The Charlotte Martin Foundation is dedicated to enriching the lives of youth and preserving and protecting wildlife and habitat.

The Foundation will continue to focus on our two current priorities:

• Rural BIPOC youth programs

-Youth Athletics

-Youth Culture

-Youth Education

Increasing Opportunities for BIPOC:

Increasing racial equity and diversity for youth ages 6-18.

BIPOC led nonprofit organizations with diverse leadership and staff are the focus of our grant-making. Organizations based in rural communities are also a priority for our foundation.

Programs that create opportunities in areas of education, cultural expression and athletics. Including but not limited to:

• Increase access to and the creation of diverse cultural experiences.

• Improve school-based and out-of-school learning opportunities in areas such as science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) and other areas.

• Increase early college awareness and access to post-secondary education.

• Increase access to sports and diversify sports programs.

For those requesting support for youth programs, the Foundation will continue to focus on rural BIPOC organizations and allow organizations to use awarded funds for general operating support. However, the Foundation is eliminating the requirement that only organizations in communities of 50,000 or less can apply. This focus does not extend to organizations focused on climate change, biodiversity, and wildlife and habitat preservation.

• Wildlife and Habitat

As development pressures increase, the stewardship of vital ecosystems is critical for protecting wildlife populations and habitat. The effort must be based on solid conservation biology, recognizing the resilience, complexity and interdependence of all life. 

Conservation of critical habitat and species requires comprehensive strategies and collaboration among partners working in the region, recognizing the limitation of funds available. Stewardship is the shared responsibility of empowered citizens, engaged scientists, collaborating foundations, informed business and property owners, and an accountable government. 

Healthy and diverse wildlife populations and habitat must be preserved through sound government policies and a range of creative conservation approaches. The principle of sustainability requires that environment, economics and equity are considered together to protect the quality of life at every level.

Promoting Biodiversity in a Changing Climate:

Conservation efforts that utilize the impacts of climate change when selecting areas for protection.

Engaging a community of citizens, scientists, and conservationists in educating the public about biodiversity and climate change.

Restoring important lands for biodiversity, focal species, and landscape connectivity. Including but not limited to:

• Assessments to identify species and communities at risk, including strategies to work toward ecosystem resilience.

• Identification of barriers to migration and mitigation measures to enhance landscape connectivity.

• Adaptive restoration strategies based on predicted species range expansion and contraction.

• Promoting the biodiversity of the marine and freshwater environments.

Our Core Principles

• Relevance: We continually seek information regarding significant opportunities in our region and in our focus areas to ensure that we are responding to current needs and opportunities.

• Community Engagement: We seek to foster community engagement in protecting wildlife and habitat and in engaging youth skills to build directly on community needs and strengths.

• Focus on Place: Grounded in the Northwest, we fund in urban, rural and tribal communities in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington where people work to improve the places that they live.

• Expand Opportunity: We give special consideration in our grant making to benefit and expand opportunities for underserved populations in our region.

If your application is declined, there are no restrictions on when you may reapply. However, we request that you not reapply if you have received funding from the Foundation through our formal application process in 3 or more out of the most recent 5 years. Invitational and discretionary grants are exempt from this limit.