Grant in the Spotlight: The Open Space Institute
Image courtesy of Neil Jordan, Open Space Institute
The Wyss Foundation is excited to spotlight a $450,000 grant to the Open Space Institute. The Institute protects land to promote clean air and water, create recreational opportunities, conserve wildlife habitat, strengthen communities, and combat the devastating effects of climate change.
Over the last fifty years, the Institute has protected more than 2.5 million at-risk and environmentally sensitive acres in the Eastern United States and Canada. The grant will help support programs like its Eastern Lands Initiative, a program aimed at conserving at-risk wildlands adjacent to existing protected open space in the Eastern United States.
“The Wyss Foundation has been a critical part of OSI’s mission—connecting and protecting vulnerable lands in the eastern U.S., where fragmentation poses a major threat,” said Open Space Institute President and CEO Erik Kulleseid. “Through its continued commitment and support over the years, the Wyss Foundation has made it possible for the Open Space Institute to conserve ecologically significant and unique landscapes, bolstering the protection of some of the east’s most treasured places.”
“The Wyss Foundation is thrilled to work alongside the Open Space Institute to protect landscapes connecting fragmented and vulnerable habitats and combating the effects of climate change,” said Molly McUsic, Wyss Foundation president. “The Institute has made an important contribution to conservation by providing imperiled wildlife with critical habitat and communities with opportunities to enjoy clear air, water, and ecologically robust landscapes.”
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About the Wyss Foundation — The Wyss Foundation is a private, charitable foundation dedicated to supporting innovative, lasting solutions that improve lives, empower communities, and strengthen connections to the land.
About the Open Space Institute — Founded in 1974, the Open Space Institute (OSI) is a national leader in land conservation and efforts to make parks and other protected land more welcoming for all.