How We Fund
Patagonia supports environmental organizations with bold, direct-action agendas and a commitment to long-term change.
We support innovative work that addresses the root causes of the environmental crisis and seeks to protect both the environment and affected communities. We focus on places where we’ve built connections through outdoor recreation and through our network of retail stores, nationally and internationally.
We believe local battles to protect a specific stand of forest, a stretch of river, an indigenous wild species or a community from a polluting refinery build public support and confront larger, more complex issues like climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental justice.
We encourage work that brings underrepresented communities to the forefront of the environmental movement and defend communities whose health and livelihoods are threatened by environmental exploitation.
We support multipronged campaigns that push for greater environmental protections and force the government to abide by its own laws.
We fund work that
builds an equitable, inclusive and diverse environmental movement
confronts systemic bias, discrimination and injustice in environmental policy or outdoor spaces
is action-oriented
focuses on root causes
has a clear strategy
identifies specific goals and objectives that can be effectively measured to evaluate success
builds public involvement and civic engagement
works to build an inclusive and diverse environmental movement
takes place within the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
We do not fund
organizations that perpetuate systemic biases and discrimination based on ethnicity, race, religion, color, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, veteran, or disability status
organizations without a non-profit status or a comparable fiscal sponsor
trail creation, maintenance or restoration
any dam renovations, human-assisted fish passage infrastructure or hatchery programs
conservation easements or land acquisition
research, unless it is in direct support of a developed plan for specific action to alleviate an environmental problem
projects that are solely focused on environmental education
environmental conferences, event sponsorships or film festivals
endowment funds
political campaigns
green building projects
bike advocacy, unless the project is in direct support of a climate change solution
Patagonia believes that the most direct path to real change is through building grassroots momentum.
Our funding focuses on organizations that have or can create a strong base of support. Because we're a privately held company, we have the freedom to fund risk-taking, off-the-beaten-track groups, and that's where we believe our small grants are most effective.
We accept one proposal per group in a given fiscal year (May 1–April 30). Our typical grant size ranges between $5,000 and $15,000 Proposals are reviewed and grants decisions are made by an employee grants council in Europe.
There are two annual deadlines for this process:
May 31st (all applications received in May will receive a response by the end of August)
September 30th (all applications received in September will receive a response by the end of December)
Application Procedure
To begin the application process, click “Apply” to take the eligibility quiz and find out if your work fits within our guidelines. If your work is eligible, you will then be directed to the grant application form.
ApplyWe are forming a community of grassroots activists through skill sharing.
Patagonia’s first Tools for Grassroots Activists Conference was born out of our desire to do more than just write checks to environmental organizations. We wanted to use Patagonia’s resources to help find solutions to urgent environmental problems. We believe we’re all in this together.
Today, our Tools Conference serves activists on the front lines who are investing the long hours and defying the odds to save our home planet. We are deeply inspired by their work and hope that together we can share best practices and swap ideas on how to solve the problems they’ve identified.
