The James E. Dutton Foundation will make grants to organizations for programs that benefit wildlife, domestic animal causes, the environment, and natural resources. In general, the Foundation will support those endeavors that provide care for wildlife and domestic animals, provide domestic animal rescue and/or shelter, enhance wildlife populations through habitat conservation, improvement, and/or restoration, land management, public awareness, and education.

The Foundation will also assist organizations or programs that support individuals with their goals of caring for or enjoying wildlife, domestic animals, and the outdoors, educating the public, preserving our natural resources, and giving people the opportunity to experience animals, wildlife, and the outdoors.

We measure our success as an organization on how well our grants:

• Positively impact the environment, wildlife, and animal life, or

• Enhance human life through nature-related activities and education.

We base grantmaking decisions on how well we believe a proposal will accomplish these goals and how well the project fits with our mission statement.

We also use grant reports and feedback from grantees to aid us in our future grantmaking decisions. We consider the outcomes of previously awarded grants, based on the report we require all grantees to file after funds are disbursed.  Grantees reflect on the most important activities the grant produced. They must state the positive impact the activities had on the environment, animals, and/or people and be clear about how they measure success.

Although the Foundation has no geographic boundaries for its awards, the Foundation has primarily supported organizations located in, or benefiting, Wisconsin and the local Midwest area.  It is a rare exception for the Foundation to award a grant outside of Wisconsin.

Grant requests may be submitted to the Dutton Foundation via email to silvercreek.fenske@gmail.com