Adolph and Ginger Meyer appreciated the abundance and quality of Michigan’s natural resources. Michigan is at the heart of the Great Lakes region and enjoys wide open spaces and many protected natural areas, the nation’s longest freshwater coastline, hundreds of public beaches, some of the highest freshwater sand dunes in the world, and a tremendous freshwater fishery.
The Meyers were concerned that the useful and natural assets that Michigan is noted for were “gradually and greatly being destroyed and noticeably disappearing from the natural environment.” Climate change, legacy industrial activity, and urbanization create unprecedented conditions. The impact of these changes often is experienced disproportionately by Michigan’s historically marginalized residents, rural communities, and small towns and villages.
Safeguarding Michigan's Natural Resources and the Great Lakes
Our Current Focus
Geographic Focus: Nonprofit organizations doing work that impacts Michigan are eligible to apply.
Our current priority in the Natural Resources program area is to focus on projects and programs in Michigan that help ensure that the Great Lakes remain healthy or address significant threats to Great Lakes water quality. We prioritize projects and programs that receive relatively few resources and attention and communities that are most likely to experience disproportionate harm.
Example Projects
This is an emerging focus area and we are eager to hear about evolving opportunities. Please contact us to discuss your organization, your work, and how we can support you.