Who We Are

American's care deeply about saving land. Year after year, people across the country vote to protect the places where they live, work and play. And year after year, they ask us to save these places. From Northeast to Southwest, we work with our partners, to conserve land, train leaders and invest in conservation at home. From our headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and our field offices across the country, we've saved land in all 50 states—more than 6.5 million acres of wild havens, working lands, vibrant communities and more.

The Conservation Fund started in 1985 as a smart solution to an old problem: how to balance environmental and economic goals. For decades, environmentalists and business or development leaders had been at odds, with each group favoring its own use of the landscape. Conservationist Pat Noonan, former head of The Nature Conservancy, decided to found a small, savvy nonprofit organization that would bring economics and the environment together—providing a win for all of America.

That idea became the Fund—a business of conservation, staffed by a skilled team with real estate, finance, legal, investment and science expertise. Rather than pursue our own conservation agenda and membership, we partner with community, government and corporate organizations—fulfilling their conservation priorities. Everything we do has environmental and economic value, from protecting "working" forests and recreation destinations that provide local revenue to helping communities grow thoughtfully.

Today, with CEO Larry Selzer at the helm, we continue going strong. With a staff of 140, we have the highest program allocation and lowest fundraising costs in our field. We consistently earn top rankings for efficiency by review groups such as Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy.

Our work is about people, as much as places. Whether you live in the city, suburbs or countryside, the quality of your air, water and food is impacted by the environmental and economic health of rural communities. So successfully managing rural resources benefits us all. Our Sustainable Programs empower rural communities to value and wisely use their natural resources.

Click on the links below to learn more:

	Go Zero The Conservation Fund's Go Zero program offers individuals, corporations and entire communities the tools to first measure their carbon dioxide emissions, discover ways to reduce those emissions, and then offset the remainder by planting trees. Learn More >>

	The Freshwater Institute Located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, our Freshwater Institute is one of the nation's premier research and development facilities dedicated to the sustainable use of water. www.freshwaterinstitute.com

	Natural Capital Investment Fund NCIF provides financial services to small and emerging natural resource-based businesses in economically distressed urban and rural communities in North Carolina, Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and West Virginia. www.ncifund.org

	Resourceful Communities The Resourceful Communities program blends innovative techniques, such as the "triple bottom line approach," to help North Carolina's underserved communities create new economies that protect and restore natural resources. www.resourcefulcommunities.org

	Texas Pineywoods Experience The Texas Pineywoods Experience is a Sustainable Tourism Program that combines economic development and tourism. The Pineywoods area offers some of the best birding and wildlife viewing in the United States. www.texaspineywoodsexperience.org

Online Privacy Policy

The Conservation Fund (TCF) is committed to protecting your privacy. Our privacy policy covers what information TCF collects on its Web sites and how we use that information. Web sites covered by this policy include:

www.conservationfund.org
www.freshwaterinstitute.org (Freshwater Institute)
www.ncifund.org (Natural Capital Investment Fund)
www.resourcefulcommunities.org (Resourceful Communities Program)
www.palmettopeartree.org (Palmetto-Peartree Preserve)
www.greeninfrastructure.net (Green Infrastructure Leadership Program)
www.TexasPineywoodsExperience.org (Texas Pineywoods Experience)
www.racingforwildlife.org (Racing for Wildlife)

If you have questions or concerns, please contact us via e-mail at webmaster@conservationfund.org.

What information do we collect?
Your IP (Internet Protocol) address is used to gather broad demographic information such as the geographic regions most interested in our site and what type of browser most of our visitors prefer. This information helps us to better maintain and update our site to be the most user-friendly and relevant. IP addresses do not provide us with any identifiable personal information such as your name, address, or email address, thus keeping visitors anonymous.

TCF collects information volunteered by visitors, such as answers to survey questions, information collected when purchasing a publication or class, and during the donation process. Information TCF collected in these interactions include personally identifiable information, information about organizational affiliation, and information about your conservation interests. No personably identifiable information is collected about individuals without their knowledge.

How is this information used by TCF?
The Conservation Fund has a strict policy against buying, selling, or sharing mailing lists and donor information. Under this policy, personal information provided to the Fund is NEVER shared or sold to any other organization - public, private, or nonprofit.

E-mail policy
TCF provides forms on its Web sites where users can sign-up to receive e-mail newsletters and periodic notices about conservation topics. TCF limits communications by e-mail to users who have opted in to receive e-mail communications or in the course of business for online transactions including confirmation of contributions and product or course purchases. Each email sent contains an easy, automated way for you to cease receiving email from us, or to change your expressed interests.

Security of Your Information
TCF takes the following measures to ensure that information collected on TCF's Web sites is kept secure and is used as intended. All data is stored on secure, firewall-protected servers either at TCF offices or those of business partners and is only accessible to authorized TCF and partner staff.

Sensitive data, such as credit card and other financial information, is collected on secure forms and transmitted using industry-standard Secure Socket Layer Encryption (SSL) technology. Credit card information is retained only as long as necessary to complete the donation or purchase request of the user.

TCF takes utmost precaution to protect credit card information. But users who prefer not to use credit cards for online donations can complete TCF's donation form and mail or fax to:

Stacy Hosler
The Conservation Fund
1655 North Fort Myer Drive
Suite 1300
Arlington, VA 22209
(703) 525-6300
(703) 525-4610 (fax)

Links to Third Party Sites
TCF's Web sites provide links to third party sites. While we make efforts to choose our links carefully, we cannot take any responsibility for the content of linked Web sites, or for the privacy policies of Web sites we link to. Since we do not control these Web sites, we encourage you to review the privacy policies posted on these third party Web sites prior to any use.

Privacy Policy Changes
We may amend this privacy policy from time to time. Your continued use of our website after the date that such notices are posted will be deemed your agreement to the changed terms.

Updated 6/2007

Annual Report

Our 2009 Annual Report is available to the general public. Download a PDF here:

The Conservation Fund 2009 Annual Report (single page view)

The Conservation Fund 2009 Annual Report (wide view)

(You need Adobe Acrobat to read this report.)

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