Colcom Foundation Grantmaking Addresses Overpopulation and Nature

At the center of Colcom Foundation‘s work is a premise that remains underrepresented in mainstream environmental conversation: that population growth is a primary driver of ecological degradation. The Pittsburgh-based foundation was established in 1996 by Cordelia S. May, whose concern for the natural world began well before the environmental movement became part of everyday public life.

What the Foundation Funds

The primary mission of Colcom Foundation is to foster a sustainable environment for the benefit of all Americans, with particular attention to the causes and consequences of overpopulation and its effects on natural resources. The foundation also supports regional conservation initiatives, environmental projects, and cultural assets reflecting a broad commitment to the health of both natural and civic life in western Pennsylvania.

Mrs. May was explicit about the connection she saw between human population and environmental harm. Aquatic and terrestrial habitat destruction, pollution, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem collapse are among the consequences she attributed to unchecked growth. She described the planet’s ecosystems as something that can no longer be taken for granted in the face of accelerating human activity.

Colcom Foundation supports several special programs, including the Conservation Catalyst Fund, which grants conservation organizations working to protect threatened species and habitats. By offering financial support and resources, this foundation allows these groups to make significant strides in conservation efforts.

A Philanthropist Ahead of Her Time

Colcom Foundation notes that early reformers including those who championed gender equality and civil rights before those ideas gained mainstream acceptance were frequently dismissed or mischaracterized in their own time. It places Mrs. May in that same tradition, as someone whose ideas will be vindicated by future historians.

She began supporting family planning in 1952 at age 23, founded Colcom Foundation at 68 in 1996, and passed away in 2005. The organization continues her mission today, funding work she cared about long before most others saw the urgency. Visit this page to learn more.

 

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