ALAN WEEDEN Foundation

The Alan Weeden Foundation recently split off from the Weeden Foundation, which was started by our grandfather, Frank Weeden, more than 40 years ago. Frank was the original benefactor of the WF; additional funding was later bequeathed by his son Jack and his partner, David Davies. 

But it was Frank’s son Alan, who, starting in the mid-1980s, shaped the foundation into a respected, professional organization. In 1992, he helped finance the first debt-for-nature swap (in Bolivia), that subsequently became a common strategy for environmental groups. Alan served on numerous boards, including Conservation International, the National Audubon Society, the Sierra Club Foundation, and American Bird Conservancy, for which he provided crucial funding. He was president of the Weeden Foundation through 2002. 

His eldest son, Don, came on as Executive Director that year and spent 20 years in that role. Daughter Leslie became a board member in the mid-1990s and later served as President from 2022-25. Son Robert, also a board member since the 1990s, has been Treasurer and Investment Committee Chair for more than two decades.

A philanthropist, adventurer, and avid birder, Alan cared deeply about wild places and wildlife. The Alan Weeden Foundation pays homage to his dedication and leadership as a longtime conservationist. Its mission is to help preserve biodiversity. 

We are the three children of Alan and Barbara Weeden. 

Leslie Weeden, President

Don Weeden, Vice President 

Robert Weeden, Secretary and Treasurer 

Our four children Will, Jack, Molly, and Sandra are also involved in the foundation.

Peggy Kennedy, Foundation Administrator 

We are primarily interested in protecting birds, rivers, marine habitat, and temperate rainforests in the Americas.  

Alaska

In Southeastern Alaska, we focus on helping to protect the Tongass National Forest, North America’s largest temperate rainforest, for its important roles in conserving biodiversity and storing carbon, which is crucial in the fight against climate change. Additional goals are to maintain the Roadless Rule reinstated by President Biden, expand protections such as wilderness designations, and transition the local economy from large-scale logging to ecologically friendly industries. 

Bird Conservation

Our goal is to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. In particular we seek to fund grantees that work to prevent bird species extinctions and to prevent declining populations from becoming endangered. We specifically focus on protecting and restoring public and private bird habitat and we assist in acquiring land for threatened bird species. We also support protection of bird migration corridors in North and South America.

Chilean Patagonia

We promote the expansion and institutionalization of private land conservation initiatives, with a focus on protecting the endangered watersheds of the Puelo and Futaleufu rivers.

Marine Wildlife Conservation

We seek to protect endangered marine species in the Americas, primarily through advocacy and habitat conservation. We are most interested in small groups that engage in on-the-ground restorative work, ideally with the help of the local population. We are not interested in funding pure research or the rehabilitation of marine wildlife. 

International Population 

We focus on achieving global population stabilization as soon as possible, with the long-term goal of global population decline. We prioritize efforts that publicize this goal in the context of environmental sustainability and biodiversity conservation.

Quick Response Fund for Nature

In 2015, Don Weeden co-founded the Quick Response Fund for Nature, which is a rapid response mechanism to enable local organizations to purchase and protect the world’s most important sites for conservation. The Alan Weeden Foundation will continue to support this group. 

The Alan Weeden Foundation uses an online application system for our grantmaking process. Please scroll down to access the application portal.

The Next Application Deadline is Friday, May 1, 2026

(Letters of inquiry are due 4 weeks before the application deadline on April 3, 2026). 

New Applicants

The Foundation requires that new applicants complete a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) which is due 4 weeks before the application deadline. Please complete the “New Applicants” form to submit your LOI. You will receive a confirmation email when your form is complete. We will review your application and get back to you with a reply. If the work proposed is of interest and/or fits into one of our program areas, we will invite a full proposal.

A Few Things to Know

- We only fund 501(c)(3) organizations or its international equivalent.

- Our grants are usually in the $10,000 – $30,000 range.

- We don’t do multi-year grants. 

Given the Foundation’s diverse interests and notwithstanding the above, it is sometimes easier to state what is of little interest to the trustees. These include: preservation of what is frequently called the “working landscape”, museums, capital construction, animal rights, growth management, toxic contamination, films and videos, wildlife rehabilitation, government-based projects, faith-based organizations, solid waste, energy (with the exception of dams), universities, student fellowships, and basic scientific research.

Returning Grantees 

Please complete the “Returning Grantees” application. Your proposal must describe both the purpose for which the grant is solicited and a brief evaluation process in a clear and precise manner. Shorter descriptions are preferred to longer descriptions, and a brief Executive Summary of the proposal must be included. The Executive Summary is an especially important part of the proposal, as it is the best vehicle for an organization to present the nature and intent of their project directly to the Board of Directors. The summary should be concise and should include mention of both recent and future projects. 

In addition to the narrative, you will need the following materials to complete your application:

- Financial statements (preferably audited)

- List of Board of Directors and their affiliations

 - IRS tax exemption 501(c)(3) certification letter or an equivalency document for non-U.S. based organizations (obtained in-country)

- Project budget

- Organizational budget

- Other sources and amounts of institutional support (past, present, and anticipated future)

- Qualifications of key personnel

The Board of Directors Meets Three Times a Year

For proposals to be considered at a meeting, they must be submitted online before the deadline. Proposal deadlines are approximately eight weeks prior to each meeting, and are posted on this website at least two months in advance.

Please click here to start the application or log on to your existing account. You will need to create an account to apply.