OVERIVEW: The Cameron and Jane Bird Foundation awards grants to support a variety of environmental conservation organizations across the country but appears to emphasize those located in New York and the Northeastern region of the United States.
IP TAKE: This funder awards both project specific and general operating support grants. It does not award grants to organizations based or located outside of the United States and lacks transparency.
PROFILE: The New York based Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation was established in 1960. Cameron Baird was a former professor and chairman of the music department at the University of Buffalo and conductor of the Buffalo Oratorio Chorus. The foundation lacks transparency and maintains a low public profile, does not operate a website and does not employ a formal, paid staff. Areas of grantmaking interest for the Baird Foundation include the arts, music, education, social services, family planning, conservation, and civil rights.
According to tax filings, the Baird Foundation tends to award conservation related grants to large, national organizations. For example, past grantees in this space include the Yosemite Foundation, which received funding for its ongoing work preserving national resources at Yosemite National Park; and the Union of Concerned Scientists which received grant funding for its “[s]cience based advocacy for a healthy environment.”
Baird Foundation grants tend to vary widely in amount, ranging from $1,000 to $700,000; most awards however, fall in the $5,000 to $75,000 range.
The Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding.
PEOPLE:
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CONTACT:
Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation
726 Exchange Street
Buffalo, New York 14210