Conservation International Foundation
Conservation International Foundation is a public charity based in Arlington, Virginia, formed in 1987. It works to protect nature through science, partnerships and fieldwork, with stated priorities in climate, oceans and biodiversity.
Conservation International Foundation at a glance
In short: Conservation International Foundation gave $31.7M across 67 grants in 2025 (avg $473K), top state California. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $31,692,555
- +87.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 67
- +26.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $473,023
- +48.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $91,336
- Total assets
- $703,564,053
- +8.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (21 of 67, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (43% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Conservation International Foundation
- Contact
Mailing address: 2011 Crystal Drive 600, Arlington, VA 22202-3787
Phone: (703) 341-2400
Website: https://conservation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Conservation International Foundation
Communications consultancy for the Blue Nature Alliance
Conservation International Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Conservation International GEF Small Grants Programme 2.0 (CI SGP 2.0)
Conservation International Foundation
Amount
$4,425,950
Deadline
Deadline not published
Consultancy to Undertake Lessons Learnt for the Pro-nature Enterprises Project for the People of Southern Africa
Conservation International Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Conservation International Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Friends of the Mexican Fund for Conservation of Nature Inc ($12.6M). Together the top 10 received $25.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
251 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 87 grants of 251 (35%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website describes a global footprint, with offices in 35 countries and conservation projects in more than 100. It says its marine work spans all five oceans and its land-based projects focus on the tropics.
In the 2025 grant listing, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were California (43%), the District of Columbia (34%), New York (8%), Virginia (4%) and Hawaii (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 67 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Conservation International Foundation open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 21 of 67 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $704K; repeat grants $368K. How we count
Medians: $68K first-time, $96K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $4.0M (2019) to $31.7M (2025). In 2025 it made 67 grants totaling $31.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Friends of the Mexican Fund for Conservation of Nature Inc San Diego, CA | Restoring watersheds for ecosystems and communities; conserving mexican biological variety through communities and their protected areas; gbff mexico endowment | $12,648,925 |
| World Resources Institute Washington, DC | The landscape restoration in the makuli-nzaui ecosystem, kenya; ppc india - trees for wildlife and villagers; ppc guatemala; ppc malawi; ppc drc-kinshasa - faja lobi reforestation project; systems change lab; gef-8 restoration; ppc high andes | $7,362,721 |
| Wildlife Conservation Society Bronx, NY | Regenerative and wildlife friendly fibers that improve livelihoods, conserve wildlife and build resilience to environmental change in patagonia; strengthening marine protected area management in the southern gulf of guinea; the deployment of earthranger, a data visualization and analysis software to strengthen protected area management effectiveness in africa's national parks; upscaling use of the spatial monitoring and reporting tool (SMART) in kyrgyzstan; enabling public policy for chile's mpa network; guardian villages- empowered communities to manage wetlands in lao people's democratic republic; establishing new marine protected areas and effective management in uruguay; planning grant for high seas marine protected areas in argentina; conserving paraguayan chaco for jaguars and people; enhancing ecological connectivity between jozani and kiwengwa forests, zanzibar, tanzania; regenerative and certified wildlife friendly leather from the caldenal of central argentina | $1,566,581 |
| Antartic and Southern Ocean Coalition Washington, DC | Antarctica Engagement | $1,186,753 |
| The Nature Conservancy Arlington, VA | Amplifying resources and learnings to accelerate the effective management of marine protected areas; blue benguela partnership - benguela current large marine ecosystem; st kitts clean healthy oceans ppg; grenada clean healthy oceans ppg; mangrove breakthrough- ideas to action; electronic monitoring and connectivity for crews at sea | $812,217 |
| Rare Inc Arlington, VA | Ecosystem-based adaptation and mitigation in botswana's communal rangelands; strengthening and sustaining the coastal resource and fisheries management in leyte gulf; oceankind program support grant | $607,328 |
| International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Washington, DC | Indo-burma iii small grant mechanism; iucn biological variety assessment unit (BAU); ppc thailand | $493,371 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors New York, NY | Business action and advocacy for the planet (business for nature) | $446,300 |
| Northern Marianas College Saipan, MP | Navigating the waves of marine stewardship: nmc charting the course for marine conservation education, empowerment, and cultural heritage | $425,000 |
| Resources Legacy Fund Sacramento, CA | Pacific Remote Islands; Green Fee Support | $397,198 |
Ready to take the next step with Conservation International Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $703,564,053 | $308,673,004 | $316,690,413 | $31,692,555 | 67 | $22,587,617 |
| 2024 | $647,540,374 | $271,220,924 | $297,868,185 | $16,922,494 | 53 | $20,722,771 |
| 2023 | $617,089,038 | $235,131,545 | $247,457,015 | $18,048,689 | 50 | $7,068,249 |
| 2022 | $568,924,651 | $290,503,839 | $212,305,269 | $9,381,338 | 45 | $3,908,715 |
| 2021 | $488,990,693 | $187,936,196 | $159,681,836 | $7,281,955 | 36 | $21,621,897 |
| 2020 | $403,472,995 | $159,498,081 | $150,296,653 | $4,617,398 | 36 | $11,717,888 |
| 2019 | $371,344,540 | $140,400,903 | $147,906,920 | $3,981,681 | 27 | $9,179,288 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Conservation International’s mission is to help societies care for nature responsibly and sustainably for the well-being of humanity. Its stated priorities are climate, oceans and biodiversity. Its work includes protecting and restoring ecosystems, supporting marine protected areas and improving the sustainability of fisheries.
The organization’s grantmaking includes the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, which awards competitive grants to civil society organizations, including nongovernmental organizations, Indigenous and local communities, academic institutions and local businesses. The fund supports projects guided by conservation strategies developed with local and national stakeholders.
Examples of grantees’ stated missions illustrate the range of organizations supported. The Wildlife Conservation Society says it works to save wildlife and wild places through science, conservation action and education. The Nature Conservancy says its mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition describes itself as a coalition focused on conserving and protecting Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 67 grants totaling $31,692,555. Grant amounts ranged from $5,633 to $12,648,925, with a median of $91,336.
The largest reported grant was $12,648,925 to Friends of the Mexican Fund for Conservation of Nature, for work that included watershed restoration, conservation of Mexican biological diversity, and a Mexico endowment. World Resources Institute received $7,362,721 for projects including landscape restoration in Kenya, restoration initiatives in several countries, and the Systems Change Lab. Wildlife Conservation Society received $1,566,581 for projects spanning wildlife-friendly livelihoods, marine protected areas, protected-area management tools and ecological connectivity.
Other large grants included $1,186,753 to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition for Antarctica engagement; $812,217 to The Nature Conservancy for projects including marine protected areas, mangroves and ocean monitoring; and $607,328 to Rare Inc. for projects involving communal rangelands, fisheries management and ocean conservation.
The foundation also posted consultancy opportunities for work in Africa and the Philippines, as well as a policy report. Their listed deadlines—April 15 and April 24, 2026—are past.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Robert J. Fisher as interim chair of the board, Wes Bush as chair of the executive committee and Harrison Ford as vice chair. It also lists Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, John Arnhold, Samantha Bass, Mark S. Bezos, Kristina Brittenham, Ivan Duque and Idris Elba OBE as board members.
Conservation International Foundation is led by Sanjayan Muttulingam, Chief Executive Officer on every filing since 2019; 13 of 47 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sanjayan Muttulingam
Chief Executive Officer
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$550K (2019) → $1.1M (2025)
Robert J. Fisher
Interim Chair of Board
Board Member → Interim Chair of Board, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Wes Bush
Chairman Executive Committee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Barbara Bissinger Dipietro
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$275K (2019) → $372K (2025)
Daniela Raik
Executive Vice President & Field Programs
Senior Vice President - Americas → Executive Vice President Field Programs, 2021
Executive Vice President Field Programs → Executive Vice President & Field Programs, 2024
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$275K (2019) → $481K (2025)
Mark Van Nydeck Erdmann
Vice President & Aotearoa
Vice President - Marine → Vice President & Aotearoa, 2024
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$303K (2019) → $366K (2025)
Peter Seligmann
Board Member & Chairman Emeritus
Chair of Board → Board Member & Chairman Emeritus, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$185K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Richard Nash
General Counsel & Chief Compliance
Senior Vice President - General Counsel → General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, 2024
General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer → General Counsel & Chief Compliance, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$309K (2019) → $478K (2025)
Sebastian Anders Troeng
Executive Vice President Conservation Partnership
Executive Vice President of Programs → Executive Vice President Conservation Partnerships, 2021
Executive Vice President Conservation Partnerships → Executive Vice President Conservation Partnership, 2022
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$465K (2019) → $558K (2025)
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
Board Member
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$100K (2020) → $140K (2025)
Richard Jeo
Chief Conservation Strat & Field Ofc.
Senior Vice President - Asia Pacific → Chief Field Officer & Asia-Pacific, 2024
Chief Field Officer & Asia-Pacific → Chief Conservation Strat & Field Ofc., 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$332K (2020) → $448K (2025)
Cynthia H. Tapley
Chief Development Officer
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$321K (2023) → $351K (2025)
Will Russell Turner
Senior Impact Advisor
Senior Vice President Natural Climate Solutions → Senior Impact Advisor, 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$330K (2023) → $355K (2025)
Julius Court
Chief Operating Officer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$439K (2024) → $682K (2025)
Sara Patricia Zurita
Executive Vice President & Chief Partnerships Officer
Chief Strategy Officer → Executive Vice President & Chief Partnerships Officer, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$212K (2024) → $407K (2025)
Herbert Lust
Chief Global Resource Mobilization
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$391K (2025)
Alexander Karsner
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andre Esteves
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andres Santo Domingo
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Byron Trott
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Leuschen
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Enki Tan MD
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Harrison Ford
Vice Chair
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Arnhold
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Swift
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Jackson
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Ferguson
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rob Walton
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stewart A. Resnick
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Story Clark Resor
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Valerie Mars
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Victor Fung PhD
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Yvonne Lui PhD
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Winter
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Idris Elba Obe
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Isaac Pritzker
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Samantha Bass
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark S. Bezos
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stella McCartney Cbe Obe
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ivan Duque
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Reed Jobs
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anders Holch Povlsen
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kristina Brittenham
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shailene Woodley
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Forrest
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Vilkin
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sabrina Elba
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (26)
- Former: Anastasia Khoo (2019–2024) — Chief of Staff & Chief Mkt Officer
- Former: Agustin Silvani (2022–2024) — Senior Vice President & Nature Finance
- Former: Luis Ernesto Suarez Martinez (2024) — Vice President & Ecuador
- Former: Laurene Powell Jobs (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Michael Klein (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Skip Brittenham (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: John Woodcock Hurd (2022–2023) — Executive Vice President Global Programs
- Former: Tina-Marie Aulani Wilhelm (2022–2023) — Senior Vice President Center for Oceans
- Former: Jeff Gale (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: L. Rafael Reif PhD (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Lyle James Roth (2020–2022) — Senior Vice President Global Policy & Gov't Affairs
- Former: He Fmr Pres Sk Ian Khama (2021–2022) — Former Board Member
- Former: Cynthia Adler McKee (2019–2021) — Senior Vice President - Development
- Former: Jennifer Morris (2019–2021) — President Till
- Former: Madame Qiaonyu He (2019–2021) — Board Member Till
- Former: Kimberly Minton Keating (2021) — Chief People Officer
- Former: Dawn Arnall (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Kristine Zeigler (2019–2020) — Chief Development Officer
- Former: Olivier Langrand (2019–2020) — Senior Vice President & Executive Director - Cepf
- Former: Michael O'Brien-Onyeka (2020) — Senior Vice President - Africa
- Former: Ann Friedman (2019) — Board Member
- Former: David Emmett (2019) — Senior Vice President - Asia Pacific
- Former: Dominique Walton (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Fmr President S. K. Ian Khama (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Jared Diamond PhD (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Mara Dell (2019) — Chief People Officer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $1.1M, to Sanjayan Muttulingam (Chief Executive Officer). 13 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Conservation International Foundation
How much does Conservation International Foundation give each year?
Conservation International Foundation gave $31.7M across 67 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $16.9M across 53 grants.
What is Conservation International Foundation's typical grant size?
Conservation International Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $91,336, and its average grant was $473,023, across 67 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Conservation International Foundation that year got $704K on average.
Where does Conservation International Foundation give grants?
Conservation International Foundation's top state is California, with 43% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were District of Columbia (34%) and New York (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (12 grants), New York, NY (4 grants), Pahoa, HI (3 grants) and San Diego, CA (2 grants).
Does Conservation International Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 67 grants with a stated purpose on Conservation International Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Conservation International Foundation's largest grantees?
Conservation International Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Friends of the Mexican Fund for Conservation of Nature Inc ($12,648,925), World Resources Institute ($7,362,721) and Wildlife Conservation Society ($1,566,581), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 68% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Conservation International Foundation?
Conservation International Foundation reported $703.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $308.7M.
What does Conservation International Foundation fund?
Conservation International’s mission is to help societies care for nature responsibly and sustainably for the well-being of humanity. Its stated priorities are climate, oceans and biodiversity. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Conservation International Foundation?
Conservation International Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check conservation.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Conservation International Foundation's EIN?
Conservation International Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1497470. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 28, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 26, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Conservation International Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Conservation International Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/conservation-international-foundation-morg_afe73e37036a400ab13ef97567c1ac99
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521497470_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Conservation International Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/conservation-international-foundation-morg_afe73e37036a400ab13ef97567c1ac99},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Conservation International Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Conservation International Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?