CONSERVATION PROGRAM AREAS
AND FUNDING PRIORITIES

 CONSERVATION PROGRAM AREAS

The Cinnabar Foundation supports a wide variety of organizations and special projects within the following Conservation Program Areas:​
  • Community Conservation & Sustainable Agriculture
    • ​Promote community-based natural resource collaboration
    • Enhance sustainable agriculture and ranching practices that preserve open space, wildlife habitat and corridors
  • Conservation Education & Research
    • ​​​Expand environmental awareness
    • Grow the next generations ecological knowledge
    • Support citizen science, field work and wilderness stewardship
  • Environmental Advocacy
    • ​​Build awareness and take action on local, state and regional issues
    • Prevent or mitigate irresponsible natural resource extraction
    • Build a constituency that supports a clean and healthy environment
  • Private Land Conservation
    • ​Protect wildlife habitat and migration corridors
    • Preserve strategic open space and agricultural lands
  • Public Lands (access, advocacy, stewardship, wildlife habitat
    • ​Preserve, steward, protect and advocate on behalf of public lands
    • ​Protect wildlife habitat and migration corridors
    • ​Preserve and maintain public access
  • Water Quality and Fisheries
    • ​​Preserve, protect, restore and advocate on behalf of clean water and fisheries
    • Preserve and maintain public access.  
FUNDING PRIORITIES
While Cinnabar's 2024 grants will not be limited to these issues, priority will be given to proposals that effectively address:
  • Stewardship of Public Lands
  • Land Use on Public and Private Lands
                •  Protecting Open Space and Wildlife Habitat from Subdivision and Development
                •  Maintaining or Restoring Landscape and Habitat Connectivity
  • Indiscriminate Natural Resource Extraction
  • Air and Water Quality and Quantity (water)
  • Community Support and Advocacy for Sound Conservation and Environmental Policies
WHAT WE DO NOT FUND
Cinnabar grant funds may not be used for: 
  • Projects occurring wholly or partially outside of Montana or the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
  • Lobbying — attempting to influence legislation within the meaning of Section 4945(e) of the Internal Revenue Code; or
  • Political campaigns on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.
  • Projects where private benefits outweigh public benefits.
And while every Special Project application will be considered on its own merits, the Cinnabar Foundation rarely funds the following types of projects:
  • Art Projects
  • Capital Improvement (building construction, remodeling, etc.)
  • Community Gardens and Greenhouses
  • Community Trail Building
  • Equipment Purchases
  • Exhibits
  • Film Production, Brochure Publication, or Website Creation — unless the product is part of an overall campaign, or there is a defined marketing or distribution plan for the product.
  • Farm-to-Table Projects
  • Graduate Student or Individual Research
  • Repetitive Funding for Recurring Annual Meetings and Symposia
  • Small Scale Vegetation Management or Noxious Weed Projects — unless it is part of a larger effort to build community support for conservation action.
  • Scholarships
  • Youth Summer Camps and Camper Scholarships