Colcom Foundation is an independent, nonprofit foundation headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The late Cordelia S. May established it in 1996, and a resource page on the organization’s website now lays out how its origins, mission, and conservation approach fit together. The page is written for researchers, conservation groups, policymakers, and community stakeholders in southwestern Pennsylvania, and it pairs a short history with a set of frequently asked questions.
A Mission Built on Population and Resources
According to the page, the primary mission of Colcom Foundation is to “foster a sustainable environment to ensure quality of life for all Americans” by addressing major causes and consequences of population growth and its effects on natural resources. That focus sets the organization apart from many environmental funders, which tend to concentrate on consumption habits or cleaner technology. Colcom argues that population size deserves equal attention.
The organization links this thinking to Earth Day 1970, when the environmental movement identified both overconsumption and population growth as primary causes of ecological harm. Colcom believes the second of those concerns never received the follow-through it needed, and much of its national giving aims to keep that question in front of the public.
The Foundation grounds this view in the equation I = P x A x T, developed by environmental scientists Paul Ehrlich and John Holdren. Environmental impact equals population multiplied by per capita consumption multiplied by the efficiency of technology. Under this framework, gains in consumption or technology can be offset when population keeps growing.
Two Levels of Giving
Colcom Foundation operates on two tracks. Nationally, it funds public education, research, and nonprofit organizations that study the relationship between population and the environment. Regionally, it supports conservation, environmental projects, and cultural assets across southwestern Pennsylvania. The page states plainly that the Foundation does not pay for direct political lobbying or partisan advocacy.
The resource also clarifies its own boundaries. It does not cover grant application procedures or contact details for individual grantees. Readers seeking those specifics are pointed toward other sections of the site, including a Grantee Spotlight with regional funding examples and an About page covering history and leadership. Refer to this page, for related information.
More about Colcom Foundation on https://waterlandlife.org/land-conservation/colcom-revolving-fund-for-local-land-trusts/