Wetlands Preservation Foundation

The Wetlands Preservation Foundation is a private operating foundation — a critical distinction that shapes every aspect of how outside organizations should approach it. Founded in 2016 by the Cortopassi Family Foundation, WPF channels resources directly into owning, managing, and restoring 750 acres of wetland habitat in the San Joaquin Delta rather than distributing grants to external organizations. The foundation's website explicitly states that it "does not solicit public funds to support its preservation mission," meaning there is no open application process, no RFP cycle, and no grant portal.

This architecture reflects the Cortopassi family's philosophy of hands-on, demonstrably effective land stewardship. The family patriarch, Dino (Dean) Cortopassi — a prominent Central Valley tomato-processing magnate turned major philanthropist — designed WPF to prove that wildlife-friendly rice farming in the Delta is simultaneously profitable for tenant farmers and productive for migratory wildlife. The flagship "Black Hole" property encompasses 27 individual marshes, 17 nesting areas, 15 agricultural feeding grounds, 54 nesting boxes, and 6 miles of irrigation pipelines across a 750-acre footprint. Sandhill Cranes and other Pacific Flyway species use harvested rice fields as critical staging and wintering habitat.

The foundation's legal posture reinforces its independence: in July 2018, WPF filed suit against the California Department of Water Resources and The Nature Conservancy over the management of Staten Island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, alleging that DWR failed to protect wildlife and agricultural values in perpetuity. This litigation signals that WPF will actively challenge even established conservation organizations when their land stewardship approaches conflict with the Cortopassi model — a crucial signal for any prospective partner that must approach carefully if it has institutional ties to DWR or TNC.

For organizations seeking engagement, the realistic paths are partnership and policy alignment rather than grant proposals. Conservation groups whose research validates the rice-farming conservation model, nonprofits with adjacent Delta land interests, water policy advocates, and academic researchers studying Pacific Flyway migratory bird habitat are the most credible potential collaborators. Leadership introductions through the Cortopassi network — which extends deep into Stockton civic and San Joaquin Valley agricultural circles — are essential. CFO Diane Malcoun (dmalcoun@santomogroup.com, 209-948-0792), affiliated with the Cortopassi family's Santomo Group holding company, is the only named, publicly accessible point of contact. Any organization approaching WPF should arrive with field data and measurable ecological outcomes, not programmatic narratives — the Cortopassi culture is empirical and skeptical of large institutional conservation actors.

All figures reported as "total giving" in WPF's IRS Form 990 filings represent program service expenses — the direct costs of operating and expanding its managed wetland property — not grants distributed to outside organizations. The grants_paid line on every available 990 filing reads $0. This is a private operating foundation in the fullest sense: 100% of its charitable activity is conducted through its own programs.

From FY2019 through FY2021, annual program expenditures held at $1.1–$1.4 million, reflecting the recurring cost structure of a 750-acre wetland complex. The FY2021 expense breakdown illustrates the operational character of these outlays: salaries and wages ($313,658), equipment repairs ($207,835), seeds and habitat restoration ($145,992), utilities and pumping ($129,629), reclamation district fees ($38,273), and shop supplies ($50,149). Total assets ranged from $11.96 million (FY2021) to $13.18 million (FY2019), funded primarily through modest investment income and sporadic family contributions ($1.72 million received in FY2020; nothing in FY2019 or FY2021).

FY2022 and FY2023 mark a clear inflection. A $3.5 million family contribution in FY2022 pushed program expenses to $5.8 million — likely reflecting a land acquisition or major infrastructure investment. FY2023 then received a $15.3 million contribution, expanding total assets from $11.6 million to $25.9 million while program expenditures reached $8.8 million. This represents a deliberate Cortopassi family decision to substantially scale up the foundation's Delta footprint.

By FY2024, the foundation had stabilized at $27.3 million in total assets operating on an endowment-draw model: annual revenue of approximately $1.0 million (dividends $804K or 78.9%, other income $221K or 21.7%, interest $24K or 2.4%) against $1.5 million in expenses ($1.4 million in charitable disbursements plus $82K in officer compensation to Trevor Carlson as operations manager). This implies a steady-state annual burn rate of approximately $1.4–1.5 million for wetland maintenance, consistent with FY2019–2021 baseline levels. The dramatic FY2022–2023 expenditure spike appears to have been a land acquisition or capital improvement cycle, not a permanently elevated operating budget. No geographic distribution beyond the San Joaquin Delta footprint, and no grantee records, are available from public filings.

The five peer foundations matched in this dataset are asset-size comparators within NTEE category T23 (Philanthropy & Grantmaking), with total assets clustered between $27.28 million and $27.35 million as of their most recent filings. None share WPF's environmental mission or its private operating foundation structure; all appear to be traditional grantmaking entities based in other states. Grantmaking volumes for all five peers are unavailable in the current dataset.

The most strategically useful peer comparison for organizations working in California environmental philanthropy is not the asset-size cohort but mission-adjacent funders: the California Waterfowl Association, Resources Legacy Fund, Ducks Unlimited's Pacific Flyway programs, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation's Conservation Science program. These funders actively co-invest in San Joaquin Delta habitat and Pacific Flyway bird conservation and represent the most natural co-funding or introduction channels alongside WPF. WPF's operating foundation structure is unusual within the T23 NTEE category; its $27.3 million endowment places it in the upper tier of California-based environmental operating foundations. None of the five asset-size peers have public websites listed in available databases, limiting deeper comparison on grantmaking approach or geographic focus.

The most notable public action in WPF's documented history is the July 24, 2018 lawsuit against the California Department of Water Resources and The Nature Conservancy regarding management of Staten Island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The complaint alleged that DWR "failed to exercise its authority and fulfill its duties to protect Staten Island's wildlife and agricultural values in perpetuity." No public settlement information is available, but the litigation established WPF as a willing legal adversary of institutional conservation actors whose approaches diverge from the Cortopassi model — a signal that remains relevant for any organization seeking partnership.

The most significant financial development in recent years was the FY2023 $15.3 million family contribution, which nearly tripled total assets (from $11.6 million to $25.9 million) and elevated annual program expenditures to $8.8 million — a figure not seen before or since in the foundation's history. By FY2024, assets reached $27.3 million while annual disbursements returned to a normalized $1.4 million, consistent with steady-state maintenance of the existing 750-acre wetland complex.

Leadership appears stable: Brady Whitlow holds the President & CEO title per the foundation's website, while Dino Cortopassi remains chairman and originating patron. Trevor Carlson serves as paid operations manager ($82K in FY2024), and Diane Malcoun (affiliated with Santomo Group) handles CFO duties. Gino Cortopassi and Donald Lenz remain on the board.

No new programmatic announcements, leadership changes, or press releases were found on the foundation's newsroom for 2025 or 2026. The most recently published organizational material remains the photographic narrative "Creating a Balanced Sustainable Wetland Habitat," documenting 28 years of Black Hole property development, available in print from Diane Malcoun at 209-948-0792.

Because the Wetlands Preservation Foundation is a private operating foundation with no open grant program and no published application guidelines, the following advice addresses organizations seeking meaningful engagement as partners, co-researchers, or policy allies — not as grant applicants.

Lead with land outcomes, not program narratives. The Cortopassi leadership culture is empirical: specific acreage restored, species populations documented, peat subsidence data, water quality measurements, and farmer profitability figures. Arrive with field-level specifics about San Joaquin Delta or Pacific Flyway ecology — not organizational capacity statements or theory-of-change language.

Pursue a warm introduction before any contact. The 209-948-0792 phone number routes to the Santomo Group corporate office. Cold outreach from unknown organizations will not be productive. A warm introduction from a UC Davis Delta Science Program faculty member, California Waterfowl Association leader, or San Joaquin Valley agricultural figure is the minimum viable entry point.

Align explicitly with the foundation's rice-farming conservation thesis. WPF's core argument is that wildlife-friendly rice cultivation in the Delta outperforms conventional Delta agriculture on both farmer profitability and ecological productivity for migratory birds. Organizations proposing purely conservation set-asides, carbon-credit-only wetland restoration, or approaches not integrated with agricultural tenant economics are unlikely to find a receptive audience.

Understand the litigation history before engaging. The 2018 suit against DWR and The Nature Conservancy reveals adversarial positioning toward state water bureaucracy and mainstream conservation institutions. Organizations with close institutional ties to DWR or TNC should address this directly and differentiate their work from the practices WPF has challenged.

Time outreach to the agricultural and wetland management calendar. The foundation's operations follow a seasonal cycle: spring rice planting, fall harvest, and winter flooding for Pacific Flyway waterfowl. Late summer outreach (August–September), timed to pre-flooding preparations, may find leadership most receptive to discussing collaborative monitoring or research proposals for the incoming waterfowl season.

Keep initial asks narrow and specific. Request a 20-minute call with Diane Malcoun or a site visit to the Black Hole property — not a broad partnership framework or funding discussion. Demonstrating genuine interest in WPF's specific work at a specific site is the most credible first step.