SEA OF CORTEZ FUND ESTABLISHED AT ICF

ICF has recently established its Sea of Cortez Fund to permit donors, big and small, make contributions of any amount to support conservation initiatives aimed at protecting this unique natural wonder. As a way of catalyzing this fund, ICF has just approved $180,000 in targeted donor-advised grants to nine non-profit organizations – six Mexican and three U.S. groups – working to protect the fragile coastal and marine resources of the Sea of Cortez. The groups include: Investigación y Conservación de Mamíferos Marinos de Ensenada, A.C. (ICMME); Pro Esteros, Lagunas y Marismas de Las Californias, A.C.; Pronatura Noroeste-Mar de Cortés; Conservación del Territorio Insular Mexicano, A.C. (ISLA); Comunidad y Biodiversidad, A.C. (COBI); Grupo Ecologista Antares, A.C. (GEA); Pro Peninsula; Wildcoast; and the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans (CEDO). ICF’s grantmaking is intended to provide critical operational and programmatic support to these groups.

As population and development pressures have increased in Baja California, especially in coastal areas along the Sea of Cortez, ICF is responding with these new grants to strengthen the effectiveness of conservation organizations, which are collaborating with local communities to preserve Baja California’s incredible terrestrial and marine biodiversity. For ICF, a key funding priority has been Bahía de Los Angeles, where initial plans are underway to establish a marine national park and protected area.

Over the next six months, ICF will launch a donor outreach campaign aimed at expanding charitable giving in this region, thanks to grant funding from the Packard Foundation, ICF is initiating a donor development campaign to expand giving to the Sea of Cortez.

For more information on ICF’s Sea of Cortez Fund contact, Anne McEnany, ICF’s Philanthropy Advsior for the Baja California Peninsula/Sea of Cortez at (619) 235-2300 or anne@icfdn.org.