Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation

History

In 1987, Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg went on a wildlife safari to Kenya and Tanzania and later formed the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation to support conservation efforts. ¹ The Foundation was formed in 1987 to benefit both wildlife and local people. ¹

Projects

The Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation provides a substantial portion of its funding to wildlife projects in developing countries. ² The Foundation is also active domestically in the northern Rocky Mountain states with an emphasis on Montana, southern Canada, and surrounding states. ²

In sub-Saharan Africa, the Foundation has provided over $11.5 million in funding since 1987 focusing on population management, development and implementation of management plans, law enforcement, and strategies. ³ Since 1991, the Foundation has provided Madagascar with over $4.5 million to provide management and governance of protected lands, community development, law enforcement, and ecological resiliency. ⁴

In Asia, the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation has provided over $13 million to help restore the wild tiger population in India, Thailand, Sumatra, Malaysia, China, and Russia. ⁵ In Central and South America, the Foundation has given over $4.7 million to support the jaguar population. ⁶ The Foundation provides funding for the monitoring and research of habitats and jaguar corridors, advocating for the protection of protected areas and corridors, and improvements to ranching practices to minimize contact with humans. ⁶

Since 1990, the Foundation has provided over $18.5 million in funding to the Rocky Mountain region of the United States and Canada. ⁷ Funding is used to provide advocacy, environmental education, and conservation science for all types of mammals including the grizzly bear and American bison. ⁷

Grantmaking

The Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation provides grants for wildlife and lands provided five conditions are met: sound ecological information, well-managed protected areas and viable wildlife corridors, supportive government agencies and public policy, supportive local communities, and sustainable and diverse sources of financial support. ⁸

Selected grants made by the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation include the Wildlife Conservation Society to protect tigers in Asia; to protect elephants, great apes, and other species from illegal hunters in Sub Saharan Africa; to secure new coastal protected areas in Argentina; and to protect rain forests in Madagascar. ⁹ In the northern Rocky Mountain region, the Foundation has worked with the left-leaning National Wildlife Federation to secure easements on private land for wildlife and end grazing leases. ⁹ The Foundation supports local non-government organizations in the Rocky Mountain region such as the Wilderness Society to promote wilderness advocacy, watershed protection, forest planning, community engagement, land conservation, and environmental education. ⁹

Financials

In 2021, the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation had assets of $267,561,774. ¹⁰ According to the organization’s tax returns, in 2021 the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation recorded $27,441,084 in revenue and $8,224,569 in expenses. ¹⁰ In 2020, the Foundation raised $11,296,700 in revenue and $8,109,404 in expenses. ¹¹

Leadership

Kent Wommack has been the executive director of the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation since 2016. ¹² From 1991 to 2016, Wommack held various positions with the Nature Conservancy. ¹³ Since 1994, almost every political donation made by Kent Wommack went to Democratic candidates including Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. ¹⁴