INVESTORS
DELIVERING OUTCOMES
Corporate water commitments are only as valuable as the outcomes they produce. Finding credible projects, coordinating partners, navigating public funding, measuring environmental benefits, and moving projects from concept to implementation can require significant time and expertise.
The Conservation Acceleration Fund (CAF) provides delivery systems to make that process easier.
The Great Outdoors Foundation (GOF) connects private investments with high-impact conservation opportunities designed to deliver measurable water and community outcomes. Through a network spanning government, agriculture, conservation, and local communities, the CAF provides its investors with a turnkey pathway from environmental commitment to actualized implementation. GOF’s current corporate water stewardship model specifically emphasizes measurable water replenishment and water-quality benefits; though many of the CAF’s projects also include co-benefits such as community engagement, habitat and biodiversity creation, and carbon markets.
SOLUTIONS
CORPORATE WATER STEWARDSHIP
Translate corporate sustainability and watershed goals into locally relevant conservation investments. Our team identifies opportunities, coordinates stakeholders, and connects corporate priorities with projects capable of producing measurable outcomes.
CORPORATE WATER REPLENISHMENT
Develop and activate portfolios that restore, retain, or replenish water within priority watersheds while creating additional benefits for water quality, habitat, flood resilience, and surrounding communities. Leverage our expertise from ideation to execution to meet your espoused environmental goals.
OUTCOMES-BASED FINANCING
Move beyond simply funding an activity. The CAF can help structure investments around defined conservation outcomes, leveraging public-private partnerships, and innovative financial approaches to increase the impact of private capital on water quality, regenerative agriculture, and next-gen environmental solutions.
CASE STUDIES
Brenton Slough Wetland Protection
In partnership with Google, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, and Polk County Conservation, over 1,000 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and oak savannah were acquired, and will be protected in perpetuity. Located in the Beaver Creek Watershed in Iowa’s Prairie Pothole Region, this wetland provides critical habitat, improves water quality, increases water storage during flood events, and provides groundwater replenishment benefits.
Dunlap Green Infrastructure Treatment Train
This multi-project treatment train includes construction of two bioretention cells, a wetland, and forebay as well as pond restoration to improve the stormwater capacity and nutrient capture from a 474-acre drainage area located within the Missouri River Watershed. Additional features include fish and turtle habitat structures as well as native plantings for additional environmental benefits.
Grade Stabilization Portfolio
The Great Outdoors Foundation partnered with Google, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and Drake University to fund the construction of grade stabilization structures across 77 sites within the Missouri River Watershed. This infrastructure portfolio will reduce soil erosion and sediment load, improve downstream water quality, and yield groundwater replenishment benefits. Grade stabilization structures can also provide floodwater storage, reduce peak water flows, and serve as habitat for wildlife.
