Posted on January 14, 2012

Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas Commits $900,000 for Environmental Causes

The New York City-based Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas has announced more than $1.4 million in support for efforts to protect the environment and the rights of indigenous people, including new and continuing grants and a rollover of its $300,000 program-related investment in Root Capital.

The foundation awarded more than $900,000 in new grants, including $150,000 over two years to the Indian Law Resource Center for its efforts to secure indigenous rights as a basis for facilitating Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) projects; $150,000 over four years to Island Conservation for biodiversity conservation projects on Chile's Juan Fernandez Islands; $100,000 over two years to enable the Rainforest Alliance to launch a sustainable tourism program in Brazil; $65,000 to the University of California, Merced for its Yosemite Leadership Program; and $50,000 over two years to the Wildlife Conservation Society in support of conservation efforts on the Patagonian coast. Initially made in 2009, the PRI to Root Capital will help finance rural businesses engaged in sustainable development in Latin America.

In addition, the foundation ratified continuing multiyear commitments totaling $507,433, including awards to the New York Botanical Garden, the Amazon Conservation Association, and the American Bird Conservancy.