Our Grantees
Arizona | Boyce Thompson Arboretum | Capital support to improve water conservation efforts and to restore areas of the Queen Creek riparian corridor within the arboretum. | $50,000 |
Indiana | Central Indiana Land Trust | Support to build a monarch butterfly wall along the 85-foot bluff at the White River Bluffs Nature Preserve, aiding in erosion control and promoting wildlife habitat restoration. | $45,000 |
Indiana | Conservation Law Center | Continued support to implement the Indiana Water Report's recommendations, including advocating for water-quality improvements. | $484,000 |
Indiana | Friends of Belmont Beach | Support to assist with maintenance at the beach and the surrounding park and to upgrade the solar power system. | $50,000 |
Arizona | Friends of the Verde River | Support to examine the feasibility of a Verde River Center that would offer learning opportunities and promote nature-based recreation and collaboration. | $25,000 |
Arizona | Friends of the Verde River | Support to implement the first phase of the Verde River Watershed Water Quality Monitoring Plan to provide a greater understanding of water conditions and highlight areas for improving the system. | $150,000 |
Indiana | Friends of the White River | Continued support of an education and advocacy program to encourage landowners along the White River to implement restoration plans and habitat enhancement practices and to target illegal dumping at select sites along the river. | $60,000 |
Arizona | Gannett Company Inc. – Arizona Republic | Continued support to provide in-depth reporting that focuses on Arizona's most pressing environmental issues. With Trust support, The Republic can continue to set the agenda when it comes to drought, the Colorado River and managing the state’s natural resources. As a bonus, it also means growth of the cohort of Nina Mason Pulliam Trust Environment Fellows whose environmental expertise deepens as they absorb the lessons learned in The Republic newsroom. | $675,000 |
Arizona | Grand Canyon Conservancy | Support for a study to advance the understanding of flow paths, flow rates and water budgets of the aquifer system below the Kaibab Plateau on the north side of Grand Canyon National Park. | $200,000 |
Indiana | Hoosier Environmental Council | Continued support to reduce coal ash and farming pollution and preserve floodplains and wetlands by engaging in advocacy and public awareness; and to continue providing technical assistance to implement the Mounds Greenway, a forested buffer for the White River between Muncie and Anderson. | $450,000 |
Indiana | Indiana Humanities Council | Continued support for the Unearthed Program, which connects Hoosiers to nature, literature, and each other through group hikes, White River floats, short films, and discussions. | $30,000 |
Indiana | Indiana State Museum Foundation | Capital support to help redesign and construct the Ancient Seas gallery, which tells the story of Indiana's prehistoric environment. | $250,000 |
Indiana | Indiana Wildlife Federation | $40,000 | |
Indiana | Indianapolis Art Center | Capital support to enhance the ArtPark, a park along the banks of the White River that showcases contemporary art, and to build a White River boardwalk and trail. | $750,000 |
Indiana | Keep Indianapolis Beautiful | Continued support to remove invasive plants and create high-value native landscapes along the White River in Riverside Park. | $45,000 |
Indiana | Marian University | Capital support to make repairs and improvements to the Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab outdoor classroom. | $50,000 |
Arizona | Maricopa Trail and Park Foundation | Support to identify and construct spur trails to connect the Maricopa Trail to the Sun Corridor Trail. pport to identify and construct spur trails to connect the Maricopa Trail to the Sun Corridor Trail. | $70,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to improve water quality in Granite Creek by reducing erosion and slowing stormwater runoff. | $200,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to conduct an analysis of impact to habitat because of proposed changes to the Verde River reservoir management system. | $150,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to restore the invasive plant-dominated pasture of the Upper Verde River wildlife area with native grasses to better support wildlife, reduce water demand and increase resiliency. | $50,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to create a communication plan for the Upper Verde Watershed to help generate support for the Verde River's protection. | $50,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Continued support to foster groundwater management through collaboration and specific projects to reduce demand, mitigate threats and support communities in securing their water needs. | $300,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to monitor the water rights adjudication proceedings in Arizona. | $137,000 |
Indiana | Nature Conservancy – Indiana | Continued support to improve the White River watershed's water quality and habitat through activities that include cultivating relationships with stakeholders in watershed management efforts and building an edge-of-field best practices farming demonstration project. | $950,000 |
Arizona | Sierra Club Foundation | Support to train volunteer citizen scientists to monitor water quality in the Verde River and to seek designation for the river as an Outstanding Arizona Waters through the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. | $28,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to restore the invasive plant-dominated pasture of the Upper Verde River wildlife area with native grasses to better support wildlife, reduce water demand and increase resiliency. | $50,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Funding to develop a comprehensive summary of the historic and current presence of native fish, analyzing threats and making recommendations for improvements. | $100,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to improve watershed health by identifying conservation opportunities in the Big Chino Watershed. | $75,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to improve water quality in Granite Creek by reducing erosion and slowing stormwater runoff. | $200,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to monitor the water rights adjudication proceedings in Arizona. | $137,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Continued support to foster groundwater management through collaboration and specific projects to reduce demand, mitigate threats and support communities in securing their water needs. | $300,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to create a communication plan for the Upper Verde Watershed to help generate support for the Verde River's protection. | $50,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to conduct an analysis of impact to habitat because of proposed changes to the Verde River reservoir management system. | $150,000 |
Indiana | The Nature Conservancy – Indiana | Continued support to improve the White River watershed's water quality and habitat through activities that include cultivating relationships with stakeholders in watershed management efforts and building an edge-of-field best practices farming demonstration project. | $950,000 |
Arizona | Trust For Public Land | Support to develop a master plan to preserve 1,000 acres within the headwaters of the Verde River. | $125,000 |
Indiana | White River Alliance | Continued support to create the first White River Report Card to measure community progress, align partners and activities and inspire change that improves the White River and its watershed. | $50,000 |
Indiana | White River Alliance | Continued support to advance the Indiana Water Roadmap, improve the appreciation of the White River and facilitate solutions to challenges facing the watershed. | $1,000,000 |
Indiana | Central Indiana Land Trust | Support to steward and maintain Oliver’s Woods and White River Bluffs, two properties open to the public along the White River. | $50,000 |
Indiana | Conservation Law Center | Support to continue implementing the Indiana Water Report's recommendations, including advocating for water-quality improvements. | $180,000 |
Arizona | Friends of the Verde River | Launch the Verde Forever campaign to raise awareness of the Verde River, motivate greater river stewardship and increase support by people and institutions. | $200,000 |
Arizona | Friends of the Verde River | Support to update the Verde Watershed Report Card, an assessment tool designed to track trends in the health of the Verde River watershed and surrounding communities. | $275,000 |
Indiana | Friends of the White River | Expand an education and advocacy program to encourage landowners along the White River to implement habitat enhancement practices and to target illegal dumping at select sites. | $30,000 |
Indiana | Hamilton County Tourism | Support to create a governance structure that can implement the White River Vision Plan and additional marketing support to continue to raise awareness of the White River. | $100,000 |
Indiana | Indiana Land Protection Alliance | General operating support to increase the pace and quality of land protection in Indiana. | $100,000 |
Indiana | Indiana Wildlife Federation | Develop two new trails along the White River and continue habitat education programming. | $50,000 |
Indiana | Keep Indianapolis Beautiful | Remove invasive plants and create high-value native landscapes in Riverside Park and Ravenswood Overlook Park. | $50,000 |
Indiana | Land Trust Alliance | Support to provide training, mentoring, peer networking, leadership development, and other direct services to Indiana’s 16 land trusts. | $150,000 |
Arizona | Local First Arizona | Offer a sustainability program to Verde Valley independent businesses and nonprofits, enabling them to experience cost savings associated with reducing water and energy use, and minimizing waste and transportation emissions. | $150,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Identify and implement agricultural projects that protect water flow in the Verde River watershed. | $400,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support for the Yavapai-Apache Nation’s efforts to build a critically needed wastewater treatment plant near Camp Verde. | $400,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Continue stakeholder engagement of groups from the Upper Verde and Verde Valley for connectivity and cohesion in planning, community support and reaching conservation and related goals. | $150,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to develop and implement stormwater projects to improve water retention and groundwater recharge. | $200,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to pipe a portion of the Eureka Ditch above and through the Yavapai-Apache Nation reservation and to implement an irrigation diversion dam redesign. | $400,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Develop an Upper Verde stormwater management plan that will identify a pipeline of projects to improve recharge of local water levels and water quality in the watershed. | $150,000 |
Indiana | Reconnecting to Our Waterways | Continued funding for community-wide education and advocacy to promote Marion County waterways. | $50,000 |
Arizona | Springs Stewardship Institute | Support for a project to document and increase awareness of the headwater springs of the Verde River's tributaries. | $50,000 |
Indiana | The daVinci Pursuit | Support to utilize the arts to engage people with Marion County waterways, including creating a weekly public radio show, podcasts and waterway signage. | $20,000 |
Indiana | White River Alliance | Support to create the first White River Report Card to measure community progress, align partners and activities and inspire change that improves the White River and its watershed. | $50,000 |
Arizona | White Tank Mountains Conservancy | Support informed decision-making that aligns with regional open space planning goals, including sustainable growth around a designated system of linked natural desert and wildlife corridors. | $120,000 |
Arizona | Desert Botanical Garden | Support for the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance to implement a Regional Open Space Strategy to support healthy ecosystems and provide safe open spaces within Maricopa County communities. | $125,000 |
Indiana | Indiana Land Protection Alliance | Continued support for the executive director's salary and benefits and to expand the agency's capacity. | $50,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to reduce groundwater demand through agriculture infrastructure improvements and other projects. | $420,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to implement a best-management certification program for residents, businesses, farmers, developments and communities to keep the Verde River healthy and flowing. | $210,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to protect water security for people and nature by engaging in the general stream adjudication process for the Verde River basin. | $137,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support for the Verde Watershed Restoration Coalition to carry out its strategic plan and implement sediment reduction in the Verde River basin. | $294,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support water data collection and analysis to better understand, communicate, plan for and analyze the health of the Verde River watershed. | $92,500 |
Indiana | The Indianapolis Star/Environmental Reporting Team | Underwriting in-depth reporting that focuses on central Indiana's most pressing environmental issues. | $480,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support to develop a shared vision for management and restoration of West Clear Creek. | $75,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Prevent domestic water loss by assisting private water utilities throughout the Verde watershed with leak-reduction detection. | $150,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Expand infrastructure improvements across the Verde River watershed, resulting in reduced diverted surface water and improved irrigation. | $150,000 |
Arizona | The Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support for project development and due diligence in preparation for acquisition of conservation easements in the Verde River watershed. | $152,000 |
Indiana | White River Alliance | Develop a "report card" for the Upper White River Watershed that would evaluate community and ecosystem conditions, increase public awareness, and inform and influence decision makers to improve the watershed's health and utilization. | $105,500 |
Arizona | Arizona Newspapers Foundation | Publicize, implement and manage the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Nina Mason Pulliam Environmental Journalism Awards. | $15,000 |
Indiana | Central Indiana Land Trust | Provide public visitation and education/awareness opportunities at three key White River nature preserves in central Indiana. | $175,000 |
Indiana | Conner Prairie | Build a system of accessible trails, walkways and river education hubs along a 3.3-mile stretch of the White River that would be open to the public, while simultaneously improving river health and stabilizing the shoreline. | $1,000,000 |
Indiana | Conservation Law Center | Continue to implement the Indiana Water Report recommendations by educating government officials and key stakeholders about Indiana's water resources and the importance of preparing for changing demand, as well as for floods and droughts, and committing to significant improvements in water quality. | $300,000 |
Arizona | Desert Botanical Garden | Support for the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance to continue implementing the Regional Open Space Strategy for Maricopa County, which will shape a sustainable preserve system that supports healthy ecosystems and provides safe open spaces for communities within Central Arizona. | $175,000 |
Indiana | Friends of the White River | In consultation with the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, expand outreach to and resources for property owners along the White River to implement environmental enhancement practices on their properties, and coordinate a campaign addressing persistent illegal dumping near the river. | $60,000 |
Indiana | Hamilton County Tourism | Implement the messaging and branding components of the White River Vision Collective's mission as articulated in the White River Vision Plan, furthering the appreciation and utilization of the White River as a recreational asset for use by the general public and furthering the preservation and protection of this ecologically significant area. | $275,000 |
Indiana | Hoosier Environmental Council | Reduce coal ash and factory farm pollution and preserve floodplains and wetlands by engaging in advocacy and public awareness; and provide technical assistance to implement the Mounds Greenway, a forested buffer for the White River between Muncie and Anderson. | $450,000 |
Indiana | Hoosier State Press Association Foundation | Publicize, implement and manage the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Nina Mason Pulliam Environmental Journalism Awards. | $10,000 |
Indiana | Indiana Wildlife Federation | Develop six to eight access trails of at least four additional miles along the White River and engage in public education on land stewardship, educational habitat programs, invasive species identification and eradication, and basic watershed ecology. | $125,000 |
Indiana | Keep Indianapolis Beautiful | Remove invasive plants and create native landscapes in Riverside Park near the Lake Indy Boat Ramp and Ravenswood Overlook Park in Broad Ripple, and provide naturalist training for 10 college students. | $150,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy | Reduce the amount of water diverted from the Verde River by improving the function of key ditches and increasing the efficiency in conveying water to farms. | $300,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy | Conduct a demonstration project with the City of Cottonwood to highlight how municipalities can reduce groundwater demand on the Verde River and utilize effluent and stormwater as sources for irrigation. | $200,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Pilot a water rights trading platform covering approximately 300 acres in the Verde Valley in order to contribute to water rights certainty and save water for the Verde River. | $200,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Continue the next phase of the Verde River Watershed Report Card project by disseminating and communicating the baseline report card; continuing to collect data and monitor conditions; and producing, disseminating and communicating the second report card. | $70,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support design services for sediment reduction projects in the Prescott National Forest to develop implementation plans to recover the natural grasslands and stop head cutting and gully erosion caused by historic overgrazing and road and trail crossings. | $85,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Continue support for the Sustaining Flows Council, providing a forum for Verde Valley community leaders and water users to discuss and plan for long-term water security. | $100,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Pilot the first irrigation dam redesign in the Verde Valley that would allow fish passage and reduce sediment runoff into the Verde River. | $100,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support for surface water projects, including irrigation efficiency improvements, conveyance efficiency upgrades, diversion efficiency improvements and water-use agreements. | $180,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Continue implementing projects with developers and municipalities that reduce water use and demonstrate effective effluent and stormwater management. | $200,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Continue the Verde River Exchange, a water market-based program that allows participants to voluntarily reduce consumption and save water for the Verde River. | $250,000 |
Indiana | Nature Conservancy – Indiana Chapter | Improve Indianapolis' primary water source through work in the Upper White River Watershed by encouraging the use of cover crops in farming, examining soil nutrient trends, and installing native aquatic vegetation to improve fish habitat and stream bed stability. | $1,125,000 |
Indiana | Reconnecting to Our Waterways | Continue to engage in water quality outreach in Indianapolis' inner core neighborhoods, supporting local efforts to organize waterway projects and events, and oversee the Partners for the White River metrics and communications efforts. | $250,000 |
Arizona | Society of Environmental Journalists | Publicize, implement and manage the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Nina Mason Pulliam Award for Outstanding Environmental Reporting. | $64,800 |
Indiana | The daVinci Pursuit | Continue to create more sculptures, interactive installations, and educational signage and programs along the White River to promote watershed education, advocacy and protection, while helping people to engage wisely in the White River’s use and future development. | $80,000 |
Arizona | Trust For Public Land | Assist in the conservation and restoration of an ecologically important 58-acre property at the confluence of the Verde River and Wet Beaver Creek in Camp Verde, just east of Park Central Farm. | $40,000 |
Indiana | White River Alliance | Advance the Indiana Water Roadmap through a variety of means, including hosting the Indiana Water Summit and its regional forums and promoting the adoption of waterway conservation best management practices and policies. | $1,220,000 |
Arizona | White Tank Mountains Conservancy | Assist in the second phase of a regional multi-sector initiative to plan for sustainable growth around a designated system of linked natural desert corridors in the White Tank Mountains region. | $50,000 |
Arizona | Arizona Newspapers Foundation | Publicize, implement and manage the 2019 and 2020 Nina Mason Pulliam Environmental Journalism Awards. | $10,000 |
Arizona | Audubon Arizona | Support to update the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center located in south Phoenix. | $400,000 |
Indiana | Broad Ripple Village Association | Construct a protected multi-use trail for pedestrians and bicycles, including two White River overlooks, between the entrance to Broad Ripple Park and the Monon Trail. | $100,000 |
Arizona | Desert Botanical Garden | Support the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance (CAZCA) and further implement the Regional Open Space Strategy for Maricopa County parks and preserves. | $250,000 |
Indiana | Hoosier State Press Association Foundation | Publicize, implement and manage the 2019 and 2020 Nina Mason Pulliam Environmental Journalism Awards. | $10,000 |
Indiana | Indiana Humanities Council Inc. | Host up to 20 Next Indiana Campfires treks in the White River watershed, sponsor documentary filmmakers to create at least two short films about the river and host a series of public film screenings in Marion and Hamilton Counties. | $100,000 |
Indiana | Indiana Land Protection Alliance | Expand organizational capacity by hiring an executive director. | $50,000 |
Arizona | Lighthawk | Conduct coordinated flights within the Verde River watershed that visually demonstrate conservation alternatives that benefit people and wildlife. | $50,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support a crop conversion program in collaboration with Yavapai-Apache Nation farmers that transitions crops to small grains, such as wheat, barley and rye, in order to reduce water usage from the Verde River. | $150,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Continue the Verde River Exchange, a water market program that allows participants to voluntarily reduce consumption and save water for the Verde River. | $90,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Convene and facilitate stakeholders to create a decision support tool that demonstrates the impact of water-related decisions on the Verde River and future water supply. | $200,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Support for a pilot erosion-control project in the Wikiup Mesa area to reduce sediment contamination along the Verde River and its waterways. | $150,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Provide hydrologic modeling tools for groundwater management to mitigate the impacts of groundwater pumping on the Upper Verde River. | $170,000 |
Arizona | Nature Conservancy – Arizona | Install headgates and telemetry systems to increase diversion efficiency and leave more water in Oak Creek for fish and wildlife. | $80,000 |
Arizona | Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center | Conduct master-site planning studies and related activities to determine the suitability of a proposed site to construct a new facility. | $30,000 |
Indiana | White River Alliance | Host forums with water planning leaders to improve regional and statewide water planning. | $85,000 |