WESTPORT, CT -- Newman's Own Foundation, founded by the late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, provided a grant of $500,000 to Wild Earth Allies to support their global conservation work. The funds will help Wild Earth Allies launch The Wild Fund to protect more of the earth's vital wildlife and habitats.
The grant announcement was made during a field visit with Wild Earth Allies in Rwanda by Bob Forrester, President and CEO of Newman's Own Foundation, to see collaborative efforts in protecting the threatened mountain gorilla population in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park. Their visit included a conservation briefing by Eugène Rutagarama, Goldman Environmental Prize recipient, CNN Hero, and former mountain gorilla program director.
"We are a proud supporter of Wild Earth Allies, which has been working for decades to protect the wildlife and habitats that face unprecedented threats from natural and manmade forces," said Forrester. "Their innovative initiatives are more critical than ever to protect the planet's biodiversity, and the Newman's Own Foundation grant will hopefully catalyze other investments to accelerate their work globally."
The $500,000 grant to The Wild Fund is a leadership donation intended to leverage funding from other donors. The Wild Fund will deepen protection in key program areas such as great apes in Central Africa, Asian elephants in Cambodia, marine turtles in the eastern Pacific, and threatened trees in priority landscapes. Wild Earth Allies' decades-long commitment to collaborating in the field to protect biodiversity around the globe has delivered tangible results, such as growing the critically endangered mountain gorilla population in Central Africa by roughly 42% since 1989.
Wild Earth Allies, formerly known as Fauna & Flora International, Inc., works to identify and protect globally important wildlife and habitats that can be conserved through targeted collaborative action. They foster local partnerships that result in lasting conservation impact.
"This is such important support, fueling our work with many partners to protect critical areas of our natural world for the benefit of wildlife, habitats and people," said Katie Frohardt, Executive Director of Wild Earth Allies. "It is a particular privilege to be with Bob here in Rwanda, where I lived and worked on mountain gorilla conservation years ago. Seeing the impact from sustained investment like that of Newman's Own Foundation sparks optimism about the future."
The $500,000 grant from Newman's Own Foundation was made as part of the 35th anniversary celebration of Newman's Own, founded by Paul Newman with the promise of giving 100% of profits to charity. Since 1982, $500 million has been donated, helping thousands or organizations and millions of people around the world.
About Newman's Own Foundation
Newman's Own Foundation is a qualified 501(c)3 charitable organization founded by Paul Newman in 2005 to assure the continuation of his commitment to use 100% of the net profits and royalties from the sale of Newman's Own food and beverage products for charitable purposes. Since 1982, Paul Newman and Newman's Own Foundation have donated over $500 million to thousands of charities around the world.
###
Contact:
Jan Schaefer
Director of Communications
Newman's Own Foundation
media@NewmansOwnFoundation.org
Website: www.newmansownfoundation.org