The Maki Foundation is an environmentalist grantmaking foundation focused on the Rocky Mountain states. ¹ The foundation is named after the Lakota (Sioux) word for land, ground, or earth. ¹

People

It is connected to Connie Harvey, a rancher and environmentalist described by the Denver Post as “the matriarch of Aspen’s environmental community.” ^{2 3} Harvey was one of the founders of the Wilderness Workshop environmental advocacy organization, and the environmental reporting role at the Aspen Journalism nonprofit news organization is named the Connie Harvey Environment Desk in her honor. ^{4 5} Her son Mark Harvey and daughter Ann Harvey sit on the Maki Foundation’s four-member board. ^{6 7}

Another director is Clare Bastable, who is executive director of the Catena Foundation, the private grantmaking foundation created by Sam R. Walton, the grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton. ⁶

Grantmaking

Most of the Maki Foundation’s grants are in the $1,000 to $5,000 range, and it focuses its giving on smaller organizations with annual budgets below $1 million. ⁸

In 2024, the Maki Foundation provided grants to several nonprofit groups and foundations. These incuded Craighead Institute, North Rockies Research and Educational Services, People and Carnivores, Sageland Collaborative, Wildlife for All, 350 Colorado, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Eco-Integrity Alliance, Friends of Jocko, HEAL Utah, Montana Environmental Information Center, New Mexico Environmental Law Center, Park County Environmental Council, Western Colorado Alliance, Western Environmental Law Center, Western Leaders Network, Energy and Conservation Law, Great Basin Resource Watch, Western Mining Action Project, Advocates for the West, Californians for Western Wilderness, Colorado Wild Public Lands, Flathead Lolo-Bitterroot Citizens Task Force, Friends of Clearwater, Friends of the Wild Swan, Gateway Conservation Alliance, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance, Great Burn Conservation Alliance, High Country Conservation Advocates, Idaho Wildlife Federation, Quiet Use Coalition, San Juan Citizens Alliance, San Luis Valley Ecosystems Council, Sierra Club of Wyoming, Western Slope Conservation Center, Wild Connections, Wilderness Watch, Winter Wildlands Alliance, Yaak Valley Forest Council, Yellowstone to Uintas Connection, Aspen Journalism, Canyonlands Field Institute, Earth Law Center, River Source, Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, Pacific Rivers, Powder River Basin Resource Council, Selkirk Conservation Alliance, Snake River Waterkeeper, and Wilderness Workshop. ⁹

1. Maki Foundation. Accessed April 6, 2025. https://www.makifoundation.org/.
2. Best, Allen, and High Country News. “Hydro Energy Divides Aspen.” The Denver Post, June 7, 2013. https://www.denverpost.com/2013/06/07/hydro-energy-divides-aspen/.
3. Gierke, Abby. “Other Plans: Connie Harvey.” KDNK Carbondale Community Access Radio, June 29, 2022. https://www.kdnk.org/podcast/other-plans/2022-06-30/other-plans-connie-harvey.
4. Margo, Alison. “A Q&A with Wilderness Workshop Founders Connie Harvey and Joy Caudill.” Aspen Sojourner, February 22, 2024. https://www.aspensojo.com/news-and-profiles/2017/07/a-q-a-with-wilderness-workshop-founders-connie-harvey-and-joy-caudill.
5. “Aspen Journalism 2020 Annual Report.” Aspen Journalism, 2021. https://aspenjournalism.org/aspen-journalism-2020-annual-report-live_migrated/.
6. “Maki Foundation.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed April 6, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/840836242.
7. Wackerle, Curtis. “Boreal Toad Sighting May Have Impact on City Hydro.” Aspen Daily News, December 18, 2017. https://www.aspendailynews.com/boreal-toad-sighting-may-have-impact-on-city-hydro/article_d8bfae82-cb92-5e80-b5ff-9c2c90370cd5.html.
8. “Guidelines.” Maki Foundation. Accessed April 6, 2025. https://www.makifoundation.org/guidelines.html.
9. “Grantmaking Overview.” Maki Foundation, 2024. https://www.makifoundation.org/grantmaking-overview.html.