"Grantseekers should note that unlike most foundations, Tides Canada does not have an endowment. Rather, all foundation grants will be made on the recommendation of our donor clients, through their donor advised funds."
- Tides Canada, stated at Charity Village
U.S. tax returns and on-line records indicate that since 2000, U.S. foundations have granted at least $62 million to Tides Canada Foundation.
The largest share of that went to endow the Coast Conservation Endowment Fund Foundation (CCEEF) which is also known as the "Coast Opportunity Funds." The CCEFF is dedicated to First Nations but only along the north coast of British Columbia. The largest grant made by Tides Canada, according to U.S. tax returns, was a payment of $27.3 Million to the CCEFF. The stated purpose of this grant was "to fund conservation planning projects and conservation initiatives of the Nuxalk and Lax Kwal'aams First Nations."
Of the $62 million paid to Tides Canada by American foundations, 80 percent came from three foundations: the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation and the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation. The U.S. Tides Foundation, the parent organization of Tides Canada, has granted at least $4.4 million directly to Tides Canada. The Bullitt Foundation, the Brainerd Foundation, the Wilburforce Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation and the Packard Foundation have all funded projects of Tides Canada through Tides U.S.
In general, these American foundations do not accept unsolicited proposals. In other words, they have ideas of their own. The Moore Foundation clearly states that unsolicited proposals are not accepted. The Hewlett foundation accepts unsolicited letters but clearly states, "Only on very rare occasions are grants awarded in response to (these) unsolicited funding inquiries." The Packard foundation accepts unsolicited proposals for some programs but not for the Marine Fisheries Program which has provided much of the funding to B.C. environmental organizations funded by Packard. The fact that Tides Canada's big American funders do not accept unsolicited proposals raises a fair question: Who's calling the shots? Tides Canada or its American funders?
For the spreadsheet on which the figure and the table is based, click here.
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Updated September 28, 2011.
