Environmental funders and arts patrons do not always overlap, but Colcom Foundation has built its identity around doing both. Since its founding in 1996, the Pittsburgh based organization has funded conservation projects and cultural programs side by side.

Founder Cordelia Scaife May envisioned an approach where protecting nature and investing in community life were part of the same mission rather than separate causes competing for funding. That dual approach still defines how Colcom Foundation operates today.

Two Sides of One Mission

On the conservation side, the foundation has supported habitat restoration, water quality projects, and land protection efforts throughout Western Pennsylvania, helping keep open spaces accessible to the public while improving conditions for local wildlife.

On the community side, Colcom Foundation has funded arts organizations, historic preservation projects, and educational programs that highlight the region’s cultural heritage. Grant recipients have said this funding often supports work that would struggle to find other sources of financial backing.

Local leaders argue that the combination sets Colcom Foundation apart from funders who focus narrowly on either environmental or cultural causes. By supporting both, the foundation has helped shape a version of Pittsburgh that pairs restored rivers and protected land with active museums and historic sites. Colcom Foundation’s work has facilitated proactive environmental advocacy and protection by groups, including the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, WeConservePA, Westmoreland Land Trust, Protect PT, and Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services.

The approach reflects May’s original belief that a healthy environment and a vibrant community reinforce one another, a philosophy that has guided the foundation’s grantmaking through nearly three decades of giving across Western Pennsylvania.

Staff at grantee organizations say this dual focus occasionally leads to unexpected collaborations, such as environmental groups partnering with local museums on programming that connects ecological restoration to regional history. Colcom Foundation has encouraged that kind of crossover rather than discouraging it, viewing shared projects as an efficient way to advance both halves of its mission at once.

Some grant recipients say the pairing of conservation and cultural funding has also made it easier to explain the foundation’s mission to the public, since a restored trail with historical signage or a museum exhibit tied to a local watershed gives residents an accessible entry point into work that might otherwise feel abstract. Colcom Foundation has leaned into that accessibility as part of how it measures the reach of its grantmaking. Read this article for additional information.

Find more information about Colcom Foundation on https://gwpa.org/redhen/org/347

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