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.
History
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]
Program areas
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]
Funding
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]