12/1/2005 Update

The Foundation no longer has a Western Water Program.

Note: if you are a previous grantee, old letter of inquiry urls and codes will no longer function properly - please do not submit new applications or requests.

The General Service Foundation funded in the field of western water for over two decades, but in the fall of 2005, after a series of conversations and evaluations, the Foundation's Board of Directors decided to end the Western Water program.

The Foundation recognizes that the need for activism and leadership on water is great - western rivers face exploding development, over-allocation of waterways, and increasing long-term drought. We believe water could become the new gold in the West over the next few decades, and resource battles between agricultural and urban needs will intensify, placing even more pressure on rivers.

Our decision to end the water program, despite this reality, was in large part based on an evolving understanding of the exceptional contribution that long-term community organizing and base building activities make to a vibrant movement for change. We recognize the important role of supporting a strong infrastructure of community organizations working on citizen-identified priorities that are not constrained by siloed, narrow program areas. We will attempt over the coming years to create grantmaking programs that can support such perspectives.

We sincerely appreciate the great work that our grantees and colleagues have done over the past years in the field of western water. While the General Service Foundation will no longer fund in the field, we hope that our grants to build a broader, more powerful movement will help change the overall climate in the West and in the country to one that better respects the needs of our underserved communities and our environment.