What We Do

Earth Island is a fiscal sponsor to a vibrant network of more than 75 groundbreaking activist projects working to protect the planet and all species that live on it. The organization also includes a legal division, Earth Island Advocates, a youth leadership program, New Leaders Initiative, and an award-winning magazine, Earth Island Journal.

Project Support

Earth Island’s project support program is at the heart of our mission to conserve, preserve, and restore the environment. We provide fiscal sponsorship, resources, training, technical assistance, and peer relationships to environmental activists looking for an organizational home and institutional leverage for their work. Our goals are to strengthen the capacity of each project to effectively address environmental issues, create synergy between activists working on similar topics, and allow project directors to focus their energy on their campaigns and programs. Please visit the Project Support Program page and the Project Network page on our website for more information.

Earth Island Advocates

Earth Island Advocates, our legal arm, is on a mission to protect irreplaceable resources, wild spaces, and wildlife that are critical to a healthy planet. Advocates achieves this mission by combining the knowledge and expertise of our grassroots project network with the pro bono resources of law firms, legal clinics, and nonprofit organizations. This model creates a unique and highly-effective relationship between the lawyers who advocate in the courts, and the environmental activists who dedicate their efforts to a wide array of specific issues. Please visit the Earth Island Advocates page on our website for more information.

New Leaders Initiative

Earth Island’s New Leaders Initiative (NLI) helps develop environmental leadership by recognizing, supporting, and celebrating emerging environmental leaders in North America. We raise their voices, honor their achievements, and provide them with the skills, resources, and relationships to lead effective campaigns and projects. NLI also works at the community level to build youth involvement in issues of environmental protection and social justice. Since 2000, the program has produced the premier annual national awards program for young environmental leaders, the Brower Youth Awards. Please visit the New Leaders Initiative page on our website for more information.

Earth Island Journal

Earth Island has been committed to publishing quality, investigative journalism that explores the connection between the environment and other social issues. Earth Island Journal’s unique mix of investigative reporting, commentary, essays, and art provides the information and analysis you need to stay informed and help create a more environmentally sustainable society. Please visit the Earth Island Journal page on our website for more information.