Endow
The Harlan Creek parcel, Mendocino County — photographed 1987.
The land that started everything.
Our Founding
A single stand of oak.
Twenty years of consequence.
In 1987, Margaret and Thomas Harlan placed 340 acres of Northern California coastal watershed into permanent conservation easement rather than sell to timber interests. The act was quiet. No press release. No naming ceremony. Just a decision that something older than their ambitions deserved to outlast them.
Endow was incorporated in 2004 to carry that logic forward — applying the same patience to rural schools, working artists, and the communities that hold landscapes together. We make grants that take a decade to fully understand, because the things worth protecting rarely announce themselves quickly.
"We are not in the business of impact metrics. We are in the business of staying long enough to see what grows."
— Margaret Harlan, Founder
$48.2M
Total assets (FY 2025)
312
Grants awarded since 2004
97%
Payout rate (5yr avg)
Our Programs
Three programs. One long horizon.
Grant History
A living record
of every check we've written.
FY 2025
Most recent 990
$3.1M
Grants paid out
4.8%
Admin expense ratio
$48.2M
Net assets
Year
Grantee & Purpose
Program
Location
Amount
Klamath Basin Land Trust
Permanent conservation easement on 1,240 acres of riparian corridor
Klamath Basin Land Trust
Permanent conservation easement on 1,240 acres of riparian corridor
Lorena Quintanilla
Two-year fellowship — textile documentation of indigenous weaving lineages
Lorena Quintanilla
Two-year fellowship — textile documentation of indigenous weaving lineages
Wallowa Valley Schools Consortium
Three-year operating support for rural STEM and place-based learning
Wallowa Valley Schools Consortium
Three-year operating support for rural STEM and place-based learning
Coast Range Mycological Society
Baseline biodiversity survey and long-term forest health monitoring
Coast Range Mycological Society
Baseline biodiversity survey and long-term forest health monitoring
Devin Hargrove
Two-year fellowship — oral history and sound archive of Delta blues communities
Devin Hargrove
Two-year fellowship — oral history and sound archive of Delta blues communities
Trinity County Public Library
Digital literacy and broadband access infrastructure for rural patrons
Trinity County Public Library
Digital literacy and broadband access infrastructure for rural patrons
Umpqua Watershed Council
Salmon habitat restoration and riparian buffer planting across 18 miles
Umpqua Watershed Council
Salmon habitat restoration and riparian buffer planting across 18 miles
Priya Subramaniam
Two-year fellowship — photographic study of agricultural diaspora
Priya Subramaniam
Two-year fellowship — photographic study of agricultural diaspora
Showing 8 of 312 grants. Full archive searchable in the Grant Library.
Grantee Voices
What grows when
you stop rushing.
"Endow gave us two years to do nothing but listen. No deliverables, no check-ins, no proof-of-concept. Just time in the field. That kind of trust changes what you make."
Lorena Quintanilla
Arts Fellow, 2024–2026
Field Notes
Dispatches from the work.
Twice a year, no more.
Field Notes is a biannual letter from our program officers — site visits, grantee updates, and what we're learning from the land. No fundraising, no metrics theater. Just honest reporting from people paying close attention.
Endow publishes its full 990, grant guidelines, and board governance documents publicly. No login required. If you're benchmarking peer foundations, our materials are available without a request. Browse the archive →