The Disney Conservation Fund is kicking off Earth Month in a big way. On March 24, 2026, The Walt Disney Company announced it’s awarding grants to 25 organizations across 16 countries, bringing the fund’s total global conservation investment to more than $141 million since it launched in 1995.
The five spotlighted grant recipients are working collectively to protect, restore, and rewild more than 120,000 square miles of corridor habitat. That’s nearly twice the size of Florida.
“The Disney Conservation Fund embodies our Disney Planet Possible commitment to take meaningful and measurable action for a healthier, happier planet,” said Yalmaz Siddiqui, vice president of environmental sustainability at The Walt Disney Company. “These projects were selected for their ability to connect critical spaces for people and wildlife, backed by strong science, meaningful collaboration, and conservation programs co-developed with local communities.”
Five Organizations Getting Spotlight Grants
Save the Elephants is partnering with a community bordering Tsavo East National Park in Kenya to establish a Community Conservancy protecting a 12.5 square-mile corridor. The goal is to help African elephants move safely between protected areas – the same species guests can see at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The project also brings employment opportunities and livelihood programs to local communities.
Bat Conservation International is restoring migratory pathways for nectar-feeding bats across Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. Over two years, the organization will plant nearly 140,000 native agave plants to create a connected “nectar corridor” spanning 675 miles across eight stopover sites. The greater long-nosed bat, lesser long-nosed bat, and Mexican long-tongued bat all depend on these routes.
Ocean First Institute is advancing conservation of great hammerhead sharks in the Florida Keys using satellite tagging and remote underwater video. Over the next two years, the team will work to protect approximately 60 nautical miles of marine corridors within the Upper Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Monarch Joint Venture is restoring 15 miles of monarch butterfly habitat in California’s Bay Area and Central Valley, distributing roughly 6,000 native plants and engaging homeowners, farmers, and students to build community-led habitat corridors.
Proyecto Titi and Wildlife Conservation Network are working in Colombia to extend protected areas for cotton-top tamarins – one of the most endangered primates on Earth – by approximately 6 square miles. The longer-term goal is a 20-mile regional forest corridor. Cotton-top tamarins are also a fan favorite at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Part of a Bigger Earth Month Push
These grants are the opening move in Disney’s monthlong series of environmental stories running through Earth Day on April 22. Disney calls it Disney Planet Possible, and the DCF grants are one of its most tangible expressions. The fund has been active for more than 30 years.
For context on Disney’s broader social and environmental footprint, I covered the company’s decades of social impact work earlier this month. The conservation fund is one slice of a much larger commitment.
A full list of 2026 DCF grant recipients is available at disney.com/conservation. Source: The Walt Disney Company
