True North Foundation is an environmentalist grantmaking foundation, operating mostly in Alaska and the western United States. True North supports groups that oppose mining projects and advocate for cleanup of mining tailings (i.e., waste materials left over after mineral ore is processed).

Grantmaking Activities

True North supports groups that oppose mining projects and advocate for cleanup of mining tailings (i.e., waste materials left over after mineral ore is processed). It has been a longtime supporter of the Advocates for the West, an environmentalist public interest law firm that sues to stop mining and other development projects in western states. Advocates for the West and several other True North grantees, including the Idaho Conservation League (which receives $40,000 per year from True North for support of anti-mining efforts),¹ successfully opposed a proposed gold mine near Kilgore, Idaho. In May 2020, a federal judge revoked the U.S. Forest Service’s approval of the mine, likely killing the project. ²

True North also supports the Alaskans for Energy Freedom Campaign from the Alaska Conservation Foundation. The campaign opposes coal mining projects throughout Alaska with the expressed goal of “keeping Alaska’s coal in the ground.” The campaign has opposed coal mining projects in salmon habitats in Alaska. ³ It also successfully opposed a proposal to restart coal mining activities at an expansive coal seam at Wishbone Hill in Alaska’s Matanuska Valley. Despite the determination by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources that mining was economically viable and environmentally sound, the Alaska Conservation Foundation and other groups successfully sued to terminate the project’s permits. As of early 2021, no mining was taking place at the site. ⁴

True North also supports the Alaska Engagement Partnership of New Venture Fund, a left-of-center funding and fiscal sponsorship nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that incubates advocacy organizations. The Alaska Engagement Partnership is an advocacy group that seeks to galvanize public support for environmentalist causes in Alaska. ⁵

In California, True North is a longtime supporter of the Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), a Berkeley-based coalition of nonprofits and advocacy groups that opposes genetically modified crops (GMOs) and the use of pesticides in agriculture. The Anti-GMO Advocacy Tracker, a program of the Genetic Literacy Project that opposes anti-GMO activism, accuses PANNA of operating within a “conspiratorial framework.” ⁶

People

Kerry Anderson is president of True North and its leading program officer, with oversight of the foundation’s Alaskan grants. She also serves as board vice chair of the environmentalist advocacy group Earthworks, which is a True North grantee. ⁷ Anderson received a salary of $228,775 in 2019. ⁸

1. True North Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019, Part XV, Line 3; True North Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2018, Part XV, Line 3; True North Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part XV, Line 3; True North Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2016, Part XV, Line 3.
2. “Kilgore Mine Exploration in Centennial Mountains.” Advocates for the West. Accessed December 20, 2020. https://advocateswest.org/case/kilgore-mine-exploration/.
3. “A New Campaign Enlists Citizens to Keep Alaska’s Coal in the Ground.” Alaska Conservation Foundation. Accessed December 30, 2020. https://alaskaconservation.org/campaign-enlists-citizens-alaskas-coal-ground/.
4. “Wishbone Hill Mine.” Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Accessed December 30, 2020. http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/mining/coal/wishbone/.
5. “Alaska Engagement Partnership.” Chorus Foundation. Accessed December 30, 2020. https://chorusfoundation.org/what-we-fund/alaska-engagement-partnership-aep/.
6. “Pesticide Action Network.” Anti-GMO Advocacy Tracking Funder. Accessed December 30, 2020. https://anti-gmo-advocacy-funding-tracker.geneticliteracyproject.org/pesticide-action-network/.
7. “Kerry K. Anderson.” Relationship Science. Accessed December 30, 2020. https://relationshipscience.com/person/kerry-k-anderson-123266736.
8. True North Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019, Part VIII, Line 1.