The Butler Conservation, Inc (BCI) is a private foundation dedicated to the conservation and protection of the natural environment and to environmental education and recreation, especially for young people.

BCI sees itself as a niche player that seeks to identify strategic opportunities and maneuver adroitly among a variety of projects and entities. In the words of its founder, Gilbert Butler, “BCI was designed to be opportunistic and to have a sharp focus on specific areas of grantmaking. It is imperative that BCI select and operate its grantmaking programs in a way that both maximizes effectiveness and results and provides room for long-term creativity and innovation.”

A founding principle of BCI’s work is the concept of “legacy conservation.” BCI focuses its support on grantees working in six designated “legacy geographies” in North America, South America, and Africa. These are places to which BCI’s founder has a deep and longstanding personal attachment. They are distinguished by their natural beauty, their ecological significance, and the opportunities they offer for healthy outdoor recreation, with a special emphasis in many cases on free-flowing rivers. READ MORE >

BCI supports world-class organizations in the fields of land and water conservation and environmental advocacy. Reflecting the founder’s lifetime passion for kayaking, hiking, cross-country skiing, and other aerobic recreation, BCI also supports and administers outdoor education programs in New York State, South Carolina, Maine, and Chile. READ MORE >

Within several of its designated legacy geographies, BCI has developed landscape-scale conservation projects and plans to develop more in the future. These integrate large contiguous areas of publicly and privately protected land with the facilities and infrastructure to support outdoor recreation programs and activities. While BCI supports a variety of grantees and activities in its legacy geographies, the distinctive feature of these landscape-scale projects is that they are initiated and led by BCI itself, in close collaboration with local partners. READ MORE >

BCI also has a long-term commitment to a select number of “legacy organizations,” working principally within these geographies, which have demonstrated outstanding expertise and a strong management capacity and have a proven track record of success. READ MORE >

Committed to long-term investment in strategic projects and partnerships, BCI’s work is guided by a dedicated board of directors who are proven leaders in the world of environmental conservation, philanthropy, and finance. READ MORE >

 BCI does not consider unsolicited proposals for funding.