Facing page: In November 2023, The J.M. Kaplan Fund began supporting American Forests’ ambitious Tree Equity work, including efforts to grow the National Tree Equity Alliance, a partnership to create a unified voice on the critical need for equitable tree canopy in communities and to pool the funding, community engagement, federal and local policy efforts, and planning expertise of the partners to advance Tree Equity across 100 cities by 2030

In November 2023, The J.M. Kaplan Fund began supporting American Forests’ ambitious Tree Equity work, including efforts to grow the National Tree Equity Alliance, a partnership to create a unified voice on the critical need for equitable tree canopy in communities and to pool the funding, community engagement, federal and local policy efforts, and planning expertise of the partners to advance Tree Equity across 100 cities by 2030.
Photo Credit: Liz Putnam / American Forests

THE J.M. KAPLAN FUND was established more than 75 years ago when Jacob Merrill Kaplan, a merchant and self-made financier, sold the Welch’s Grape Juice Company to its growers, creating an agricultural co-op that still thrives today. From the beginning, Kaplan’s philanthropic approach was to support promising leaders with early- stage big ideas. The Fund has kept this outlook throughout its seven-decade history while supporting heritage preservation, social justice causes and environmental conservation. Today, they also host the J.M.K. Innovation Prize to help seed promising organizations at their formation.

When Kaplan’s eldest daughter, Joan Davidson, became the Fund’s president in 1977 upon his retirement, she increased its conservation efforts in New York City and State. She eventually left the Fund to become New York State’s commissioner of parks, but the foundation continued to deepen its commitment to environmental causes. Today, The J.M. Kaplan Fund continues this legacy by embracing the big idea of advancing nature-based solutions to climate change and the promising leadership of pioneering organizations like American Forests.

“As a foundation that seeks to preserve nature and biodiversity, we appreciate American Forests’ efforts to open up new avenues for action that advance our priorities and multiply our impact,” says Peter Davidson, chairman of The J.M. Kaplan Fund board. “American Forests is extremely effective at moving solutions forward and bringing organizations together, ultimately growing the knowledge-base and our sector’s capacity to do work at scale.”

The Fund’s board, made up of Kaplan family members, is proud of the foundation’s long history of supporting forestry and conservation initiatives that provide important benefits for biodiversity and enhance natural resources like clean water and air. In recent years, their giving has included an additional layer of long-term stewardship, addressing the challenges of and advancing solutions to climate change.

Above right: Jad Daley, American Forests’ president and chief executive officer, moderates a panel on federal opportunities to advance natural and working lands goals at the U.S. Climate Alliance’s April 2023 Learning Labs, a collaborative event supported by The J.M. Kaplan Fund which positioned states to develop natural climate solutions strategies.

Jad Daley, American Forests’ president and chief executive officer, moderates a panel on federal opportunities to advance natural and working lands goals at the U.S. Climate Alliance’s April 2023 Learning Labs, a collaborative event supported by The J.M. Kaplan Fund which positioned states to develop natural climate solutions strategies.
Photo Credit: U.S. Climate Alliance

“We feel we have a role and a responsibility to build capacity within grassroots and large-scale nature-focused organizations to be truly forward-thinking about climate resiliency and adapting to what’s ahead,” says Elizabeth Barthelmes Wolff, a program director at the Fund. “Nature can play a proactive role here, both by storing carbon and by offering communities protection from climate change impacts, such as increased heat and flooding.”

Promoting nature-based climate solutions is also central to American Forests’ approach to conservation work, which has led to a productive partnership between the two organizations.

“There’s amazing alignment between our priorities,” says Jad Daley, American Forests’ president and chief executive officer. “We are both increasingly focused on how the health of the natural world and the stability of the climate are interrelated. This is a key perspective in planning for the future and ensuring forests can be resilient.”

The J.M. Kaplan Fund began supporting American Forests in 2019, backing its efforts to help states in the U.S. Climate Alliance move assertively on land-sector climate change mitigation and resiliency. The Fund has continued to support this work, ensuring Alliance members have the latest science and tools to understand solutions and connect with federal agencies, Congress and the White House to reach climate-related goals for natural and working lands. In November 2023, the Fund also began supporting American Forests’ ambitious Tree Equity initiative and National Tree Equity Alliance, which works to ensure the benefits of urban trees and green spaces are accessible for all.

“American Forests is a great partner because they are so committed to making sure communities stay central to the work and can access benefits from conservation projects,” says Wolff. “They are among the leading voices in the U.S. in this effort, and we value their ability to surface grassroots priorities and convene others around them.”

The J.M. Kaplan Fund focuses on supporting efforts that move the needle on restoration and addressing climate change in innovative ways, both through direct programming and policy, and strives to engage with their partners to see cutting-edge work that generates tangible impacts to help states and Congress move climate equity forward.

The J.M. Kaplan Fund focuses on supporting efforts that move the needle on restoration and addressing climate change in innovative ways, both through direct programming and policy, and strives to engage with their partners to see cutting-edge work that generates tangible impacts to help states and Congress move climate equity forward.
Photo Credit: Andrew Studer / American Forests

The J.M. Kaplan Fund’s board approaches grantmaking with similar humility, acknowledging the special expertise of those with local knowledge and the ability to leverage it for the common good. “It’s important to us that our grantees direct the work rather than us saying, ‘We think you should do it this way,’” says the Fund’s Executive Director Julia Bator. “We put our trust in great leaders and organizations to make smart decisions, and then we amplify what they do.”

The foundation also prioritizes organizations and programs that leverage funding to enable work of a larger scope, such as by unlocking federal funding for nature-based climate solutions. The Fund took special note in December 2023 when American Forests and the U.S. Forest Service announced a $20 million agreement to conduct climate-adapted reforestation within millions of acres of burned and degraded forests, enabled by the 2021 passage of the REPLANT Act. “Being able to connect with funders and projects that can open portals to public funding is particularly important to us because we’re a small foundation,” says Bator.

The foundation’s board also hopes its funding will spark new connections and additional support from other donors. These synergies have allowed American Forests, The J.M. Kaplan Fund and other stakeholders to build a vital network to help advance nature-based climate solutions that hold tremendous promise for the future.

Katherine Gustafson is a freelance writer specializing in helping mission-driven changemakers like tech disruptors and dynamic nonprofits tell their stories.