Reflections on 2024: HCF's Year End Impact Report

Reflections on 2024: HCF's Year End Impact Report

In the beginning of this year, we released our Howell Conservation Fund 5-Year Strategic Review. This report incorporated feedback from stakeholders and staff, reflected on HCF’s journey, from its inception to its present day, highlighting our successes, our challenges, and the lessons we learned along the way.

For HCF, a key takeaway was validation of our Catalytic Grantmaking approach, in which we pull together funds from individual donors, family offices, philanthropies, and other groups, and disseminate funds to organizations rolling out early-stage, innovative approaches to environmental conservation and regeneration. Our 2024-25 Catalytic Grantees are discussed below, including an overview of the impacts they had in their focus areas, with support from Howell Conservation Fund.

2024-2025 Catalytic Grant Program: Seeds of Change

The Catalytic Grant Program nurtured development and innovation across a myriad of communities, sparking essential growth in environmental initiatives. Each of our grantees has made remarkable progress in their work, from preserving ecosystems to uplifting and empowering diverse regions in need of transformative change. This year’s highlights include:

• Loon Preservation Committee (LPC): This New Hampshire nonprofit focuses on protecting loons and promoting conservation efforts through research and education. Since HCF began supporting LPC in 2018, they have worked to remove over 57,000 individual pieces of harmful lead tackle, safeguarding the lives of local wildlife and preserving vital aquatic ecosystems. 

• Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation: Based in the Gulf of Maine, their mission is to protect marine life, reduce pollution and raise awareness about marine conservation issues. With support from HCF funding, over the past three years, Blue Ocean Society’s community efforts have collectively cleared over 162,000 pieces of litter from beaches, fostering cleaner, healthier coastlines.

• Beach Collective: Beach Collective is a dynamic nonprofit working with coastal communities to restore mangroves and clean up marine debris. Mangroves are essential to protecting marine life in the Philippines, acting as natural barriers against storms and providing vital habitats for the marine species that call them home. This year, they planted 2,000 mangrove seedlings, cleared one tonne of debris and created a local job in Cebu, Philippines.

• Blue Latitudes Foundation: This forward-thinking environmental organization developed FishLAT, a tool providing key data to guide decisions on oil platform reefing and offshore wind energy. In 2024, they expanded FishLAT to include a centralized database for California, conducted outreach, and increased its use in the Gulf of Mexico, improving sustainability-focused decisions. 

• Sovereign Nature Initiative: This globally-operated nonprofit bridges environmental conservation with digital gaming by integrating real-world data into gaming platforms to raise ecological awareness. Over the past year, they launched an upgraded version of the Decentralised Ecological Economics Protocol that brings eco-data to digital creatives (DEEP Protocol), distributed 100,000 digital collectibles, and collaborated with Azerion to engage 1.2 million users in a conservation project focused on Upemba National Park. As of November 30, 2024, the Initiative has closed down, but its legacy lives on with the collaborators it supported.  This serves as an example that not every organization that HCF supports will go on to be long-term projects. 

• Theytriarchy: This initiative empowers middle and high school students to use AI to develop projects for ocean advocacy, emphasizing local action. In 2024, they launched three AI chatbot prototypes used to organize community service activities, enhance students’ confidence in tech skills, and foster action in global ocean preservation. 

• Missouri Botanical Garden - Madagascar: This multifaceted organization initiated a project that tackles reforestation, invasive species and plastic pollution in one effort. This year, they trained local communities in Madagascar to create eco-friendly planting pots, which not only reduces plastic waste but also helps to control the spread of the Melaleuca tree, which is drying up native marshlands.

• Root Solutions: This nonprofit empowers conservationists and policymakers to integrate behavioral science into environmental efforts, amplifying the impact of campaigns and policies. In 2024, with HCF’s support, Root Solutions distributed 300 copies of their guide, Making Shift Happen, to key decision-makers. This initiative aims to foster conversations and a shift in funding priorities toward behavior-informed strategies for sustainable change.

• NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY: This New York-based organization is dedicated to advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by connecting leaders and promoting environmental and social change. In 2024, HCF’s Catalytic Grant supported NGOCSD-NY’s programming, including the World Oceans Day celebration and key meetings with global changemakers. 

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Together, the incredible efforts of our Catalytic Grantees have not only protected our precious ecosystems but have set in motion waves of transformation that reach far beyond their origins. We are so proud to witness the incredible successes of our grantee family members in our collaborative efforts to restore balance, renew hope, and encourage a deeper connection between our human communities and the natural world.

A Breakthrough Year for Henderson Island

Led by our brilliant teammate, Marine Plastic Scientist, Hanna Dijkstra, 2024 marked a significant step forward in understanding plastic waste on Henderson Island. Hanna’s research illuminated new paths toward tackling the plastic crisis, reinforcing HCF’s role as a driver of impactful science. The scientific studies conducted on Henderson contributed crucial data that tracks how litter accumulates in the most remote places. Community engagement with local Pitcairn Islanders before, during and after the expedition are helping build local stewardship and ownership of collection and monitoring activities. The work received coverage by Pew Charitable Trust, NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency, and two scientific articles are planned for early 2025. 

Amplifying Our Voice: Speaking Engagements

This year, HCF’s leadership shared our vision with the world across various platforms. In February, our founder Brett Howell appeared on the Poetry of Impact podcast, where he spoke passionately about the intersection of conservation and storytelling. 

Brett also participated in Georgia Tech’s SDG Week, discussing clean tech solutions and sustainability efforts related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, Brett was featured on the Conservation Connection podcast, sponsored by EarthX, where he discussed HCF’s work removing plastics from the most polluted beach on the planet—Henderson Island. 

Brett and Kirsten Midura, our Director of Strategy & Partnerships, traveled to Austin, TX, in November to speak at the Exponent Philanthropy Conference. HCF was proud to share our expertise on the role of small seed grants in driving philanthropic innovation and highlight the importance of lean funders in venture philanthropy. 

These incredible opportunities have helped expand our network, share our message with new audiences, strengthen our impact, and continue to create visibility around the critical environmental challenges we face and the groundbreaking solutions we support. We’re honored to share the stage with such inspiring innovators! 

Staffing Updates: Growing Our Team

This year, HCF is excited to welcome Meredith Thomas as our new Communications Manager. Meredith brings years of experience in storytelling, digital marketing, and community building, with a unique poetic approach that captivates and connects audiences. Her expertise in online strategy and content creation have been crucial in our efforts to share HCF’s mission and build meaningful relationships with our supporters.

HCF also promoted Kirsten Midura to the Director of Strategy & Partnerships. In this role, Kirsten manages relationships with HCF’s Catalytic Grantees, as well as other key partners and stakeholders working in the conservation, regeneration, and philanthropic space.

Looking Ahead to 2025: A Sea of Possibilities

Bioregional Financing Facility in the Caribbean: In 2025, HCF will launch one of the world’s first Bioregional Financing Facilities (BFF) with a focus on marine regeneration in the Caribbean. As explained by Dark Matter Labs, BFFs are “a new layer in the global financial architecture that can drive the decentralization of financial resource governance, the design of project portfolios for systemic change, and the transition to a regenerative economy at the bioregional scale.”

This past year, HCF has assembled an advisory team of experts in marine regeneration, innovation, intergovernmental relations, community engagement, and finance. This group has been conducting due diligence on selecting the most appropriate “bioregion,” which is a hyper-local area where the ecological, social, and financial health of the region are highly intertwined. HCF has created a dedicated, bioregional catalytic fund specifically for this initiative, in addition to its general catalytic fund. We will share details soon about the bioregion selection, and we invite you to contribute to this next evolution of regenerative finance. For questions about the Caribbean BFF, reach out to HCF’s Director of Strategy & Partnerships, Kirsten Midura.

Catalytic Grant Renewal: After a successful 2024-25 grant year, we are rebuilding our Catalytic Grant in order to fund the next round of grantees, including continued grantmaking to past and existing grantees. If you would like to learn more or contribute to HCF’s Catalytic Fund, please reach out to HCF’s Executive Director, Brett Howell.

Loliware: As one of HCF’s mission-aligned, for-profit investments, Loliware has reached key milestones in 2024. This year, they launched a new Sea Tech resin grade for injection molding, secured major licensing agreements, and established an exclusive contract with Ravago/Entec, the world’s leading plastic resin distributor. Loliware’s advancements in sustainable materials technology are setting new standards in reducing plastic waste and aligning with HCF’s commitment to environmental innovation.

CRDC Foundation: In 2024, CRDC achieved a major milestone by transitioning to an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, marking HCF’s first successfully launched fiscal sponsorship project. CRDC’s innovative RESIN8™ technology transforms non-recyclable plastics into sustainable building materials, which are now being used in infrastructure projects like repairing potholes in South Africa. This year, CRDC expanded its global presence by participating in high-profile events such as New York Climate Week and the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit, raising awareness for sustainable solutions in construction and paving the way for further market uptake.

A Moment to Celebrate Our Amazing Partners, Donors & Funders

As we look toward 2025, we’re filled with gratitude for everyone who has supported our journey throughout the year. To our donors, partners, and the community of supporters behind initiatives like the Henderson Island expedition, we couldn’t achieve these milestones without you. Thank you to all who have hosted us on various platforms and stages this year—your collaborations continue to amplify our mission and expand our reach.

Thank You for Being Part of This Journey

As 2024 reaches a close, we are filled with gratitude for everyone who has walked this path with us. Your support has been the foundation of our work and inspires us to continue to keep striving toward lasting change. We look forward to continued work with like-minded collaborators and welcoming new partnerships, supporting each one in reaching their full potential. Together, we are excited to drive conservation forward and shape a sustainable future.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to support our efforts, you can do so through this link. Let’s continue writing this story of change together!