The CEK Foundation Earth Focus Initiative
A Portfolio of Highly Targeted, High Impact Eco Projects Around the Globe
Conservation efforts don’t always reach the isolated populations and places where they can do the most good.
Wildlife protection can be separated from economic realities. Habitat restoration, disconnected from community livelihoods. Action and policy sometimes operate in parallel rather than in partnership.
The Earth Focus Initiative was built differently.
EFI identifies and supports underrepresented wildlife and ecosystem projects around the world, while simultaneously empowering local communities and advancing regional environmental education — aligning environmental resilience, economic stability, and local leadership into a unified model.
An Integrated Model
Across rainforests, savannas, mountains, and coastlines, EFI protects species at risk — from Sri Lanka’s last tuskers and Kenya’s big cats to sea turtles in Mexico and sharks in Indonesia.
Conservation efforts are paired with community leadership and steered by deep levels of expertise.
Indigenous land stewards protect forests in Borneo and the Philippines. Former shark fishers in Indonesia transition into ecotourism guides. In South Madagascar, conservation-driven infrastructure supports sustainable livelihoods tied directly to ecosystem restoration. With all projects woven together by a level of stewardship that increases the impact individually and collectively.
When communities lead, ecosystems endure.
Scaling Impact
Launched in 2023 with 14 eco-focused projects across 12 partners, EFI has expanded into a multi-continent stewardship platform.
By 2024, conservation efforts spanned nine countries, placing more than 108,000 acres under government protection and strengthening Indigenous stewardship across more than 100,000 acres.
By 2025, EFI supported a total of 23 projects through 21 partners across 13 countries, broadening its work to include protection through policy change, environmental education through experiential learning for youth, and more non-traditional conservation tactics— such as companion animal and livestock welfare.
Today, impact includes:
19.2 million acres restored or protected
Hundreds of federally listed species positively impacted
Over a million seedlings planted and 5 community-owned plant nurseries built
Tens of Thousands of Indigenous and local community members engaged
EFI integrates science-based and culture-rooted conservation for long-term sustainability. By also investing in alternative livelihoods and green micro-enterprises, we generate diversified local income, reduce donor dependence, and strengthen community ownership.
Built for Durability
EFI advances conservation beyond individual grants.
It supports Indigenous land rights, national park protections, policy reform, and governance systems that safeguard ecosystems for generations.
Holistic stewardship — rooted in biodiversity protection, community leadership, and systems change — defines the path forward.
Earth Focus Initiative continues to identify under-represented species and ecosystems globally, and seeks to not only to restore them, but to make them resilient for generations to come.