The Conservation Alliance (TCA), a coalition of member companies committed to protecting wild and outdoor spaces, is proud to announce its 2025-26 Confluence Program grant recipients. This year’s grants, totaling $400,000, will support four remarkable organizations: Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition, Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples, and NDPonics.
The Confluence Grant Program was created to uplift conservation initiatives led by historically under-represented communities. Each recipient will receive $100,000 over the next two years to advance projects that protect vital lands and waters while fostering harmony between nature, wildlife, and people.
TCA’s 2024 Advisory Committee, composed of representatives from grantee organizations, member companies, philanthropic organizations, and TCA staff, evaluated more than 60 applications before selecting this year’s awardees. The chosen projects span diverse geographic regions, communities, and conservation goals, demonstrating the program’s broad impact.
2025-26 Grant Recipients and Projects Include:
- Esselen Tribe of Monterey County (California): The Tribe was founded with the goal of continuing cultural traditions, and preserving the cultural heritage of the historic tribes that are located within Monterey County. This funding will help the tribe expand its capacity to restore and care for lands under its stewardship while pursuing the acquisition and co-management of additional areas.
- Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition (South Carolina): Founded in 1996 by Queen Quet Marquetta L. Goodwine, the coalition is dedicated to preserving the Gullah/Geechee culture across the Sea Islands and Lowcountry from Jacksonville, NC to Jacksonville, FL. Their project in South Carolina focuses on restoring living shorelines that protect maritime forests and wildlife while supporting traditional practices such as subsistence fishing and farming.
- NDPonics (Virginia): An Indigenous-led nonprofit in Virginia, NDPonics will use its grant to acquire and protect Oheki Mandukai (Turkey Mountain), a 60-acre site in the mountainous region of the Blue Ridge. This land will serve as a hub for cultural and language gatherings, ensuring its preservation and connection to Indigenous traditions.
- Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples (California): Sacred Places Institute empowers Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples to safeguard sacred lands and waters. The grant will support the protection of Geŋa, a 10,000-year-old Acjachemen and Tongva village site in Orange County (California) that includes a 401-acre coastal wetlands area recently transferred to public lands through collaborations with conservation entities.
“We are honored to support these incredible organizations, whose work underscores the deep connection between conservation, culture, and community,” said Kim Paymaster, Grant Program Director at The Conservation Alliance. “By partnering with groups that bring diverse perspectives and leadership to conservation, the Confluence Program helps create a more inclusive movement for protecting the places that sustain us all.”
For more information about TCA and the Confluence Program, visit ConservationAlliance.com.
About The Conservation Alliance
The Conservation Alliance is a coalition of over 270 like-minded member companies who pool resources to fund and advocate for the protection of North America’s cherished wild places and outdoor spaces. Through the collective power of their membership – companies from a range of industries – the outdoor industry to brewers, bankers, sportsmen, and renewable energy – TCA takes bold steps to conserve wild public lands and waters. Since 1989, they’ve awarded over $31.5 million in grants and helped protect over 81 million acres and 3,580 river miles, remove or halt 38 dams, purchase 22 climbing areas & designate five marine reserves. For complete information about The Conservation Alliance, visit conservationalliance.com.
Media Contact: Lilly Zoller, Director of Communications, Lilly@ConservationAlliance.com
