In its early years, the Foundation emphasized higher education. Our goal has been to increase the number of courses that include environmental issues, enhance opportunities for students to develop majors or concentrations in the field, increase research relating to the environment and encourage institutions to operate on a more sustainable basis.

The Foundation funded several model programs that sought to promote environmental study and research through collaboration within and among institutions, and across disciplines and fields of specialization. Major grants (listed on the left) have included programs at Harvard, MIT and Columbia. Those three universities have developed important partnership relationships with other major institutions to promote environmental study and research across discipline and school lines, overcoming institutional borders and barriers.

We funded a multi-year collaborative of three South Carolina research universities, enabling them to teach sustainability as a concept in numerous courses, to make the institutions more sustainable in their own operations, and to expand environmental research, teaching and learning.

We provided support for the Associated Colleges of the South, helping to establish academic majors, minors and concentrations in environmental studies, and funding joint research projects and campus and community initiatives.

The foundation also funded a series of colloquia at Washington University in St. Louis that helped shape the educational programs, research, and operations of the University related to the environment.

In addition, the Foundation has provided support for organizations that offer advisory services to higher education, such as Second Nature, the Center for Respect of Life and the Environment, and the World Resources Institute.