The California Wildlands Grassroots Fund (Cal Wildlands) supports the heroic efforts of grassroots activists to preserve California’s wildlands and natural habitat.

The Fund champion’s conservationists advocating for the permanent protection, including restoration and stewardship, of intact wildlands on both public and private lands, to help preserve California’s wilderness and native biological diversity. 

This includes policy advocacy, litigation and regulatory watchdogging at the local, state and federal levels; efforts to advance wildlands and open space protection through county general plans and local planning; as well as direct stewardship and maintenance of intact wild areas.

Issues and Activities We Support

• Projects that protect and preserve wildlands and open space, or support the good stewardship, restoration and management of wild areas. 

-Cal Wildlands defines “wildlands” as natural habitats, privately or publicly owned, that are (or have the potential to be) permanently preserved through legislation or deed restrictions, and are on a scale necessary to support significant native plant and animal life.

-Projects in urban or suburban settings, must feature connectivity to larger protected areas and/or be located along critical wildlife corridors.

• Activities such as grassroots organizing and outreach; communications campaigns; regulatory advocacy; lawsuits; wildlands restoration and stewardship (including trail maintenance); scientific research; organizational capacity building and equipment purchases.

-Environmental education programs must include a strong element of environmental advocacy to be considered.

Important Dates:

February 17, 2026 - Spring Applications Due
May 15, 2026 - Summer Applications Due
August 17, 2026 - Fall Applications Due
October 28, 2026 - Winter Applications Due