Funding Priorities

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY 

We are deeply committed to grantmaking that supports fresh air, clean water, sustainable development and the urgent mission of addressing climate change. This funding includes support for organizations working on clean energy, ocean conservation, reducing environmental toxins, and important vectors like population, the rights of women and public health. 

Recent grantees include: 

• Environmental Defense Fund

• Conservation International

• The Climate Center

• Rocky Mountain Institute

• WildAid

• Population Media Center

• Rainforest Alliance

• RARE

LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY & CULTURE 

Flora was a passionate donor to the Los Angeles community, supporting numerous performing arts, music, cultural, educational, and medical institutions as well as local organizations that help the disadvantaged. Through our Los Angeles Community and Culture program we continue to support many of these institutions today, even as this work has grown to include other art forms like photography and the visual arts, and a commitment to social justice and empowering marginalized voices.

Recent grantees include:

• USC Thornton School of Music

• Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA)

• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

• Liberty Hill Foundation

• Skirball Cultural Center

• California Science Center

CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION

California is our home. We view the state as a thought and action leader, setting the example for other states and the world to do what is right for our shared planet. California Conservation supports work on efficient land use policies, marine and land preserve development, wilderness restoration and wildfire mitigation/planning. 

Recent grantees include: 

• The Nature Conservancy of California

• Greenbelt Alliance

• Sustainable Conservation

• Pepperwood Foundation

• Save the Redwoods League

• Yosemite Conservancy

NUTRITION

Flora Thornton was passionate about healthy nutrition starting three decades ago funding grants which address a wide range of nutrition research and advocacy. More recently, the trustees have expanded the giving area to include sustainable agriculture practices, dangerous levels of pesticides and residue on food, and, more broadly, other environmental toxins affecting individual health, much of which bio-accumulates in the food chain. Additionally, grants are awarded to organizations addressing equitable food distribution, community nutrition education and access, especially to underserved populations.

Recent grantees include: 

• Center for Environmental Health

• Center for Science in the Public Interest

• As You Sow

• Southern Environmental Law Center

• UCSF | SugarScience

Note that these programs are not rigid - we may choose to support other causes and other issue areas based on the interests of the trustees in creating a more equitable world.