The Bobolink Foundation

## How to Approach the Bobolink Foundation

The Bobolink Foundation is a relationship-driven funder that does not accept unsolicited proposals. This is the single most important fact for any prospective grantee to understand. All funding decisions flow through the foundation's established network of conservation collaborators, cultivated over nearly three decades by chair Wendy Paulson.

### What They Prioritize The foundation's theory of change centers on the belief that ignorance and indifference are nature's principal threats. They fund organizations that demonstrate: - Empowered constituency engagement — they want to see local communities actively caring for nature - Measurable, on-the-ground improvements — not just research or advocacy, but tangible conservation outcomes - Collaborative approaches — they describe themselves as "hands in" rather than "hands on," meaning they want genuine partnership - Adaptive management — building from past success while applying new approaches as conditions change - Organizational effectiveness — strong internal capacity is a prerequisite

### Alignment Signals The strongest alignment signals include: active bird conservation programs (the foundation is named after a grassland bird species), coastal ecosystem work particularly in the southeastern U.S., prairie restoration and grassland protection, community-based environmental education, and wildlife corridor or habitat connectivity projects. Organizations working in the Americas (not just the U.S.) are within scope, with recent grants extending to Brazil and the Netherlands.

### Path to Engagement The realistic path is through existing grantees or board connections. Wendy Paulson's involvement with the Nature Conservancy (she formerly chaired both the Illinois and New York chapters) creates a natural entry point for TNC-affiliated partners. Justin Pepper, the Chief Conservation Officer, is the operational point person. Building visibility through conservation conferences, BirdLife International networks, and grassland conservation coalitions increases the likelihood of being identified by the foundation's proactive scouting process.

## Funding Patterns

### Grant Size Distribution The Bobolink Foundation demonstrates significant range in its grantmaking, from modest $500 gifts to transformative $7 million awards. The typical grant averages approximately $125,000, but the distribution is heavily skewed by a small number of very large grants to anchor partners.

• Small grants ($500-$25,000): Seed funding for emerging conservation initiatives and community programs
• Mid-range grants ($25,000-$250,000): The bulk of awards, supporting established program work
• Large grants ($500,000-$2,000,000): Multi-year commitments to core strategic partners
• Anchor grants ($2,000,000-$7,000,000): Transformative gifts to major conservation organizations (e.g., $7M to The Nature Conservancy, $7M to Rainforest Trust in 2024)

### Annual Giving Trajectory Total giving has increased substantially in recent years: - 2019: ~$14.3M (63 awards) - 2022: ~$12M (51 awards) - 2023: $12.3M (49 awards) - 2024: $19.8M (44 awards)

The trend shows fewer but larger grants, suggesting increased concentration toward high-trust partners.

### Geographic Distribution Primary funding flows to Illinois (home base), Georgia (Altamaha River Basin coastal work), Virginia, Kansas (Chase County grasslands), Wisconsin, and Arizona/U.S.-Mexico borderlands. International grantmaking includes Brazil and the Netherlands, reflecting growing Americas-wide scope.

### Sector Focus Nearly 100% of funding goes to environmental conservation, with sub-sectors including bird conservation, grassland/prairie protection, coastal ecosystems, wildlife corridors, community environmental education, and renewable energy/land conservation intersections.

## Peer Comparison

The Bobolink Foundation sits in the upper tier of U.S. private foundations focused on environmental conservation, with $263M in assets and nearly $20M in annual grantmaking (2024). Here is how it compares to peer foundations in the conservation space:

### Key Differentiators - Invitation-only model: Unlike most peer foundations, Bobolink does not accept any form of unsolicited application, making it more exclusive than even invitation-preferred funders. - Bird conservation emphasis: The foundation's namesake (the bobolink is a declining grassland songbird) signals a depth of commitment to avian conservation that few peers match. - Payout rate: At 7.5% (2024), Bobolink's payout rate significantly exceeds the required 5% minimum for private foundations, indicating aggressive grantmaking ambition. - Family control: With all four trustees being Paulson family members, the foundation maintains a tighter governance structure than most peers, enabling faster decision-making but also making access more dependent on personal relationships. - Hands-in philosophy: Unlike many large foundations that operate at arm's length, Bobolink emphasizes deep engagement with grantees, visiting projects and maintaining ongoing relationships rather than simply writing checks.

## Recent Activity

### Financial Growth (2024) The Bobolink Foundation significantly expanded its grantmaking in 2024, distributing $19.8 million across 44 grants — a 60% increase from the $12.3 million awarded in 2023. This represents the foundation's most aggressive grantmaking year in recent history, despite a slight decline in the total number of awards (from 49 in 2023 to 44), indicating a strategic shift toward larger, more concentrated grants.

### Major 2024 Grants The most notable 2024 grants include a $7 million unrestricted gift to The Nature Conservancy and $7 million to Rainforest Trust (split between $5M for the Taquari project and $2M for Choc), along with $450,000 in unrestricted support to Friends of the Forest Preserves in the Chicago area. These anchor grants alone account for over 70% of total 2024 giving.

### Leadership Stability The foundation's leadership has remained stable with Wendy Paulson continuing as chair and Justin Pepper serving as Chief Conservation Officer (compensated at $200,000). The board remains entirely composed of Paulson family members: Hank, Wendy, Merritt, and Amanda Paulson. Amanda Paulson also serves as Special Projects Officer, suggesting increasing next-generation involvement in the foundation's operations.

### Strategic Direction The foundation continues to deepen its four pillar strategy (coastal conservation, community-based conservation, grasslands of the Americas, and wildlife/wild landscapes). The large Rainforest Trust grant signals expanding interest in tropical conservation and international reach beyond the foundation's traditional U.S.-focused geography. The foundation's total assets stood at $263.2 million as of the most recent filing, with investment income of $5.7 million and gains from asset sales of $2.6 million comprising the bulk of revenues.

### Address Update The foundation appears to have updated its mailing address from 401 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1940 to 180 N Stetson Ave, Suite 2550, both in Chicago, IL — consistent with a routine office relocation within the city's downtown area.

## Application Tips

### The Fundamental Reality The Bobolink Foundation explicitly states it does not review unsolicited proposals. This is not a soft guideline — it is a firm policy. Sending a cold application will not result in funding and may actually harm your organization's prospects by signaling unfamiliarity with the foundation's operating model.

### Building a Path to Funding 1. Enter through the network. The most reliable path is through an existing Bobolink grantee. Organizations like The Nature Conservancy, American Bird Conservancy, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Driftless Area Land Conservancy all have active relationships with the foundation. If your work overlaps with theirs, pursue partnerships or collaborative projects first.

2. Engage Wendy Paulson's interests. Wendy Paulson is a lifelong birder and former Nature Conservancy chapter chair. She personally visits grantee projects. Programs that center bird conservation, particularly grassland and shorebird species, are most likely to capture her attention at conferences and conservation events.

3. Demonstrate measurability. The foundation explicitly prioritizes "measurable, on-the-ground improvements." Your conservation outcomes should be quantifiable — acres protected, species populations monitored, community members engaged, habitat corridors established. Vague impact narratives will not resonate.

4. Show community roots. "Building local constituencies for nature" is core to the mission. The foundation wants to see that local communities are actively involved in and benefit from your conservation work, not just that external experts are doing conservation in a community.

5. Be collaborative, not competitive. The foundation values organizations that work across institutional boundaries. Highlight partnerships, coalitions, and shared landscape-scale conservation goals rather than positioning your organization as the sole solution.

6. Target the right geography. The strongest geographic alignment is with Illinois (Chicago area), Georgia (Altamaha River Basin), Kansas (Chase County grasslands), Wisconsin, Arizona/Sonora borderlands, and increasingly tropical Americas. If your work falls outside these regions, you need a particularly compelling biodiversity rationale.

7. Attend the right events. BirdLife International convenings, grassland conservation summits, Nature Conservancy events, and regional land trust gatherings are the venues where Bobolink's network operates. Visibility in these spaces is the informal application process.

### What Not to Do - Do not send unsolicited proposals or cold emails - Do not lead with organizational needs; lead with conservation outcomes - Do not overlook the bird conservation angle — even if your primary work is in another area, connecting to avian biodiversity strengthens alignment - Do not request funding for pure research without a clear on-the-ground conservation component