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- Assets: $114,821,362 (2005)
- Grants Received: $31 (2005)
- Grants Awarded: $4,830,783 (2005)
Dorothy S. Bullitt, who created the King Broadcasting Company in Seattle, established the Bullitt Foundation in 1952. Denis Hayes, who was the national coordinator for the first Earth Day in 1970, is currently the Foundation's President. Hayes is a strong supporter of leftist political candidates, groups, and causes.
The Bullitt Foundation -- whose stated mission is "to protect, restore, and maintain the natural physical environment of the Pacific Northwest for present and future generations" -- directs its philanthropy almost exclusively to radical environmental organizations whose ultimate goal, as writer Michael Berliner explains, is "not clean air and clean water, [but] rather . . . the demolition of technological/industrial civilization."
In his "President's Report" on the Bullitt Foundation website, Denis Hayes gives clear voice to the very phenomenon that Berliner describes: "It is an article of faith among economic conservatives that prosperity is good for the environment. Wealthy people demand, and can afford, clean air, clean water, and parklands that the poor see as unaffordable luxuries. This argument makes a certain amount of intuitive sense. But the real-world correlation between human wealth and ecological health is ambiguous. In fact, some recent research suggests that, with regard to biodiversity, the reverse is true. A research team from the University of Alberta recently published a study comparing prosperity, as measured by per capita Gross National Product (GNP) with the number of endangered species in 100 countries. In five of seven taxonomic groups—plants, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates—the number of endangered species rose as per capita GNP increased. In other words, the richer the society, the more creatures it squeezes to the brink of extinction. Only certain birds and mammals appear able to survive the onslaught of human economic development."
The Bullitt Foundation apportions its grantmaking to several Program Areas:
a) The Aquatic Ecosystems program strives to "protect, restore, and maintain . . . aquatic resources and ecosystems"; to "promote public policies protecting wild rivers and in-stream flows"; to "strengthen compliance with administrative rules and environmental laws intended to protect aquatic ecosystems and at-risk species"; to "establish and maintain firm legal doctrine and precedents supporting protection of public trust values"; to encourage the establishment of "effective environmental coalitions and issue campaigns"; and to persuade the print and broadcast media to publicize its message.
b) The Terrestrial Ecosystems program is committed to "the protection of the forests, grasslands, high desert, and other pristine wild lands of the Pacific Northwest"; "the elimination of subsidies for destructive land management practices"; and "boycotts, shareholder resolutions, and market campaigns to create leverage for conservation action."
c) The Conservation and Stewardship in Agriculture program promotes "agricultural practices that reduce soil loss and water pollution, minimize pesticide use, conserve biodiversity, [and] promote the efficient and non-polluting use of water, as well as efforts to preserve farmland."
d) The Energy and Climate Change program seeks to "accelerate a region-wide commitment to the ultra-efficient use of energy sources that are safe, renewable, and comparatively benign in their environmental impacts"; "promote solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy development"; "advance . . . the widespread use of hydrogen and fuel cells as fundamental building blocks of the next energy era"; "dramatically reduce emissions of greenhouse gases"; and "encourage media attention to the importance of climate and other environmental impacts of outdated energy policies."
e) The Growth Management and Transportation program seeks to "minimize population growth"; advocate "land use policies that encourage most people to reside and work in urban areas"; "support efforts to implement urban growth boundaries around all major urban areas"; and "promote policies to . . . make inner cities vibrant, attractive places to live."
f) The Toxic and Radioactive Substances program "supports policies and practices that dramatically reduce the use of toxic substances in products; eliminate the release of toxic and radioactive materials into the environment; . . . [and] "help increase the effectiveness of activist groups in publicizing complex stories and situations through strategic selection of spokespersons, crafting of careful messages, and reaching the right audiences."
g) The Training, Communications, and Unique Opportunitie program assists leftist environmental organizations in their efforts to disseminate their message to the public. Toward this end, it "provides funds for training environmental leaders in such skills as fundraising, financial management, marketing, and media relations."
Among the Bullitt Foundation's recent grantees are the following organizations: the National Wildlife Federation; the Natural Resources Defense Council; the Wilderness Society; the Earth Island Institute; Environmental Media Services; the World Wildlife Fund; the U.S. Public Interest Research Group; the Tides Center; the Tides Foundation; the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund; the Environmental Defense Fund; Ecotrust; Climate Trust; the Wilderness Society; the Sierra Club Foundation; the Earth Island Institute; the Western Environmental Law Center; the Rainforest Action Network; the Center for Science in Public Participation; the Center for Environmental Law & Policy; the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund; the Environmental Support Center; ForestEthics; the Green House Network; the American Lands Alliance; American Rivers; American Farmland Trust; Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility; GREEN; Friends of the Earth; Zero Population Growth (now called Population Connection); Washington Toxics Coalition; National Public Radio (NPR); the Coalition for a Livable Future; the Northwest Environmental Defense Center; Wilderness Watch; the Earth Day Network; the Environmental Working Group; the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides; the Food Alliance; Physicians for Social Responsibility; the David Suzuki Foundation; Defenders of Wildlife; and Greenpeace International.
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