Anheuser-Busch Foundation Provides More Than $1.8 Million for The Nature Conservancy Projects That Promote Healthy Rivers in the American West

The grant aims to improve water quality and availability in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Los Angeles, California through three key TNC projects

MARCH 22, 2021 - In celebration of World Water Day, the Anheuser-Busch Foundation today announced a 3-year grant to The Nature Conservancy (TNC) - totaling over $1.8 million - to help increase the quantity and improve the quality of water available to nurture natural ecosystems and communities in the western United States.

The collaboration, which began in 2019, specifically aims to improve the health of river systems important to the communities of Fort Collins, Colorado and Los Angeles, California through conservation projects along the Cache la Poudre (“Poudre”), Big Thompson, Los Angeles, and Colorado Rivers. 

“The Anheuser-Busch Foundation is proud to support the work of The Nature Conservancy in protecting our watersheds,” said Julio Suárez, Anheuser-Busch Foundation. “By investing in this critical resource that helps to sustain growing cities, farms, businesses, and ecosystems, we can help build stronger, more resilient communities.”

Supporting these projects builds on AB InBev's global partnership with the Nature Conservancy and aligns with the brewer's 2025 Sustainability Goals including its water stewardship goal that commits to have 100% of its facilities engaged in water efficiency efforts and 100% of its communities in high-stress areas having measurably improved water availability and quality.

 “As a leading brewer, water is at the center of everything we do - from nurturing the raw materials provided by our growers across the country to being a key ingredient in the beers we proudly brew,” said Ingrid De Ryck, Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer at Anheuser-Busch. “Working alongside the Anheuser-Busch Foundation, we are proud to strengthen our watersheds by championing water stewardship efforts across our supply chain - from seed to sip.”

Around the world, TNC's collaboration with AB InBev and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation is improving vital freshwater sources for the communities and ecosystems that depend on them.

“At TNC, we recognize the important role that companies like AB InBev and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation can play to help meet the world's most pressing conservation challenges—especially those related to water,” said Andrea Erickson, Managing Director for Water Security at The Nature Conservancy. “TNC's on-the-ground conservation work is helping improve the health of river systems in the United States while delivering water quantity and quality benefits to high water-risk communities that need it most.”

In Fort Collins, Colorado, TNC strategically manages nearby forests to reduce the risk of damaging wildfires, which threaten water security, water quality, wildlife habitat, and local communities. With support from Anheuser-Busch Foundation, TNC has restored roughly 829 acres of forests in both the Poudre and Big Thompson watersheds, benefitting an estimated 2.3 billion gallons of water annually.  Additionally, TNC has provided trainings to 56 fire management professionals, helping to bolster capacity for forest and fire management, as well as wildfire response, among partner agencies and organizations.

Through this grant, TNC is also working in the Colorado River basin to balance the demand of water uses and over-allocated supply in order to achieve long-term water security for people and nature.

The Colorado River, which supplies water to both Fort Collins and Los Angeles is the most stressed, diverted, and dammed river in the nation, and it is in the midst of a growing water scarcity crisis. The Anheuser-Bush Foundation has helped enable work to improve flows on 1,352 river miles and launch local community projects that test new technologies and partnerships to lower use and allocate more water to nature, while supporting communities at the same time.  

In Los Angeles, TNC is piloting a project to demonstrate the ability of green infrastructure and natural habitat to help manage stormwater, improve water quality, and create a healthier urban environment for nature and people. Support from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation is helping advance an on-the-ground demonstration project within the Los Angeles River watershed that uses vegetated nature-based solutions, including a constructed two-acre wetland, to filter and clean stormwater before it enters the river. The project provides stormwater management, water quality, native habitat, and community engagement benefits in single urban location.

About The Anheuser-Busch Foundation 
Established in 1975, the Anheuser-Busch Foundation focuses on supporting organizations that help individuals and communities thrive. The Foundation contributes to countless community organizations every year in support of disaster preparedness and relief, economic development, education, environmental sustainability, military personnel and responsible drinking. Anheuser-Busch and its foundation are united by an unwavering commitment to supporting the communities that they call home and over the last 30 years, Anheuser-Busch and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation have donated more than $600 million to charitable organizations across the country. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.    

About The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 72 countries, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.

Photo Credit: Mark Godfrey/TNC