Current Projects

The Sierra Nevada Foundation distributes funding to increase the scope of vital work within the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. This area encompasses some of the most pristine environment and treasured national parks in the world. As donor funding increases the goal is to have a competitive grant cycle available each year for nonprofits serving the Sierra Nevada Conservancy.

Sierra Nevada Foundation Funding

In 2025, the Sierra Nevada Foundation created a grant process where nonprofits that are working on protection, preservation and restoration projects within the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Map could apply through a simple Letter of Inquiry for funds to support their work.  Nonprofits had two months to submit their Letters of Inquiry, and then the Sierra Nevada Foundation committee vetted the letters and funded 9 impressive projects in the inaugural year.
The recipients of the first, annual Sierra Nevada Foundation grant process include:
  • The Alpine Watershed Group for their East Carson Prioritization Project
  • American Hiking Society for their El Dorado National Forest Trail Stewardship Project (Camp Irene Trail in Mokelumne Wilderness)
  • American River Conservancy for their Steely Ridge Property Easement Project Support
  • Climate & Wildfire Institute for their Teakettle Prescribed Burn Project
  • Eastern Sierra Land Trust for their University of Redlands Summer Interns Program
  • Feather River Land Trust for their Landscape-scale Watershed Conservation Efforts
  • Foothill Conservancy for their Green Gen Storage Project Opposition (Mokelumne River)
  • Plumas Audubon Society for their Northern Sierra Wildlife Connectivity Working Group (NSWC) Development
  • The Sierra Fund (DBA Indigenous Futures Society) for their Tribal GIS Data Hub Development
In this first year of funding project within the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Sierra Nevada Foundation disbursed $45,000 between these 9 organizations. In the second year of funding, 2026, that number has risen to $61,750 distributed to fund the following projects:
  • Alder Creek Fire Safe Council for the purchase of additional fire hydrants within their community
  • Alpine Watershed Group to facilitate watershed monitoring and volunteer clean-up programs
  • American Hiking Society to assist with Mokelumne Wilderness trail restoration work
  • American River Conservancy to facilitate their Consumnes River Watershed monitoring program
  • Ebbetts Pass Forest Watch to assist with costs associated with the General Plan in their region
  • GLORIA Great Basin to cover costs associated with high altitude reasearch and ongoing alpine ecotype monitoring
  • Sierra County Land Trust to assist with land aquistion efforts in the Sierra Buttes
  • Sierra Nevada Journeys for seed funding to support the development of a forest management and conservation curriculum for their annual Girls in STEM program
  • Sierra Wildlife Rescue for funding to purchase equipment and medical supplies
  • South Yuba River Citizens League to support their Yuba Salmon Expeditions program
  • The Foothill Conservancy to maintain skilled staff, technical experts, and expand public outreach associated with opposing the Mokelumne River Pumped Storage Project
  • Yosemite Rivers Alliance to conduct meadow health assessments at over 20 meadows within the Stanislaus National Forest
Funding for these nonprofit organizations support their efforts to preserve, protect and/or restore different areas within the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Map.  The Sierra Nevada Foundation is excited to support these organizations and others as our world moves forward to balance our community needs and our environmental impacts in the 21st century.  The Sierra Nevada Foundation will be running this grant process annually each spring moving forward. Watch for upcoming Sierra Nevada Foundation funding opportunities on the El Dorado Community Foundation Grants Page. Congratulations to the inaugural Sierra Nevada Foundation recipients!

Sierra Nevada Foundation Impact

On October 18-19th, 2023, California State Senators John Laird and Brian Dahle co-hosted a great two-day tour of the Sierra that showcased ways the state legislature can support building more resilient forests and help communities recover from wildfire. This Sierra Nevada Foundation event included informational support from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Over twenty legislative staff who guide natural resource policy and budgeting participated.
The tour featured the Feather River watershed and Dixie Fire area. Topics covered:
  • The importance of Sierra watersheds and forests to California;
  • The severity, and massive scale, of recent fires along with approaches that decrease fire severity to better protect communities;
  • The importance of integrated projects that address fuel load and support cultural or prescribed burning, creating markets for small diameter fuels waste, hydraulic mine restoration, meadow restoration, and/or other nature-based watershed restoration;
  • The power of tribal led workforces and forest guardianship efforts.
The tour highlighted specific California state budget, policy, or future resource bond opportunities to advance Sierra Nevada forest health and community needs. The power of this tour was legislative participants experiencing the vibrant and inspirational Sierra– and contrasting this beauty with devastation from massive high-severity fire-scarred landscapes and communities. Sierra conservation champions look forward to building on the education from this tour to advance improved forest stewardship for the Sierra.