Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation

What Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation does

The Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation (LCAOF) is a private, New York-based grant-making foundation established in 1987 by Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg following their first wildlife safari to Kenya and Tanzania. The Foundation is dedicated to the survival of wildlife and wildlands and to the vitality of the human communities with which they are inextricably linked, operating across five geographic programs: Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean, Madagascar, and the North American Transboundary Rockies. LCAOF employs a community-based conservation model organized around five enabling conditions: sound ecological information, well-managed protected areas, supportive government policies, empowered local communities, and sustainable financial support. The Foundation funds catalytic grants, capacity building, land tenure work, anti-poaching initiatives, protected area management, environmental education, and — more recently — Program-Related Investments (PRIs) such as a major loan to Re:wild for jaguar corridor land acquisition in Belize. Core partners include Wildlife Conservation Society, Fauna & Flora International, Maliasili Initiatives, Re:wild, Missouri Botanical Garden, The Peregrine Fund, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, The Nature Conservancy, Yellowstone to Yukon, MakeWay Foundation, and numerous community-based organizations across Montana and East Africa.

Name

Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation

Legal name

Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation

Website

https://lcaof.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation is a private, New York-based grant-making foundation established in 1987 that funds community-based wildlife and wildlands conservation across five global regions, supporting NGOs, Indigenous communities, and local organizations through grants and program-related investments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Grant-Making

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation funding
• Grant-making foundation
• Community-based conservation
• Wildlands protection
• Biodiversity preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant-making for Conservation: As a private foundation, the organization funds conservation initiatives through grants to NGOs, community organizations, and partners working in wildlife landscapes. The Foundation provides both programmatic grants and capacity building support to eligible existing partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Foundation is a private grant-making foundation that funds wildlife and wildlands conservation through invitation-only grants to NGOs and community-based organizations in five global regions. It provides both programmatic grants and capacity-building support to eligible existing partners, with a focus on community-based conservation that aligns wildlife needs with those of local people. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and develops partnerships with vetted organizations on appropriate size and scale for tangible, long-term results.

Product overview

The Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation is a private grant-making foundation dedicated to wildlife and wildlands conservation and the vitality of human communities. The Foundation does not offer a traditional technology product; rather, it provides catalytic funding and programmatic support to conservation initiatives across five geographic regions: Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean, Madagascar, and the Transboundary Rockies of North America. The Foundation focuses on community-based conservation approaches, supporting grantee organizations through grant programs, capacity building initiatives, and pooled funding efforts. Core grant-making programs include wildlife monitoring, protected area management, community governance strengthening, environmental education, and livelihood development. The Foundation's operational approach centers on five key enabling conditions: sound ecological information, well-managed protected areas, supportive government policies, empowered local communities, and sustainable financial support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Invitation-Only Conservation Grant Program Foundation works closely with grantees on an invitation-only basis to develop grant-making initiatives and conservation projects of appropriate size and scale, focusing on catalytic opportunities while providing long-term support for conservation outcomes across five global regions.
• Capacity Building Program for Conservation Organizations Foundation-led program providing organizational strengthening, leadership development, and capacity support to grantee conservation NGOs to increase their long-term impact and sustainability.
• Program-Related Investments (PRIs) for Land Conservation Foundation-provided PRIs, including a major PRI loan to Re:wild to purchase key parcels of land for the jaguar corridor in the Maya Forest Corridor in Belize.
• Pooled Funding Partnership (via Maliasili Initiatives) Foundation funding pooled through Maliasili Initiatives to accelerate community-led conservation solutions across Kenya, Tanzania, the KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area, and Madagascar, supporting a portfolio of African conservation organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• LCAOF recently provided almost $1 million to support the Greater Yellowstone Coalition's efforts to eliminate the threat of a gold mine on the boundary of Yellowstone National Park.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fauna & Flora InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993Long-standing partnership focused on protected area management and ecosystem monitoring. Currently supports Chuilexi Conservancy in Mozambique within Niassa Special Reserve.
• Wildlife Conservation SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987Long-term partnership for Western Forest Complex in Thailand and Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia. Supports SMART patrol systems, tiger population monitoring, and nature education campaigns. Also working in Selva Maya landscape in Guatemala and Belize.
• Maliasili InitiativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports pooled funding effort to accelerate community-led conservation solutions across Kenya, Tanzania, KAZA, and Madagascar. Funding supports portfolio of African conservation organizations.
• Greater Yellowstone CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLCAOF provided almost $1 million to support efforts to eliminate the threat of a gold mine on the boundary of Yellowstone National Park.
• Heart of the Rockies Keep it Connected InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2021, LCAOF supports this network of local land trusts working together to increase the pace of private land conservation in the Transboundary Rockies region.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Blackfeet Nation indigenous-led conservation planning work in the Transboundary Rockies region.
• Yellowstone to YukoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in supporting indigenous-led conservation planning work with Blackfeet Nation in the Transboundary Rockies.
• MakeWay FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2023, LCAOF supports MakeWay Foundation's Indigenous-led conservation efforts in Canada.
• Blackfeet NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLCAOF is supporting indigenous-led conservation planning work in partnership with the Blackfeet Nation, including land conservation and planning work and efforts to reestablish a free-roaming buffalo herd.
• Re:wildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported for Maya Forest Corridor in Belize. Foundation provided a major PRI loan to Re:wild towards purchasing key parcels of land for the jaguar corridor.
• Missouri Botanical GardencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported for Vohidava-Betsimilaho New Protected Area in Southern Madagascar, helping local people protect and sustainably manage community lands.
• The Peregrine FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported for Protected Area management plans at Bemanevika and Mahimborondro Protected Areas in Northern Madagascar.
• Clark Fork CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported community-based conservation group in Montana's Transboundary Rockies region that engages local citizens to restore and improve wildlife habitat.
• Great Burn Conservation AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported community-based conservation group in Montana working to restore and improve wildlife habitat and collaborate with forest stakeholders.
• Swan Valley ConnectionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported community-based conservation organization working in Montana's Transboundary Rockies region.
• Wild MontanaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported for public lands advocacy and wilderness designation efforts in Montana.
• The Wilderness SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported for bringing good science and citizen input to discussions about importance of public lands in the Rockies region.
• Northern Plains Resource CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported grassroots organization working to engage local people in policy discussions affecting Montana's lands, waters, and natural resources.
• National Wildlife FederationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported to retire marginal grazing leases and secure easements on key parcels for wildlife connectivity in the Transboundary Rockies.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: Large private foundation with significant grantmaking for environmental conservation including Andes-Amazon, oceans, and North American landscapes; directly comparable in funding model and focus on landscape-scale biodiversity outcomes.
• Wyss Foundation: Private foundation focused on land conservation and wildlife connectivity across the Americas; directly comparable as a privately-funded conservation grantmaker pursuing landscape-scale outcomes similar to LCAOF.
• The David and Lucile Packard Foundation: Major private foundation supporting ocean and land conservation globally; operates with similar program officer model and partners with leading conservation NGOs comparable to LCAOF's approach.
• The Pew Charitable Trusts: Major philanthropic funder with a substantial environmental program focused on landscape conservation, marine protection, and species conservation; directly comparable as a peer conservation grantmaker with global portfolio ambitions.
• Helmsley Charitable Trust: Large private foundation with a significant conservation and wildlife program, including global initiatives in Africa and the Americas; comparable in operating model, program officer staffing, and grantmaking scale to LCAOF.
• MacArthur Foundation: Large private foundation with a Climate Solutions program that supports tropical forest conservation and indigenous-led conservation globally; comparable as a major peer grantmaker with overlapping geographic priorities in Africa, the Americas, and Asia.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: Largest global conservation organization and a direct grantee partner of LCAOF; significantly larger and more operational, but directly comparable in mission, geographic focus, and partner ecosystem.
• Conservation International: Large, established global conservation NGO working across many of the same geographies and biodiversity hotspots as LCAOF; broader in scope but highly comparable in operating model and partnership ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Fauna & Flora International: Long-standing LCAOF grantee operating conservation programs across Africa, Asia, and the Americas; directly comparable as both a peer conservation actor and downstream funding recipient in similar geographies.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Major international conservation NGO that is both a long-standing LCAOF grantee and operates conservation programs in many of the same landscapes; comparable as a downstream operating partner receiving LCAOF grants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lcaof

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation