Environmental Sustainability Program

Environmental Sustainability Program is sponsored by Walder Foundation. Supports organizations and initiatives that integrate nature into urban landscapes and promote biodiversity science.

Environmental Sustainability — Walder Foundation Environmental Sustainability Migration and Immigrant Communities ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY SUPPORTING A GREEN, RESILIENT, AND BIODIVERSE FUTURE The Environmental Sustainability program area of Walder Foundation invests in organizations and initiatives that strengthen the strategic and equitable integration of nature within the urban landscape and that support action-oriented biodiversity science.

The Foundation’s focus on the environment connects to Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), the genomics company that the Walders ran for over three decades. During their time at IDT, the company led an initiative to define sustainability strategies to advance the fields of human health, food supply , and the environment.

As IDT’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Elizabeth developed a sustainability awards program to recognize the research advancements in medical, environmental, and agricultural innovation. The Environmental Sustainability program area invests in organizations and initiatives that strengthen the strategic and equitable integration of nature within the urban landscape and that support action-oriented biodiversity science.

Integrating nature into the sustainable development toolkit can help to address multiple persistent social and environmental challenges. We invest in efforts that elevate the incorporation of functional nature-based solutions in the region to build an enhanced quality of life and resilience to climate change while also benefiting biodiversity.

By building Chicago’s capacity for understanding, protecting, and restoring biodiversity and improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in biodiversity and conservation science, we aim to elevate the Chicago region as a global hub for biodiversity conservation research and action. We invest in action-oriented science, early career researchers, and efforts to provide research opportunities for emerging and underrepresented scientists.

Example: Biodiversity Research The Biota Awards funds early-career researchers based in the Chicago region who seek to restore, protect, and conserve biodiversity locally and around the world. Chicago is a densely populated city, surrounded by diverse and rare ecosystems, including remnant prairie, wetlands, and one of the largest bodies of freshwater.

While threats to biodiversity are vast, the potential solutions are just as expansive. Researchers in Chicago are uniquely positioned to understand how humans and nature can thrive. Through the Biota Awards program, the Foundation funds creative thinkers to explore new solutions to restore and preserve our ecosystems.

Example: Nature-based Solutions Resilient by Nature (RxN) Project EXPLORING AND COORDINATING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR A RESILIENT CHICAGO REGION Nature-based solutions (NBS) provide multiple benefits to pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. In an urban environment, these can include flooding, public health, air quality, climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, access to open space, and food security.

The Resilient by Nature Project (RxN) sought to better understand and pursue strategies that expand and accelerate the implementation of nature-based solutions for a more vibrant and enduring Chicago region. Walder Foundation Announces 2026 Biota Awardees Advancing Approaches to Biodiversity Research and Solutions Five postdoctoral scientists will advance research to protect and increase biodiversity in Chicago and beyond.

Science Doesn’t Wait for Graduation How belonging, early trust, and real responsibility lead to meaningful discovery by undergraduate students Applications Now Open for 2027 Biota Awards for Independent Investigators Walder Foundation has opened the 2027 Biota Awards , a program to fund early-career researchers based in Illinois who seek to restore, protect and conserve biodiversity locally and around the world.

Applications are due October 8, 2026. Scaling Nature to Meet the Storm From basement backups to overwhelmed outfalls, the Chicago region is feeling the strain of heavier rains and aging stormwater systems. How are organizations contributing to effective regional systems for water resilience in Chicago?

Chicago’s Conservation Legacy Expands: Uncovering and Safeguarding the Biodiversity of a 1. 5 Million-Hectare Wilderness Chicago and Guyanese scientists and Indigenous experts team up to document and protect one of Earth’s most ecologically-vital landscapes.

From Brownfields to Greenfields: Advancing Ecological Resilience in the Calumet Region A look at the work of Walder Foundation grantees The Wetlands Initiative and the Field Museum of Natural History’s Adam Ferguson, Ph. D. , and his colleagues.

Applicants must be a registered Section 501(c)(3) organization classified as a Section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) public charity, or a project within a fiscal sponsor organization that meets this requirement. Applicants must be either located in the greater Chicago metropolitan region or whose work will be centered on the communities of the Chicago metropolitan area.

We do not fund projects or organizations that perpetuate any form of hate, discrimination, or intolerance.

We generally do not fund: Fundraising events or standalone conferences Political action groups, political campaigns, lobbying activities, or 501(c)4 affiliates Projects intended to influence legislation, to influence the outcome of any election for public office, to carry on any voter registration drive, or to undertake any activity for a purpose other than charitable, scientific, educational or other purposes specified in Section 170(c)(2)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Basic social services generally supported by government agencies Individuals, freelancers, or consultants Land or property acquisition and most other capital expenses Endowments and capital campaigns Please know that as Walder Foundation strategies and grant initiatives continue to evolve, applicants should not have any expectations that awarded grants will be renewed beyond the scope of the grant period.

Please keep this in mind when planning for the sustainability of the work. If you are an existing grantee looking to clarify future areas of funding alignment and timing of opportunities, please email your program team member. If you are new to Walder Foundation and think your work aligns with our strategies and goals, please complete a concept note (one paragraph in length) via this link .

If there is project alignment, a staff member will contact you.