the website and submit public comments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38 million acres of National Conservation Lands protected and growing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Climate AtlasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLF partners with The Climate Atlas to provide an interactive mapping tool for identifying biodiversity, climate, and conservation benefits of public lands and identifying new opportunities for protection.
• Nashoba Consulting, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNashoba Consulting (Natalie Landreth and Nada Culver) provides legal expertise on BLM management and public lands protection for the Friends Grassroots Network, presenting at summits on leveraging legal mandates.
• Aperio PhilanthropyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAperio Philanthropy provides training and capacity building for the Friends Grassroots Network on topics including fundraising resilience and avoiding burnout in nonprofit work.
• Friends Grassroots Network (81+ organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 81+ community-based organizations across the western U.S. working to protect National Conservation Lands. Receives grants and capacity building support from CLF. Created and branded in 2009-10 with ~24 organizations.
• One Percent for the PlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCLF is a member of One Percent for the Planet, a global organization of companies committed to donating 1% of sales to environmental causes.
• Great Big GoodminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFundraising consultant Brandy Bertram provides training sessions on resilient fundraising strategies for Friends Network organizations.
• Kasih InitiativeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides training on fundraising strategies, grant writing, and organizational sustainability for conservation nonprofits.
• Coalition Partners (Advocacy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLF joins with other conservation organizations in advocacy coalitions, including lawsuits challenging federal actions on public lands (e.g., Western Arctic oil and gas leasing, Red Cliffs highway). Partners include Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Alaska Wilderness League, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Advocates for the West, Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Parks Conservation Association: Nonprofit focused on protecting and enhancing national parks and public lands through advocacy and grassroots organizing. Closely aligned mission around federal public lands defense and expansion.
• Land Trust Alliance: National umbrella organization supporting land trusts in private conservation easements and land protection. Shares CLF's conservation mission and capacity-building/network model but focuses on private rather than federal lands.
• Defenders of Wildlife: National wildlife conservation nonprofit engaged in advocacy, litigation, and policy work on public lands. Named coalition partner on Western Arctic and monument defense campaigns.
• Center for Biological Diversity: Action-oriented conservation nonprofit using litigation and advocacy to protect endangered species and wild places. Coalition partner on multiple CLF campaigns and shares a litigation-heavy strategy.
• Alaska Wilderness League: Nonprofit dedicated to protecting Alaska's wild lands and waters, focused on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and NPR-A. Listed coalition partner with CLF on Western Arctic oil and gas litigation.
• Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance: Regional nonprofit that advocates for wilderness protection in Utah's redrock country, with a founding focus on defending Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. Listed as a coalition partner and shares CLF's grassroots advocacy model.
• The Wilderness Society: National nonprofit that advocates for protecting wilderness and public lands, frequently partnering with CLF in coalitions on monument defense and BLM management. Directly comparable mission around public lands preservation.

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Club: One of the largest and oldest U.S. environmental nonprofits, with broad advocacy across public lands, climate, and conservation. Coalition partner on monument defense; broader scope but overlapping advocacy tactics and donor base.
• National Wildlife Federation: Large U.S. conservation nonprofit focused on wildlife and habitat protection through policy and education. Comparable advocacy and grassroots organizing on federal public lands, though with a broader wildlife-centric framing.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global conservation organization operating through land acquisition, scientific research, and policy advocacy. Overlaps with CLF on public lands protection but uses a more science-and-acquisition-driven model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/conservationlf
• Facebookfacebook.com/conservationlands
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conservation-lands-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Conservation Lands Foundation