Foundation Guide

A Tour of Our Global Community of Giving

Foundation Guide

A Tour of Our Global Community of Giving

Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

Now a part of https://ealliance.org/

Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

Mission

Established in 1998, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation was formed as a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of wildlife, threatened ecosystems and climate change issues.

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation operates in over 46 countries, supporting over 128 distinct projects and working with over 65 partners.

Supported Causes

Working through direct grantmaking programs, strategic partnerships, media and public campaigns, the foundation works in several distinct areas:
Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation: to prevent the extinction of an increasing number of species whose habitats are being destroyed. Specifically, the fight against poaching, illegal hunting and the expansion of natural habitat and reintroduction of endangered species. LDF also seeks to protect the world’s endangered forests and natural wildlands.

Marine Conservation: to ensure the protection of ocean habitats, stop overfishing and to provide support to expand marine protection areas.
Climate Change: Public advocacy and media initiatives highlight the severe results of climate change to the planet.
Innovative Solutions in Renewable Energy: To provide funding to ensure that the transition to renewable energy can be accelerated and solutions made available to people globally.
Indigenous Rights: to protect and preserve the rights of indigenous peoples in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.[/fusion_text][title size=”3″ content_align=”left” style_type=”single dashed” sep_color=”” class=”” id=””]Grants/Award Programs[/title][fusion_text]The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has provided grants and funding to projects in excess of $61 million. The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests and all inquiries should be made through the California Community Foundation, of which LDF is a component fund.
Main criteria for funding projects
LDF works almost exclusively with partners and projects with a focus on environmental issues.

Projects

  • Working with the World Wildlife Fund to protect the wild tiger population in Nepal.
  • Funding for projects supported by the Wildlife Conservation Network. Over $9 million has been made available to WCN projects.
  • Providing funding for ‘The Solutions Project’ to ensure that renewable energy solutions are made available to people around the world.
  • Support to ‘ClearWater’ projects in the Amazon, working with indigenous tribes to help protect land, culture and access to water.
  • Funding for ‘Ocean 5’. LDF is a lead and founding partner in the projects that will help stop overfishing, and establish more protected marine reserves.

The Foundation provides grants and funding for the Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Monument.
Other grantees of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation include:

  • Inside Climate News
  • Global Fishing Watch
  • Lights on in the Amazon
  • The Elephant Crisis Fund

Other projects supported by LDF through partner programs:

  • Restoring degraded coastlines in Somalia
  • Identifying wildlife crime routes in Africa and Asia
  • Restoring the Atlantic coastline in Brazil
  • The Biomimicry Institute

The Foundation's History

Founded by actor and producer Leonardo DiCaprio in 1998. One of the first donations of the foundation was for $35,000, to the Los Feliz branch of the Los Angeles Public Library which was built on the site of his childhood home. The foundation is one of the largest environmental non-profit foundations focused entirely on environmental causes. 

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