The Colcom Foundation was founded by Cordelia S. May in 1996 in an effort to support the beauty and balance of nature. She recognized the imbalance between people and the natural world and made it her life’s mission to work for reform in this area. She recognized the impact that population growth had on the destruction of habitats. Mrs. May brought this issue to light, decades before it became a topic of public discourse. Despite passing away in 2005, Mrs. May ensured the foundation was substantially funded to continue their efforts to impact carrying capacity, the local environment, and the local community.
In the area of carrying capacity, Colcom Foundation supports family planning and immigration. Through the use of entertainment education and mass media, they were to prevent unplanned pregnancies and unwanted births rates globally. The Colcom Foundation supports the gradual shrinking of the population by 2040. This can be accomplished by reducing current immigration levels which also shrinks the ecological footprint.
In the area of environmental support, the Colcom Foundation works on conservation efforts through the Hollow Oak Land Trust, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, WeConservePA, and the Westmoreland Land Trust. They also promote education of environmental impacts, legal action against those who negatively impact the environment, and research on environmental factors and impact.
In the area of the community, the foundation also supports projects that enrich and improve the quality of life in southwestern Pennsylvania. This includes art and culture, community and economic development, education, and health and human services. The foundation supports efforts of exhibits that explore the unprecedented impact on humans.
They also promote Scenic Pittsburgh and the Grounded programs. Through summer internship programs and training programs in culinary, the foundation supports those who may experience barriers to employment. They also help pay service dogs to those in need and provide end-of-life medical care. Through leisure and recreation and public safety, they also promote parks and disaster relief. See related link to learn more.
More about Colcom Foundation on https://www.colcomfdn.org/impact/