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Organization

The Conservation Fund

The Conservation Fund, a national land-protection nonprofit, bought land in Maine and held it until two Wabanaki tribes could take it back.

Kind
501(c)(3) conservation nonprofit (non-Indigenous)
Native-led
no
Works with
Mi'kmaq Nation (held Bridgewater parcel); Tule River Indian Tribe (facilitated)
Region
National
Focus
Acquires land and holds it for tribal acquisition

What happened

The Conservation Fund is a national conservation nonprofit based in Arlington, Virginia. ProPublica lists it with tax exemption issued in July 1985. Its mission page says it has been buying at-risk land for more than 40 years and has worked in all 50 states to conserve more than 9 million acres. It is not Indigenous-led.

Its role in land return appears in Maine, in a project called Tributary Land Returns. Maine Public reports that the Conservation Fund bought a parcel of nearly 3,400 acres near Bridgewater from a local forester in 2025. It held the land for the Mi'kmaq Nation until fundraising for the $1.9 million parcel was complete. The Bangor Daily News quotes Tom Duffus of the Conservation Fund saying, "Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts."

The Conservation Fund is one of seven non-Indigenous organizations in the project. It also contributed to the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians' 2025 purchase of 1,327 acres in Monticello, with First Light and The Nature Conservancy, though amounts were not disclosed.

Maine Public describes the overall effort as a $50 million campaign to return more than 50,000 acres to the five Wabanaki tribes. The Conservation Fund is one partner among several, and the tribes and the Wabanaki Commission direct which parcels are chosen.

Good to know. A national non-Native conservation group; the tribes own the returned land. A gift to the Fund is not a gift to a tribe.

Summarized with AI assistance from 4 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error

What the sources say, and how this was checked

Well supported by the sources below.

  1. has been buying at-risk land with high conservation value to protect it from degradationThe Conservation Fund - Mission & Vision
  2. The Conservation Fund purchased the parcel last year from a local forester and held the land for the tribeMaine Public - Mi'kmaq Nation to expand lands with new Aroostook county parcel
  3. Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation effortsBangor Daily News - Effort to restore 50K acres of Wabanaki land reaches halfway point
  4. First Light, The Nature Conservancy, and the Conservation Fund each contributed to this acquisition, though the amounts were not disclosed.Tribal Business News - Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians acquires 1,327 acres in Maine

Research notes. Non-Native organization; the tribes own the returned land. Donation page and payee were not checked. The Conservation Fund's own pages on these Maine deals were not read; roles come from Maine Public, the Bangor Daily News and Tribal Business News. ProPublica shows FY2025 revenue of about $329 million, so a gift to the Fund is not a gift to a tribe; money for Wabanaki-directed projects goes through other channels (see First Light).

We have not verified this organization well enough to link to it. See our donation integrity policy.

Connections

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Works with 3

Sources

  1. conservationfund.org/self-description
The record’s fields
Registry
EIN 52-1388917 (stated in conservationfund.org footer as "Federal tax ID"; ProPublica lists "The Conservation Fund A Nonprofit Corporation", Arlington VA, exempt since July 1985, FY2025 revenue about $329.4M). Donation page not checked.
Vetting notes
Role verified in Maine Public (6/26/2026) and Governor's office release (10/29/2025). EIN, donation page not checked.
Kind
Organization
Confidence
Low

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