Championing land, water, oceans, and the people protecting natural resources for future generations

Driving tangible results in environmental conservation

The Moore Charitable Foundation is committed to effective environmental conservation and community stewardship through strong partnerships. With our partners, we are preserving open land and healthy forests, ensuring clean water, advancing marine area and species protections, and fostering future generations of conservation and community stewards.

Healthy Oceans

Formal protections cover just five percent of oceans, lagging well behind similar protections for land, leaving marine areas vulnerable to rampant development, overfishing, pollution, and climate change. The Moore Charitable Foundation partners with organizations mitigating these threats by advancing conservation outcomes for species, habitats, and communities, including protected and sustainable marine zoning and policy, augmented fishing protections, and effective enforcement.

Advocating for Clean Water and Air Near North Carolina’s Hog Farms

Despite promises made two decades ago to develop cleaner and more sustainable animal waste systems, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) throughout North Carolina still use the antiquated lagoon and sprayfield method to dispose of waste. Newer methods for waste management—such as directed biogas projects—cause even greater harm to North Carolina’s waterways, land, wildlife, and communities. The Moore Charitable Foundation partners with champions who take polluters head-on through research, advocacy, community mobilization, and, if necessary, litigation.

Protecting Scenic, Historic and Natural Landscapes to Help Wildlife and Surrounding Communities

Faced with population growth, development pressure, energy infrastructure, extreme weather, and a changing climate, The Moore Charitable Foundation is committed to strategic partnerships that conserve open spaces and advance forest health to safeguard our natural environment and to ensure diverse species and abundant ecosystems for future generations.

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Preventing Deforestation

Though often described as a green or renewable fuel and a viable alternative to coal, the science has proven otherwise: wood pellet combustion is an overall net negative for the environment. From North Carolina to Mississippi, the largely unregulated biomass industry clearcuts wetlands and forests, leading to harmful air and water pollutants in many vulnerable communities. The Moore Charitable Foundation works with organizations to safeguard America’s southern forests and communities from the biomass industry.

Revitalizing Forests and Keeping Communities Safe with Prescribed Fire

The Moore Charitable Foundation promotes the use of prescribed burning to restore forests, maintain clean water and lower the risk of wildfire. Prescribed burning is the practice of deliberately setting and carefully managing fires under strict conditions approved and monitored by firefighting professionals. A centuries-old tradition, today the practice is used to protect and refresh forests by removing the dense vegetation build-up in a forest’s understory that fuels large wildfires. This also allows for indigenous plants and wildlife to thrive, restoring a more natural and diverse ecosystem.

Latest News

MCF-supported conversation award selects finalists in New Mexico

The New Mexico Leopold Conservation Award is an annual recognition of agricultural landowners who take a conservation-forward approach to their ranching operations. The finalists include JX Ranch in Quay County, whose owners have adopted innovative grazing practices and increased ground cover, leaving less sediment in the air and water

MCF-supported NFWF grants made to support longleaf pine restoration

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced the allocation of $18 million in conservation grants from the Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund (LLSF) to rebuild longleaf pine forests across the Southern U.S. The Orton Foundation, the North Carolina affiliate of the Moore Charitable Foundation, is proud to aid, through

Louis Bacon Named Conservationist of the Year By North Carolina Wildlife Federation

The North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) recently announced conservation philanthropist Louis Bacon as Conservationist of the Year as part of its 59th Annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards. Bacon, the founder of The Moore Charitable Foundation and the Orton Foundation, its North Carolina affiliate, is among 18 honorees recognized for their

Years

Number of years The Moore Charitable Foundation has been driving conservation impact

199

Grantees

Number of grantees in land, water, marine, and community initiatives The Moore Charitable Foundation is proud to have supported last year

234

Square Kilometers

Size of marine reserve around British Overseas Territory Ascension Island, secured with partners and our support

29
Years

Number of years The Moore Charitable Foundation has been driving conservation impact
199
Grantees

Number of grantees in land, water, marine, and community initiatives The Moore Charitable Foundation is proud to have supported last year
234
Square Kilometers

Size of marine reserve around British Overseas Territory Ascension Island, secured with partners and our support

“We are grateful to The Moore Charitable Foundation for partnering with us to defend our state’s precious natural riches.” — Derb Carter, Director, Southern Environmental Law Center, North Carolina