Arcus Foundation 2013 Annual Report Dedicated to the Idea That People Can Live in Harmony with One Another and the Natural World
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Arcus Foundation 2013 Annual Report Dedicated to the idea that people can live in harmony with one another and the natural world arcusfoundation.org [email protected] @arcusgreatapes U.S. Office 44 West 28th Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001 U.S. Phone +1.212.488.3000 Fax + 1.212.488.3010 U.K. Office Wellington House, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1BH U.K. Phone +44.1223.451050 Fax +44.1223.451100 ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: © Emerson, Wajdowicz Studios / NYC / www.DesignEWS.com EDITORIAL TEAM: Editor: Sebastian Naidoo; Writer: Barbara Kancelbaum; Contributors: Jerry Adler & Susanne Morrell LETTERS FROM JON STRykER AND KEVIN JENNINGS 02 STORIES OF IMPACT 04 GRANTS awaRDED 22 FINANCIALS / BOARD & STAFF 25 THANK YOU TO OUR GRANTEES, PARTNERS, AND FRIENDS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE CONTENT OF THIS REPORT. © 2014 Arcus Foundation Front cover photo © Annette Lanjouw. Inside front cover photo © Slobodan Randjelovic´ © 2014 Jabruson (jabruson.photoshelter.com) All rights reserved. /Arcus Foundation. South Kivu, DRC. Primate Sanctuary, Eastern Chimpanzee, Lwiro Dear Friends, together with a sense of respect and connectedness with one an- DRC to save Virunga National Park from destruction; marshal- When the team at Arcus told me that they were consid- other and the natural world. That core belief is reflected in the lan- ing resources to rebuild when a Cameroonian LGBT activist was ering an annual report around the theme of courage, it guage that we use when describing the foundation’s mission. Sure, murdered and an HIV center burned; and facilitating critical re- made complete sense to me, since movements really are it sounds kind of lofty to some, and maybe even like easy work, but sources for LGBT advocates in Russia. the aggregation of thousands, even millions of individual in reality it turns out to be tremendously hard, even at moments As I read the content of this report I am reminded that our acts of courage. when we think we’ve reached a tipping point in the arc of progress. grantees and partners are the true heroes, but I must also thank When I founded Arcus, it felt somewhat like an act of This report points to gains in 2013. Nonetheless, the social the Arcus team for their extraordinary leadership. Our amazing courage. After all, I’d never created or run a foundation before. and environmental justice challenges that Arcus is working on staff and board astonish me with the consistent commitment I was proposing to do very provocative work, and I knew it showed no signs of going away. When Kevin Jennings joined and scope of imagination and insight they bring to the founda- would usher me into a position of high visibility. And of course as executive director in late 2012, he asked that a map of the tion’s work. I could not be more grateful. there was also the risk of possible failure. world, indicating where it was illegal to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, As a private foundation, it turns out we are under no obli- The partners portrayed in this report illustrate that justice or transgender, be placed in Arcus' conference room. I’m pretty gation to produce an annual report, but we do so in the hope of in all its forms is worth the risk. What compelled me then, as now, sure he—and all of us—thought the map would soon require informing and inspiring acts of courage. I hope you find inspiration were the stories and daring of others who shared my concerns updating to track progress toward global equality. But of course here, and I encourage you to share it where you believe it will make —people like Dr. Carole Noon (portrayed in the recent book 2013 brought us instead setbacks in India, Australia, and Nigeria, a difference. And of course, I invite you to join us in our efforts to Opening Doors) whose courage and resolve secured sanctuary at and most visibly in Russia and Uganda. create a world where respect, dignity, and nature are treasured Save the Chimps in Florida for more than 250 chimpanzees who We saw similar challenges in our ape conservation work, and preserved for all. had been subjected to mental and physical torture in the name of as a major oil concern seemed determined to explore for oil in biological research and space exploration. I was similarly inspired Africa’s largest and most biodiverse national park where a large by activists at organizations like Gay & Lesbian Advocates and proportion of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas reside. FOUNDATION ARCUS Defenders and Immigration Equality—people who put their lives As setbacks and some opportunities present themselves, I and livelihoods on the front line in game-changing litigation. am happy to see a more mature Arcus moving and acting more I strongly believe that the best prospects for improving the nimbly than ever, in partnership with other grantees and advo- Jon L. Stryker quality of life on this planet depend on the ability of people to live cates: working closely with grassroots conservationists in the President and Founder 02 PAGES 03 ANNUAL RE PORT 2013 Dear Readers, Whether one is fighting anti-LGBT brutality or seeking to These victories are examples of what can happen when We at the Arcus Foundation are accustomed to being protect the world’s dwindling Grauer’s gorilla habitat amid mi- fearless and selfless individuals put their hearts and minds asked about the connections between our work in conser- litia warfare, at the most basic level it is the belief that humans together not only to insist on basic legal protections of our vation and social justice. In the broadest sense, the Arcus can live in harmony with one another and with nature that drives society’s most vulnerable but to move our culture forward toward Foundation is dedicated to the idea that people can live in our partners to take difficult and sometimes dangerous steps to a more humane understanding of our world and each other. harmony with one another and the natural world. This link make the world a better place. While there are many battles still ahead, we can draw extends deeply into our priorities and partnerships. The boundaries that these activists pushed yielded tangible tremendous inspiration from the collaboration of the people As you will read in this 2013 edition of our annual re- progress in 2013. We saw the release of nearly 15 percent of and groups described here. This report features just a small Photo (inset top) © port, a chief attribute shared among our many partners around U.S. laboratory chimpanzees onto grassland for the first time, proportion of the organizations that received more than the globe is their courage in pushing boundaries and making and the defense of the personhood of caged chimpanzees 210 Arcus grants in 2013. We never cease to be amazed by change in some of the world’s least hospitable environments. argued in a courtroom. We saw collaborations among conserva- their creativity, their fearlessness, and above all their heart in Slobodan Randjelovic´. Slobodan Randjelovic´. On the following pages you will hear stories of inspiration from, tion organizations leading to new levels of scientific data collec- demanding the rights and protections with which all humans and for example, Anastasia Smirnova, who stood up against a tide tion that is being used to press for policy change at the highest other animals are born. of homophobia in Russia; Sivha Mbake, who has fought for levels of government in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the DRC. nearly 20 years to protect the flora and fauna of rainforests in the We cheered when the U.S. Defense of Marriage Act was Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); Bamby Salcedo, one struck down and were heartened to see Christian and Muslim Wajdowicz Photo (inset bottom) © Jurek of a group of brave trans advocates in the United States; and religious leaders in Kenya taking steps to welcome their LGBT Datu Md Ahbam Abulani, from the Sabah region of Malaysian constituents, at times putting their own lives at risk. We also Borneo, who works tirelessly for the protection of local orang- observed strong, new partnerships emerging among LGBT, immi- utan populations and the livelihoods of communities that share grant, and youth activists in the U.S. South, challenging racist and Kevin Jennings resources with them. homophobic violence and hatred in territory that can be hostile. Executive Director © 2014 Jabruson (jabruson.photoshelter.com) All rights reserved. /Arcus Foundation. South Kivu, DRC. Primate Sanctuary, Eastern Chimpanzee, Lwiro Arcus is among the largest funders of efforts to ensure that our fellow apes can thrive—living full lives on their own terms in their natural habitats. We work to: • Reconcile socioeconomic development and conservation activities in the landscapes where the great apes live • Improve respect for and recognition of the intrinsic value of apes • Build an integrated and coordinated ape conservation movement • Grow recognition and consideration of apes in larger, adjacent conservation movements. ARCUS FOUNDATION ARCUS 04 PAGES 05 ANNUAL RE PORT 2013 APES AND EthICS Wajdowicz Photo © Jurek The debate over whether the term “person” can be applied beyond the human species NhRP has appealed the cases to the New reached a new level in 2013 with the York State Supreme Court. The ethics of personhood and humans’ first case of its kind, filed on behalf of a treatment of other apes was a focus of two 2013 events: a Great Apes Summit in Jack- captive chimpanzee in a New York court. son Hole, Wyoming, and a conference titled Personhood Beyond the Human, held in New A Montgomery County judge in December denied a writ of Haven, Connecticut.