“Carol has guided and designed an environmental education strategy for our foundation that truly reflects the various interests of our Board while providing focus on meaningful impact.”

                    -Sophia Kolehmainen, Cedar Tree Foundation

 
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Environmental education funding accounts for less than 5% of all environmental giving in the United States. That’s why foundations involved in this area meet a critical need. These funders understand that environmental education leads to long-term outcomes in conservation, health, education, and community well being. Today’s societal and environmental challenges are complex and require a new generation of knowledgeable, skilled, and motivated stewards—critical thinkers who collaborate to solve problems in innovative ways.

Increasingly more funders are turning to environmental and outdoor youth programs to ensure that future generations have an ethic that both ties them to the land and to healthy lifestyles.

Basecamp Strategies can help you consider and prioritize your many options for funding programs. From systems change to direct service, from small grants to large multi-year commitments, we have a team that can help you chart your course to make a positive impact.

Approaches include:

  • Network building- Who collaborates in your region, who has interests similar to yours, who can serve as a resource, and what other funders provide leadership? The best strategies complement those of other funders in your region—filling gaps and amplifying existing projects.
  • Strategy creation- What values and priorities influence your strategy? What impact do you hope to achieve? Together, we consider such questions and develop theories of change that serve as your roadmap.
  • Grantmaking- Are you interested in launching a new grantmaking initiative? Basecamp Strategies can work with you to design and execute a grantmaking plan. We develop grantmaking criteria, outreach plans, selection protocols, board dockets, and evaluation tools.
  • Collaborative funding initiatives- Could some of your grants be enhanced through a collaborative funding initiative with other foundations? Basecamp Strategies will review potential areas for growth, gauge interest of other funders, and create opportunities for joint initiatives.

Whether your foundation is just beginning to engage in environmental education or is revising its current approach, Basecamp Strategies can help.