Free funder guide · Utah · Last checked 27 September 2026
Which Utah environmental funders actually accept applications
Most private foundations in Utah have already told the IRS they won't read your proposal. This page explains how to spot them, and lists 15 secular funders of environmental and conservation work in Utah that do take applications, with what they fund, what they have given, and when they next open.
Most Utah foundations that take applications and made environmental grants also gave to a church, a religious school or another faith-based charity in their latest filing, so no Utah-based private foundation is on this list. It leans on state and federal programs, regional public funders, two community foundations and out-of-state foundations that already fund Utah conservation groups.
From my own read of IRS filings, September 2026
In Utah, 237 of the 303 private foundations with $1 million or more in assets tick the box on their tax return saying they don't accept unsolicited requests. That is 78%.
That leaves 66 larger Utah foundations that say they will read an application. It is a higher share of closed doors than in Virginia (71%, 586 of 820), Maryland (76%, 559 of 739) and Colorado (77%, 539 of 702), counted the same way.
How I counted: every private non-operating foundation with a Utah address on the IRS Exempt Organizations Master File (September 2026 release) reporting assets of $1 million or more, checked against its most recent e-filed Form 990-PF (tax years 2022 to 2026, almost all 2024 or 2025). Operating foundations, which mostly run their own programs, are left out, as they were for Virginia, Maryland and Colorado. Counting them too gives 78% (265 of 338).
What the checkbox means
One small box on the tax return tells you whether to bother.
Every private foundation files Form 990-PF with the IRS each year. Part XIV, line 2 of that return has a checkbox. A foundation that ticks it is telling the IRS, in writing, that it chooses its grantees itself. A proposal sent to it is usually wasted work.
"Check here if the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."Form 990-PF, Part XIV, line 2
A foundation that leaves the box empty has to fill in lines 2a to 2d instead: who receives applications, what form they should take, any deadlines, and any limits on who or what it funds. For many small family foundations, those four lines are the only published guidelines they have.
The box does not tell you whether a foundation funds your kind of work. For that, read line 3a, the list of grants it actually paid. Check both before you write a letter of inquiry. Any foundation's return can be read free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
15 funders
Open to applications, and funding environmental work in Utah.
Every funder below is secular, says it accepts applications (on its website or its tax return), and has paid grants to environmental or conservation groups in its most recent filing. Government programs are the exception: they file no tax return. Community foundations are listed by the program that fits environmental groups. Grant examples come from each funder's latest IRS filing unless the funder's own site is named.
Verified date on the funder's own site on 27 Sept 2026Expected based on last cycle; next not yet postedRolling applications any timeFiling only no website; from the tax return, confirm firstCheck site next date not posted; open their page
Statewide and regional public grantmakers
01
Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust: Wetland Grants
Salt Lake City · wetlands and habitat around Great Salt Lake
The state-funded trust run by the National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy, with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, pays for projects that protect or restore wetlands and habitat around Great Salt Lake to benefit the lake's hydrology. Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations can apply as lead applicant.
Typical grant
Its 2026 round offered up to $3 million in total (its site). 2023 awards on its site include Ducks Unlimited $1,153,637 (Farmington Bay) and The Nature Conservancy $789,443 (West Layton Marsh); all three 2026 awards went to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources ($1,659,192.50 in total).
Next deadline
The 2026 round closed January 16, 2026 and no new round is posted Check site. It takes informal indications of interest for future projects by email.
How to apply
Email [email protected] for the application, budget template and conflict of interest form, and return them by email. For a project not yet ready, send a paragraph and a cost estimate as an indication of interest.
Utah Division of Water Quality: Nonpoint Source Grants
Salt Lake City · statewide
State and federal (Clean Water Act section 319) grants for voluntary projects that cut polluted runoff: stream, riparian and wetland restoration, low-tech process-based restoration, stormwater green infrastructure, watershed planning, monitoring, education and staff support for watershed groups. The page describes projects rather than applicant types, so confirm eligibility with the coordinator before applying.
Typical grant
State grants: about $1 million a year, up to $150,000 per project, 10% match recommended. Federal 319 grants: about $900,000 to $1 million a year, no per-project limit, 40% non-federal match, and an accepted nine-element watershed plan is required (its site).
Next deadline
Federal 319 applications are taken September to November with selection in December; state grants January to March with selection in April (its standing schedule). Exact 2026 to 2027 closing dates are not posted Expected.
How to apply
Online application forms linked from the grant portal page, one for state grants and one for 319 grants. Contact Paul Burnett, Nonpoint Source Program Coordinator, early.
State matching money for the purchase of perpetual agricultural conservation easements, run by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food's Land Conservation Board. Nonprofit land trusts can apply; the fund pays only for the easement itself, and priority goes to irrigated land with prime soils.
Typical grant
$850,000 available per year; matching funds required (2026 notice). The fund reports $27,413,016 in grants since 1999 protecting nearly 100,000 acres (its site).
Next deadline
Applications are taken all year Rolling and reviewed once a year after the August 31 batch deadline. The 2026 batch closed August 31, 2026, so the next is about August 31, 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Submittable portal linked from the program page. The program suggests a pre-application consultation with Jeremy Christensen, Land Conservation Program Manager.
Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR): Grants Program
Salt Lake City · statewide
Grants for projects that cut the pollutants behind Utah's winter inversions and summer ozone, in fixed categories: education, outreach and arts; building and home energy efficiency; transportation and mobility; innovation; and electric lawn equipment. Open to any Utah-based nonprofit, with priority for projects that benefit underserved communities.
Typical grant
2026 category maximums: $15,000 education and outreach, $20,000 energy efficiency, $25,000 transportation, $20,000 innovation, $10,000 lawn equipment (its site). Grants in its filing for the year to June 2025 include Utah Clean Energy $20,000 and Utah State University $15,000.
Next deadline
2026 round: packets released March 1, applications due April 12, 2026, awards in June. Next round about March to April 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Application packet on the grants page; no letter of intent is needed.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund
Washington, DC · state-identified big-game focal areas in Utah and ten other western states
Restoring winter range, stopover areas and migration corridors for elk, mule deer and pronghorn: removing encroaching trees from sagebrush, treating invasive plants, wildlife-friendly fencing and conservation easements. Nonprofits can apply for the main track (Option A) with a support letter from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources director's office.
Typical grant
The most competitive grants are at least $100,000, with a 1:1 non-federal match (2026 request for proposals). Utah grants in its filing for the year to September 2025, which does not name the program: Bear River Land Conservancy $65,180 (mule deer habitat on Bear River rangelands), Grand Staircase Escalante Partners $139,370, Ogden Nature Center $23,351 (wetlands in the Weber watershed).
Next deadline
About April 2027 Expected. The 2026 round closed April 21, 2026; the 2027 request for proposals is not posted yet.
How to apply
Full proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system, with the state wildlife agency letter; it offers a contact for applicants who struggle with the match.
National Forest Foundation: Matching Awards Program
Missoula, MT · projects on Utah's national forests
The foundation's main competitive program for community engagement and stewardship on national forest land, such as volunteer restoration, trail and watershed stewardship, and youth crews. Open to nonprofits, tribes and universities.
Typical grant
Range not stated on the page; federal pass-through money with a 1:1 non-federal match. Utah grant in its filing for the year to September 2025, which does not name the program: Trails Utah $16,650 (conservation and community engagement).
Next deadline
Two rounds a year. The latest (Round 2 of 2026) ran May 27 to July 9, 2026; the next round is not posted yet Check site.
How to apply
Follow the request for proposals posted for each round on the program page.
Bureau of Reclamation: WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program
Utah and 16 other western states
Funding for watershed groups to organize, write a watershed restoration plan and design projects. An existing watershed group incorporated as a nonprofit can apply, and a nonprofit can apply to sponsor a new group.
Typical grant
Up to $100,000 a year for up to three years, with no cost share (its site). The Weber River Partnership was selected in 2024.
Next deadline
Four closing dates under the current notice: October 7, 2026; February 24, 2027; September 1, 2027; February 15, 2028 Verified.
How to apply
Apply to funding opportunity R26AS00349 through Grants.gov; the program page links a recorded July 2026 applicant webinar.
The Conservation Alliance: Member Collective Grants
North America, including Utah
Outdoor-industry companies pool money for grassroots groups working on long-term protection of land and water, landscape-scale restoration, and management planning for protected places. It says it is unlikely to fund general stewardship, outdoor or environmental education, research or events.
Typical grant
Invited applications of up to $50,000 (its site). Its 2026 Member Collective awards included Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition $50,000.
Next deadline
Once a year. The 2026 inquiry window ran March 2 to April 10, 2026, with invited applications April 27 to May 15. Next inquiry window about March 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Submit the inquiry form during the open call; the grant director contacts eligible groups and invites some to apply through the online portal. Member companies then vote.
Unrestricted grants to nonprofits serving Summit County; conservation and environment is one of the named areas of support.
Typical grant
$2,500 to $15,000 (its site). Environmental grants in its 2024 filing include Recycle Utah $93,610, Summit Land Conservancy $38,260, Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter $18,115 and Mountain Trails Foundation $14,950 (the filing does not separate Community Fund grants from donor-advised gifts).
Next deadline
Once a year. The 2026 round ran June 8 to July 10, 2026, with decisions on August 21. Next round about June 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Online application through the foundation's grants portal.
Eden · Ogden Valley (Huntsville, Eden and Liberty)
A small, volunteer-run foundation that has made one-time project grants to Ogden Valley nonprofits for two years running, including land conservation and trails. Guidelines are not posted online.
Typical grant
2026: eight grants totaling over $60,000, including Ogden Valley Land Trust $8,500 (a conservation easement) and Eden Valley Trails $10,000 (trail crossing culverts) (its site).
Next deadline
2026 requests were taken early in the year and awarded June 4, 2026; 2027 dates are not posted Check site.
How to apply
Email the board at [email protected] to ask for the current guidelines.
Carbondale, CO · Utah and five other Rocky Mountain states
Small grants to grassroots groups protecting wild lands, rivers, wetlands, biodiversity and public lands. It rarely funds groups with budgets over $1 million and does not fund buildings, recreation facilities or parks, tree planting, recycling or wildlife rehabilitation.
Typical grant
Most awards $1,000 to $5,000 (its site). Utah grants in its 2025 filing: Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah $5,000, Yellowstone to Uintas Connection $5,000, Sageland Collaborative $4,000, Canyonlands Field Institute $3,500.
Next deadline
Once a year; the 2026 deadline was April 30. Next deadline about April 30, 2027 Expected.
How to apply
New applicants email a brief letter of inquiry first; past grantees send the application form and narrative as two PDFs by email.
San Francisco, CA · the interior West, including Utah
About 70% of its giving protects rivers, wildlands and wildlife in the Rocky Mountain states, the Colorado Plateau and Alaska, mostly through smaller groups that use research, policy work, advocacy and litigation. It warns that it has a very limited budget for new applicants and does not usually fund land or easement purchases, trail building or tree planting.
Early-stage funding for scientifically grounded climate projects whose results will be public, including adaptation and climate communication. A fit for climate groups with a project ready to launch.
Typical grant
$25,000 to $100,000 (its site). Utah grants in its 2025 filing: Utah Film Center (for The Here Now Project) $38,000, Unthinkable $10,000.
Next deadline
Letters of inquiry any time, reviewed within 45 days Rolling. Full proposals by invitation.
How to apply
Letter of inquiry through the form on its grants page, with a PDF project overview.
Small grants for education, leadership and skill-building work tied to what it calls Nature's Commons: clean air and water, forests, oceans and wildlife. It suggests an introductory email before a full application.
Typical grant
Its 2025 filing shows 10 grants totaling $72,850. Examples: Great Old Broads for Wilderness $15,000, Youth Garden Project (Moab) $7,580.
Next deadline
No deadlines; it reviews applications as they arrive and answers within four weeks (its site) Rolling.
How to apply
Email [email protected] to introduce the project, then send the downloadable application (cover letter, summary sheet, narrative of four or five pages, budgets and attachments).
Denver, CO · Colorado and the West, including Utah
No website; everything here comes from its 2024 tax filing. A small foundation whose conservation grants go to western working-lands and land trust groups.
Typical grant
Six grants in 2024. Conservation examples: Western Landowners Alliance $25,000, Colorado West Land Trust $10,000, Utah Open Lands $5,000.
Next deadline
None stated Filing only.
How to apply
Request the grant application form from the board of directors, c/o Johnson Financial Group, 1144 15th Street, Suite 3950, Denver, CO 80202 (per its filing).
It is not exhaustive and it is not a ranking. Deadlines and guidelines change, so open each funder's own page before you start. Grants are competitive, and past grant sizes describe what a funder gave, not what it will give you. I list secular funders only.
The full version
Want this done for your own organization?
A Funding Roadmap ($1,200, flat fee) gives you ten to fifteen funders matched to your mission, place and size, the grants each one paid to groups like yours, how to apply, and a 12-month grant calendar. Every deadline is labeled the same way as on this page.
Email me your organization's name, rough budget and what you'd like funded. You'll get a written reply within two business days.
You fill in a short intake questionnaire, then answer one round of written follow-up questions.
About three weeks later you get the roadmap, a two-page note on how to use it, and 14 days of email questions.
Everything happens in writing. There are no calls or meetings.