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- Assets: $859,153,983 (2006)
- Grants Received: $1,413,702 (2006)
- Grants Awarded: $32,808,800 (2006)
John Emory Andrus, who headed the Arlington Chemical Company, established the Surdna Foundation in 1917. The name Surdna is the family name, "Andrus," spelled backwards.
The Foundation’s grant-making has several program areas:
Environment: Asserting that “the environment is at great risk due to the interrelated threats of global climate change, biodiversity loss and unsustainable levels of resource consumption,” this program aims at "fostering a population of environmentally informed, responsible, activist citizens."
Community Revitalization: This program strives "to enhance the quality of life in urban places, increase their ability to attract and retain a diversity of residents and employers, and insure that urban policies and development promote social equity." Opposed to the phenomenon of “urban sprawl,” Surdna states: “In cities that are losing population, jobs, and wealth, we aim to abate population loss and consequent economic and racial isolation by making communities more attractive to a wide range of residents and businesses."
Effective Citizenry: This program is designed to teach young people the principles and tactics of social activism.
Arts: The Surdna Foundation funds many arts and cultural programs, focusing particularly on black and Hispanic groups. Among these beneficiaries are: Dance Africa, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Global Action Project, Urban Voices, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, the Harlem School of the Arts, and Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates.
Additional Surdna Foundation grantees include the Tides Center; Alliance for Justice; the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN); the Center for Community Change; the Ms. Foundation for Women; Public Citizen; the Environmental Defense Fund; the Endangered Species Coalition; the Urban Institute; Defenders of Wildlife; the World Resources Institute; the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy; Defenders of Animal Rights, the Rainforest Alliance; the Earth Day Network; the Sierra Club; Friends of the Earth; Human Rights First; the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund; the Southern Environmental Law Center; the National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit; Global Action Plan for the Earth; the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights; the Union of Concerned Scientists; Isles; Oceana; the Wilderness Society; the Consumers Union; the Earth Action Network; the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Network; the Earth Island Institute; the Urban Justice Center; the Trust for Public Land; the Environmental Working Group; the Environmental Support Center; the Center for Community Change; Resources for the Future; the National Religious Partnership for the Environment; the Sustainability Institute; the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights; the Worldwatch Institute; the Resource Renewal Institute; the National Environmental Trust; the National Wildlife Federation; City College of the City University of New York; Planned Parenthood; Second Nature; the Working Group; Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation; the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund; the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network; Youth Force; Make the Road By Walking; the Youth Empowerment Center; Clean Air-Cool Planet; Climate Solutions; Active Voice; Coastal Enterprises; the Campaign for Fiscal Equity; the Youth Justice Coalition; New Ecology; Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility; the Center for Teen Empowerment; the Conservation Fund; Link Media; Smart Growth America; YouthNoise; Rock the Vote; TechRocks; the National Conference for Community and Justice; Redefining Progress; the Movement Strategy Center; the Center for Resource Solutions; Council on the Environment; Action Without Borders; the Center for Clean Air Policy; the Taxpayers for Common Sense; the American Indian Neighborhood Development Corporation; the Action Evaluation Research Institute; Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation (dwellings for illegal aliens); Asian Americans for Equality; the Minnesota Project; the Search for Common Ground; Rails to Trails Conservancy; the Eco-Eco Smart Growth Forum; the Marine Conservation Biology Institute; Placematters.com; Sisters In Action for Power; Listen, Inc.; Brotherhood/Sister Sol; NatureServe; Public Radio Capital; the Child Welfare League of America; the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center; PolicyLink; Californians for Justice Education Fund; the Western Environmental Law Center; Western Resource Advocates; the National Housing Law Project; the Welfare Law Center; the International Center for Transitional Justice; Alternatives in Action; the Center for Community Self-Help; the Alaska Wilderness League; the Energy Future Coalition; the Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing; the Center for Court Innovation; City Cares of America; the Marine Fish Conservation Network; Local Initiative Support, Training and Education Network; Forest Trends; American Rivers; the Environmental Law Institute; the Izaak Walton League of America; Environmental Media Services; the Institute for Agricultural and Trade Policy; League of Conservation Voters Education Fund; the World Wildlife Fund; and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The Surdna Foundation’s Chairman Emeritus is John E. Andrus III, and its Chairman is John F. Hawkins. One of Surdna's paid consultants is Richard Mark, who is a Director of Environmental Media Services, the communications arm of the public relations firm Fenton Communications.
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