| Founded | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Focus | Conservation Community Development Indigenous People |
| Location | |
Area served | Amazon and Tropical Andes |
Key people | Tyler Gage, Eliot Logan-Hines, Dan MacCombie |
| Revenue | US$833,134 (2016) |
| Website | http://www.runafoundation.org |
Runa Foundation is a public, non-profit organization with offices in Brooklyn, NY; Quito, Ecuador; Archidona, Ecuador; and Tarapoto, Peru. Runa Foundation's stated mission is to "create new value for tropical forests that benefit local people and the forest ecosystem". [1] Runa Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation registered in the state of Rhode Island.
Runa Foundation was co-founded in 2010 by Tyler Gage, Dan MacCombie, and Eliot Logan-Hines. [2] [3] [4] Runa Foundation was created as the non-profit arm of the Runa Group which is a hybrid social enterprise consisting of both non-profit and for-profit arms. [5] [6] Runa's innovative model is designed to create big impact through the creation of new supply chains, [7] while simultaneously assuring that these supply chains deliver tangible social and environmental benefits [8] [9] to local farmers and the forest. [10] [11]
In 2013, actor Channing Tatum became a major supporter of Runa Foundation after a long adventure into the Ecuadorian Amazon to visit the Sapara people. [12] [13]
Landscapes Program – This program looks at the intersection between agriculture, forestry, and conservation using a holistic landscape approach. [14] Runa Foundation focuses particularly on the use of agroforestry [15] [16] and sustainable forest management as tools to conserve biodiversity and natural ecosystems. This program also includes projects related to reforestation, wildlife management, [17] GIS mapping, territorial mapping, and assuring indigenous land rights.
Livelihoods Program – This program focuses on improving the livelihoods of local people through income generation, [18] capacity building workshops, and financial literacy training. [19] [20] This program specifically targets farmers associations or cooperatives to support them in Fair Trade certification. [21] [22]
Plant Research – Runa Foundation works with indigenous groups in the Amazon to document and research their vast knowledge of medicinal plant uses. [23] [24] Runa Foundation has also helped to support the creation of PlantMed.Org dedicated to the creation of Amazonian research clinics in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon. [25]
Education – Runa Foundation provides educational opportunities for future social entrepreneurs and environmental leaders through its internship program. [26] Runa Foundation has partnered with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito [27] and the Yale School of Forestry [28] to conduct ongoing research related to forest conservation and agroforestry management. In 2014, Runa Foundation established a research fellowship with Yale University's Tropical Resources Institute. [29]
Runa Foundation is primarily funded from government grants, private foundations, and individual contributions. In 2014, Runa Foundation's total revenue was US$978,000. [30]
Funders of Runa Foundation include:
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