The William Bingham Foundation, as part of its mission, works to promote a world that is environmentally self-sustaining. This commitment manifests itself primarily in our grants and in our investment strategy. The William Bingham Foundation has been particularly dedicated to organizations that work to protect the environment. Additionally, the Foundation has pursued a Socially Responsible Investment policy, with particular emphasis on the environment. Because there is now considerable scientific evidence to suggest that human activity on earth is contributing to global climate change, the Foundation is re-emphasizing its commitment to the environment.

In order to make the Foundation as “green” as possible, the Foundation has adopted many of the options laid forth in the publication Green Beyond Grants: Sustainable Practices for Foundations, a project of The Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA), The Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption (a workgroup of EGA), and The Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders. Specifically,

• The Foundation has made a commitment to prevent waste, which includes (but is not limited to) printing double-sided pages, removing our organization from junk-mail lists, re-using office supplies, and distributing as much as possible electronically.
• In an effort to achieve “carbon neutrality,” The Foundation has elected to buy carbon offsets for all of its travel and shipping, whether by air or ground.
• The Foundation requires that all construction grants are for projects that will receive environmental certification (see grantee guidelines for specifics). The Foundation will consider grant applications for the specific purpose of achieving and paying for certification.
• The Foundation requires all institutions of higher education to sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment to be eligible for grants.
• The Foundation requests that all prospective grantees provide information about their sustainability practices.

Sustainable practices are a priority for The William Bingham Foundation, and we hope that our efforts will contribute to minimizing global climate change.