The story of the Colcom Foundation begins not in a boardroom, but in the conscience of one woman who saw a problem others were not yet talking about. Cordelia S. May founded the foundation in 1996 after more than four decades of personal commitment to the idea that human population growth and environmental health are inextricably linked.

A LIFELONG PASSION

Born in 1928, May began supporting family planning by age 23, driven by what the foundation describes as charitable concerns for the health of the natural world and its effect on human quality of life. She grasped early on that ecological systems depend on balance and that balance, once disrupted by the cumulative weight of population growth, is extraordinarily difficult to restore.

Her perspective was humanitarian rather than alarmist. She was not opposed to human flourishing; she believed that genuine flourishing required preserving the natural systems that make it possible. That conviction stayed with her for the rest of her life, eventually taking institutional form when she established the Colcom Foundation at age 68.

WHAT THE FOUNDATION DOES

Colcom Foundation’s primary mission is to foster a sustainable environment to ensure quality of life for all Americans, with a particular focus on addressing the causes and consequences of overpopulation and its adverse effects on natural resources. At the regional level, the foundation also funds conservation projects, environmental work, and support for cultural assets.

The foundation’s grantmaking is explicitly designed to reflect its founder’s humanitarian objectives, honoring her foresight and compassion alongside her practical goals.Through their grants, they have supported many organizations, such as the Center for Biological Diversity, which works towards protecting endangered species, and the Sierra Club Foundation, which advocates for clean energy and climate solutions. These grants have helped to advance important causes and support organizations that strive to make a difference.

A PROBLEM THAT HAS ONLY GROWN

The environmental problems May identified decades ago have not diminished. Aquatic and terrestrial habitat destruction, pollution, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem collapse remain pressing realities. The Colcom Foundation notes that growth-driven culture seldom frames these problems as consequences of overpopulation which makes the foundation’s work, in its view, more necessary than ever. What May saw coming, the world is now living through. Refer to this article for related information.

More about Colcom Foundation on https://waterlandlife.org/land-conservation/colcom-revolving-fund-for-local-land-trusts/