California Wildlands Grassroots Fund
California Wildlands Grassroots Fund supports grassroots activists with conservation, restoration, stewardship, and advocacy funding to permanently protect California’s wildlands and native biodiversity.
Funder: Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment
Due Dates: February 17, 2026 (Spring) | May 15, 2026 (Summer) | August 17, 2026 (Fall) | October 28, 2026 (Winter)
Funding Amounts: Up to $10,000 for one year; typical awards of $4,000–$8,000
Summary: Supports grassroots conservation, restoration, stewardship, and advocacy to permanently protect California’s wildlands, habitats, and native biodiversity.
Key Information: Applicants’ actual annual income and expenses must each be $200,000 or less.
Description
The California Wildlands Grassroots Fund, administered by the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, supports grassroots activists protecting California’s wildlands and native biological diversity. It funds conservation, restoration, and stewardship of intact wildlands on public and private lands, alongside policy advocacy, litigation, regulatory watchdogging, and open-space protection through county general plans and local planning.
Supported work includes organizing, outreach, communications campaigns, trail maintenance, scientific research, organizational capacity building, and equipment purchases. The fund emphasizes community-led advocacy, volunteer-driven efforts, and places receiving limited foundation support, including rural communities. It also prioritizes diverse constituencies, engagement of non-traditional stakeholders—especially communities of color—and projects establishing or challenging precedents affecting other wildlands protection efforts.
