Our Office
Rainforest Foundation US is headquartered in New York City, USA
About Us
Mission
The mission of the Rainforest Foundation is to support indigenous and traditional peoples of the world’s rainforests in their efforts to protect their environment and fulfill their rights by assisting them in:
- Securing and controlling the natural resources necessary for their long term well being and managing these resources in ways which do not harm their environment, violate their culture or compromise their future; and
- Developing the means to protect their individual and collective rights and to obtain, shape and control basic services from the state.
History
More than 30 years ago, Chief Raoni of Brazil’s indigenous Kayapo people asked Sting and Trudie Styler to support the Kayapo to protect their traditional lands and culture. In 1989, Sting and Trudie established the Rainforest Foundation and spent the organization’s formative years fighting for the Kayapo people’s land rights. The collaboration led to a historic success in 1993: the legal recognition and protection of the 4,914,000 hectare Menkragnoti Territory, the ancestral lands of the Kayapo. From 1994, the Foundation started applying its approach to include similar initiatives in other parts of Brazil and South America and from 1996, it expanded operations to the rainforest regions of Africa and Indonesia.
The Rainforest Family
Today, the Rainforest Foundation is the biggest NGO working on rights-based forest protection worldwide. The Foundation is composed of three national organizations, based in Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the Rainforest Fund, which provides program support to the national organizations and to selected projects on the ground. All four share the same mission statement, vision, and values. The Foundation’s national organizations specialize in different geographies, with Rainforest Foundation US working mostly in Central and South America, Rainforest Foundation UK working mostly in the Congo Basin and Rainforest Foundation Norway operating across the tropical belt.
Rainforest Foundation US
Rainforest Foundation Norway
Rainforest Foundation UK
Combined Efforts
People
Learn more about the team behind the work of creating a vibrant future with nature and people at the core.
Learn more about the leaders and experts supporting Rainforest Foundation US to realize its vision.
Rainforest Foundation US partners with indigenous peoples’ communities and organizations in Central and South America.
Rainforest Foundation seeks dedicated advocates to join the fight against tropical deforestation.
Support Our Work
The climate crisis is an existential threat. Biodiversity loss is staggering. And human rights are in jeopardy. Your contribution can make a difference.
