Confluence Program

The definition of confluence is: “the junction of two rivers, especially rivers of approximately equal width.” We chose to use the word confluence to represent the merging of values-driven private businesses with the diversity of organizations doing conservation work. We believe that bringing these two sectors closer together has the potential to shape the course of the environmental movement to help people, wildlife, and wild places thrive. Additionally, the river reference is a nod to our roots in the outdoor industry, and represents a type of place these grants could help protect.

New this year, groups must have an operating budget of less than $500,000 to qualify for funding. Small groups are often overlooked by funders and therefore underfunded. Our hope is that funding for groups this size will help scale their work. Additionally, only four groups will be selected to receive funding. The committee is using the budget cap as a tool to decrease the number of declined applicants.

Different from our member directed grant program, applicants do not need to secure a nomination from a Conservation Alliance member company to apply and all funding decisions will be made by the advisory committee, not by a vote of the membership.

Yes. Applicants can apply for funding through both programs. Click here to learn more about the funding criteria and application process in our primary grant program.

The collective nature of our organization is our greatest strength. Connecting historically racially excluded conservation groups with our 270 member companies will strengthen the environmental movement by building relationships and alignment among constituencies who are critical to the movement, and who bring different perspectives, life experiences, and priorities.

Yet, we’ve recognized that our network has historically been limited to predominantly white-led organizations. Prior to 2020, less than 1% of our funding was awarded to organizations led by Asian, Black, Brown, Hispanic, Indigenous, Latin American, or additional communities who identify as People of Color. The Confluence Program helped grow this number to 24% in 2021. This program is one step in bringing our justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion commitments to life in our work. Read more about our vision and commitments here.

No. This program is designed specifically to fund groups who have been historically excluded and underfunded for their work. We encourage organizations in this situation to partner with community members of color, or organizations led by those community members, and invite them to apply for funding. Remember, the organization does not need to have 501c3 status to qualify.

We welcome applications from groups where the decisions that impact the direction of the organization are made by people who self-identify as historically racially excluded.

No. Unlike our general grant program, this program will be an open application process without a nomination requirement. We hope our member companies will share the program with groups in their network.

In the early stages of this program, The Conservation Alliance board and staff worked with consultants Teresa Baker and Marcelo Bonta. Once the foundation of the program was set, seven advisory committee members defined the program details in 2021 and seven new advisors defined the 2022 program criteria.

We made a commitment to develop programs and initiatives to support diversity and inclusion when we signed the Diversity Pledge in 2020, and this program is part of that commitment. We worked with advisors to help us balance our desire to support every community who loves the outdoors and also intentionally build meaningful relationships. After lengthy discussions, we decided to focus on one aspect of our equity work by centering historically racially excluded groups.

The Confluence Program will fund groups led by historically racially excluded people working on land or water conservation efforts. Proposals may include projects like those we’re already funding in our primary grant program or projects that aren’t in our current portfolio.

We will prioritize the following projects (these are not requirements):

• Projects that include an intersectional approach to conservation that addresses the social and environmental needs of a community.
• Projects focused on small-scale nearby nature initiatives (as defined by the local community) that are accessible by public transportation.
• Projects where communities come together to honor ancestral lands and connect deeper with the land and water.
• Groups working in collaboration with others to protect land or water.

The Confluence Program is one step in our commitment to intentionally connect The Conservation Alliance to the diversity of organizations doing conservation work. Confluence launched in 2021, with a new iteration in 2022. While our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is ongoing, we are also giving ourselves flexibility to adapt as we learn, so we can continue to do better.

In addition to the Confluence Program, we are actively working to connect with organizations doing work that meets the funding criteria in our primary grant program. Together, these two initiatives brought our annual grantmaking from less than 1% awarded to historically racially excluded groups to 24% in 2021.

We encourage people to connect one on one with a grantee they are drawn to, establish a working relationship with them, and identify ways you or your company can support them. We are happy to help make connections between member companies and grantees or grant applicants. If you would like to donate to The Conservation Alliance’s Confluence Program, please contact us at confluence@conservationalliance.com.

Our goal is to grow to $10M and give more money to everyone working to protect natural places. There is a huge need for grassroots conservation funding and we are working hard to help our current partners and future grantees achieve their objectives.

We are asking our Confluence Program Advisory Committee to share the grant program with their networks and help us develop an outreach plan. We will leverage our grantee and member networks, too. We’re encouraging our member companies to share the grant opportunity with their network and social media followers, and appreciate any and all efforts to help spread the word.

The Confluence Program is funded by the annual membership dues from 270 Conservation Alliance member companies.

When we developed the program materials and application, we didn’t initially consider the importance of translating the program materials and application to multiple languages, nor did we equip ourselves to review applications in multiple language(s) in time to launch the program. This was an oversight and a key learning on our part.

A truly equitable and inclusive program would offer program materials in multiple languages. We now understand that translations are critical if we want the program to be accessible and provide equal opportunities to non-English speaking groups. As our organization grows, we will budget resources and time to provide translations.

Please use Google Translate to read the Confluence Program materials in other languages or to help you submit your application.

Utilice Google Translate para leer los materiales del Programa Confluencia en español ó para llenar la solicitud en Inglés.