How We Fund
Patagonia supports environmental organizations with bold, direct-action agendas and a commitment to long-term change.
We support innovative work that addresses the root causes of the environmental crisis and seeks to protect both the environment and affected communities. We focus on places where we’ve built connections through outdoor recreation and through our network of retail stores, nationally and internationally.
We believe local battles—campaigns to protect a specific stand of forest, a stretch of river, a native wild species or a community suffering from pollution—build public support and confront larger, more complex issues like climate change, loss of biodiversity and environmental justice.
We encourage work that brings historically marginalized communities to the forefront of the environmental movement and defends communities whose health and livelihoods are threatened by environmental exploitation.
We support multipronged campaigns that push for greater environmental protections and force the government to abide by its own laws.
We fund work that:
builds an equitable, inclusive and diverse environmental movement
confronts systemic bias, discrimination and injustice in environmental policy or outdoor spaces
is action-oriented
focuses on root causes
has a clear strategy
identifies specific goals and objectives that can be effectively measured to evaluate success
builds public involvement and civic engagement
is done by organizations with 501(c)(3) public charity status or a comparable fiscal sponsor (for US applicants)
takes place within the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States
We do not fund:
organizations that perpetuate systemic biases and discrimination based on ethnicity, race, religion, color, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship or veteran or disability status
trail creation, maintenance or restoration
any dam renovations, human-assisted fish passage infrastructure or hatchery programs
conservation easements or land acquisition
research, unless it is in direct support of a developed plan for specific action to alleviate an environmental problem
work that is solely focused on environmental education
environmental conferences, event sponsorships or film festivals
endowment funds
political campaigns
bike advocacy, unless the project is in direct support of a climate change solution
Patagonia believes that the most direct path to real change is through building grassroots momentum.
Our funding focuses on organizations that have or can create a strong base of support. Because we’re a privately held company, we have the freedom to fund risk-taking, off-the-beaten-track groups, and that’s where we believe our small grants are most effective.
We accept one proposal per group in a given fiscal year (May 1–April 30), with deadlines varying from program to program. Our typical grant size also varies from program to program, but generally ranges between $5,000 and $20,000.
Please refer to each of our specific grants program guidelines below for the most relevant and updated information.
