Conservation Acceleration Fund

Conservation and water quality are of more importance now than perhaps ever before, and fortunately, there has never been more engagement or momentum around these critical issues. Over the course of its existence, the Great Outdoors Foundation has played a role in numerous creative problem-solving efforts, and expediting and maximizing voluntary conservation practices on private land is no different. Historically, one of the greatest barriers to implementation is funding. If there was a way to unlock previously untapped public grants via match dollars, the state of Iowa, and beyond, could see a wave of water quality improvement unlike ever before. Enter the Conservation Acceleration Fund, a dynamic funding mechanism designed to activate key conservation initiatives via strategic investments.

The Conservation Acceleration Fund is like any other investment opportunity; it’s not a capital campaign. By matching value-driven private donors with an expertly selected conservation portfolio, the Conservation Acceleration Fund effectively fills public grant match requirements, yielding high impact on investment for both the environment, and its supporters. This multiplying effect makes private dollars go even further and create even greater change, as all Conservation Acceleration Fund projects guarantee at least a 4:1 public to private match.

By supporting the Conservation Acceleration Fund, you, or your organization, are entrusting the Great Outdoors Foundation to direct your capital into the highest impact on investment initiatives on an ongoing basis. The Conservation Acceleration Fund’s creative method to capital stacking takes private investments — valuable on their own — and multiplies the dollars by meeting match requirements to activate public dollars. This allows partner organizations to leverage existing funding to enact massive change. Watch our launch video to hear from some of our key partners and investors.