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THE LIZ CLAIBORNE & ART ORTENBERG FOUNDATION

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 133200329 · Form 990PF · FY2024 · Large ($10M-$50M)
revenue
$33.2M
expenses
$4.0M
net assets
$229.5M
employees
profile · synthesized from sources

The Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation is a private foundation that funds conservation initiatives led by Indigenous communities and nonprofit organizations. It supports wildlife protection, ecosystem connectivity, and biodiversity restoration in regions across the Americas, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The foundation operates primarily through multi-year grants to environmental and conservation groups.

named programs · 11 · from sources

What they call their work

Biodiversity Conservation, Connectivity, and Restoration in the Ecuadorian Andes
Supports ecological restoration and protected area management in the Tandayapa region of Ecuador
Coastal Patagonia, Argentina
Protects marine and terrestrial ecosystems in southern Argentina through science and Indigenous partnerships
Community-Based Conservation & Fire Management in the Maya Forest
Reduces wildfire risk and strengthens local stewardship in Belize and Guatemala
Indigenous-Led Initiative
Provides multi-year support to Indigenous-led conservation projects in North America and Canada
Keep It Connected Initiative
Supports landscape connectivity and wildlife migration corridors in the Rocky Mountains region of the United States
Leuser Ecosystem Program
Protects biodiversity and rainforest ecosystems in Sumatra, Indonesia, with a focus on community-based conservation
Maliasili Conservation Fund
Supports Indigenous and community-led conservation efforts in Africa through capacity building and direct funding
Re:wilding Argentina
Restores ecosystems and wildlife populations in northern Argentina through community conservation models
Ruvuma Elephant Project
Reduces human-elephant conflict and protects elephant corridors in southern Tanzania
Spectacled Bear Conservation Challenge Grant
Funds protection of Andean bear habitats and promotes coexistence with local communities in northern Peru
WEFCOM Program
Supports community-based forest management and conservation in Thailand
activities · 1 group

What they do

  • Environmental Conservation Grantmaking 12 activities
    • Funding Indigenous-led conservation initiatives in Canada
      Funds year 3 of 3 of Indigenous-led conservation initiatives in Canada through a grant to MakeWay Foundation.
    • Funding Phase 2 of the Leuser Ecosystem Program in Indonesia
      Funds year 2 of 3 of the Leuser Ecosystem Program in Indonesia, focused on biodiversity protection and ecosystem management, through a grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
    • Funding an Indigenous-led conservation initiative
      Funds year 2 of 3 of an Indigenous-led conservation initiative aimed at protecting critical ecosystems, through a grant to the Wild Foundation.
    • Funding biodiversity conservation in the Ecuadorian Andes
      Funds efforts to conserve biodiversity, maintain ecological connectivity, and restore habitats in the Ecuadorian Andes through a grant to Universidad San Francisco de Quito.
    • Funding community-based conservation and fire management in the Maya Forest
      Funds year 2 of 3 of community-based conservation and fire management programs across the Maya Forest in Belize and Guatemala through a grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
    • Funding conservation efforts in Coastal Patagonia, Argentina
      Funds year 2 of 3 of conservation initiatives in Coastal Patagonia, Argentina, focused on protecting marine and terrestrial ecosystems, through a grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
    • Funding rewilding and community conservation in northern Argentina
      Funds year 1 of 3 of rewilding and community conservation efforts in northern Argentina through a grant to Rewild.
    • Funding spectacled bear conservation in northern Peru
      Funds spectacled bear conservation efforts in northern Peru through a challenge grant to the Wildlife Conservation Network.
    • Funding the Keep It Connected Initiative
      Funds the Keep It Connected Initiative, which supports wildlife connectivity and landscape conservation, through a grant to Heart of the Rockies.
    • Funding the Maliasili Conservation Fund
      Funds year 3 of 4 of the Maliasili Conservation Fund, which strengthens Indigenous and community-led conservation in East Africa, through a grant to Maliasili Initiatives.
    • Funding the Ruvuma Elephant Project in Tanzania
      Funds year 2 of 3 of the Ruvuma Elephant Project in Tanzania, including a supplemental grant, to combat poaching and protect elephant populations through a grant to PAMS Foundation.
    • Funding the WEFCOM Program in Thailand
      Funds year 3 of 3 of the WEFCOM (Wildlife Enforcement and Forest Conservation) Program in Thailand, which combats illegal logging and wildlife trafficking, through a grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
financials · form 990PF · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$33.17M
Contributions & grants
Program service revenue
Investment income$5.89M18%
Other revenue$27.18M
expenses
Total expenses$4.04M
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits$285K
Grants paid out$9.53M
balance sheet
Total assets$229.50M
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$229.50M
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +509.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 9
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
VICTOR KOVNER TRUSTEE 8 $100K
ALISON RICHARD TRUSTEE 6 $50K
GRANT PARKER ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER 4 $28K
WILLIAM DEBUYS ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER 4 $28K
HELEN GICHOCHI ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER 4 $20K
SHIVSHARAN SOMESHWAR ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER 4 $20K
YOLANDA KAKABADSE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER 4 $20K
DOUGLAS CHADWICK ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER 4 $10K
ULLAS KARANTH ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER 4 $10K
relationships · 9

Who they work with

  • HEART OF THE ROCKIES Partner — Receives funding for the Keep It Connected Initiative.
  • MAKEWAY FOUNDATION Partner — Receives funding for Indigenous-led conservation initiatives in Canada.
  • MALIASILI INITIATIVES Partner — Receives funding for the Maliasili Conservation Fund.
  • PAMS FOUNDATION Partner — Receives funding for the Ruvuma Elephant Project in Tanzania.
  • REWILD Partner — Receives funding for rewilding and community conservation in northern Argentina.
  • UNIVERSIDAD SAN FRANCISCO DE QUITO Partner — Receives funding for biodiversity conservation in the Ecuadorian Andes.
  • WILD FOUNDATION Partner — Receives funding for an Indigenous-led conservation initiative.
  • WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK Partner — Receives funding for the Spectacled Bear Conservation Challenge Grant in northern Peru.
  • WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY Partner — Receives multiple grants for conservation programs in Indonesia, Belize/Guatemala, Thailand, and Argentina.
strategies · 2

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Based Conservation
    methodology: community-based conservation
    By partnering with local populations to manage ecosystems and fire risks, we produce more sustainable and locally adaptive conservation outcomes, because community involvement increases ownership, responsiveness, and on-the-ground effectiveness.
  • Indigenous-Led Conservation
    methodology: indigenous-led conservation
    By supporting conservation initiatives led by Indigenous communities, we achieve more effective and culturally grounded environmental protection, because Indigenous stewardship integrates traditional ecological knowledge and long-term land relationships.