The Sierra Fund

The Sierra Fund’s mission is to restore ecosystem and community resiliency in the Sierra Nevada.

The Sierra Fund was founded in 2001 with the intent to preserve the ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada and provide health and security for the communities in the region. Based in Nevada City, the organization serves the whole Sierra Nevada region, which includes 25 million acres, and all or part of 22 rural counties.

The Sierra Fund works in three main areas. The Ecosystem Resiliency Program works to restore headwater forests, meadows, and rivers devastated by the 19th-century Gold Rush. The projects provide multiple benefits, including improved water quality, water quantity, and carbon storage.

The Environmentally Healthy Communities Program advances community health by preventing public exposure to legacy mining contaminants found in fish and dust, engaging in projects to reduce the impacts of wildfire smoke, and supporting opportunities for indigenous people to employ traditional ecological knowledge via land stewardship.

The Capacity Building Program increases and organizes public and private investment in the interest of the natural resources and communities of the headwaters to the benefit of the entire state. From a platform of environmental justice, the fund builds the visibility of the region and strengthens opportunities for collaboration across a diverse set of stakeholders.

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