Our Work

We support leaders with defined strategies – offering multi-year, flexible funding backed by collaboration and mutual learning.

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Mountain forest in misty golden sunrise light.

Climate

Protecting the planet and communities in a changing ecosystem through conservation, adaptation, and sustainability.

Launch Partner Spotlight

Addressing California’s Wildfire Challenge

Partner Spotlight

Investing in Wildfire Mitigation Solutions

with our partners at
Northern Sierra Partnership

Photo: A prescribed fire at French Meadows, Jerry Dodrill

Two firefighters conducting controlled burn in forested area.

The Work

Northern Sierra Partnership (NSP) is a collaboration of five independent nonprofit organizations working to conserve and restore the large landscapes of the Northern Sierra Nevada.

With support from the foundation, NSP has advanced a number of successful initiatives over the past three years including the Sierra Valley Preserve Nature Center, Washoe Land Back, the Campaign for the Tahoe Martis Headwaters, and the California Wildfire Solutions Coalition.

The California Wildfire Solutions Coalition is a broad-based, statewide coalition launched by NSP and its partners to expand investment in wildfire resilience and mitigation to $2-3 billion/year by 2030. This impressive effort will close the wildfire funding gap and help California achieve critically needed resilience.

The Impact

153,000+

acres conserved in the Northern Sierra since 2007 (an area five times the size of San Francisco)

$1

invested in wildfire resilience returns at least $6 in benefits

“Expanding California’s resilience to wildfires couldn’t be more urgent. Our ecosystems need wildfires but we’ve done a lousy job preparing for them. This is not an unsolvable problem, but it’s going to take concerted action and investment to address it. The pay-off will be enormous: safer communities, cleaner air, healthier landscapes, and billions of dollars saved. We’re grateful to have the Spaht Foundation as our partner in this critical work.”

- Lucy Blake, President

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Close-up of rippling blue water at sunset.

Mental Health

Expanding access to care, reducing stigma, and building supportive systems for mental and emotional well-being.

Launch Partner Spotlight

A New Home for Student Wellbeing at W&L

Partner Spotlight

Advancing Mental Health in Honor of Dr. Lindley Spaht Dodson

with our partners at
Washington and Lee University

The Work

Washington and Lee University is committed to investing in facilities that strengthen its community and enhance student life. Among those is the Lindley Center for Student Wellness, a 14,000 square foot facility that opened in Fall 2025 with support from the Dodson and Spaht Families.

Anxiety and depression remain the most common mental health challenges for college students in the United States. The Lindley Center is designed to address those challenges – by fostering holistic student wellbeing, featuring exam rooms and counseling offices, as well as wellness programming and resources tailored specifically to student needs.

Lindley Health staff consists of a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, and registered nurses. Nurses are onsite 24 hours a day, 7 days a week when classes are in session. The Health team supports over 7,000 visits a year – Washington and Lee is one of a handful of colleges and universities in the nation that still offer infirmary care.

The Counseling Center provides services including crisis triaging, individual counseling, group counseling, medication management, as well as education and training. During the 2024-2025 academic year, there were over 2,700 appointments attended with 25% of the total student population experiencing evidence-based trauma-informed counseling.

This resource for students is dedicated to the legacy of Dr. Lindley Spaht Dodson who was tragically killed in an act of gun violence in 2021. Lindley was a pediatrician and member of the Washington and Lee University Class of 1999.

Click here to learn more about The Lindley Center for Student Wellness opening.

The Impact

2,000

students will have access to Lindley Health and the Counseling Center under one roof.

25%

of students at W&L engage in over 3,000 counseling sessions a year.

“As the University's first-ever comprehensive wellness facility, the Lindley Center will have a powerful impact on Washington and Lee students’ mental and physical well-being for generations to come.”

- William C. Dudley, President

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Audience seated in dark theatre with blue lighting illuminating their faces.

The Arts

Advancing creative work that deepens understanding and makes progress on contemporary complex issues.

Launch Partner Spotlight

A Documentary Film Reveals Invisible Scars

Partner Spotlight

Offering Hope to Suffering Through Storytelling

with our partners at
AfterImage Public Media

Green mural of human face with person walking in front of the mural cast in shallow green light.

The Work

AfterImage Public Media works with filmmakers who have a successful history of producing documentary films that creatively address social, historical, and cultural subjects. Founded by filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, their documentaries have won Emmys and Peabodys, and been nominated for an Academy Award.

The film In Waves and War tells the story of highly decorated Navy SEAL Marcus Capone and his experience navigating treatment-resistant, unrelenting psychological pain. He finds hope in a groundbreaking therapy combining two powerful psychedelics that bring him and others needed healing.

The film has had a substantive impact on advancing policies and financial resources dedicated to mental health and neurological conditions. In addition to In Waves and War, AfterImpage Public Media and the foundation have collaborated on two other documentary films that underscore the importance of equitable healthcare systems and protecting our planet.

The Impact

25+

documentaries that AfterImage Public Media has helped shepard into the world over the last 18 years, including several about climate change and the environment, the impacts of sexual violence, and democracy.

Several

films from APM have had direct impact on policy and cultural exchange - examples include Athlete A and In Waves and War.

“Bonni and I have long been drawn to stories of resilience, transformation, and hope. With this film, we were captivated by the unlikely intersection of two seemingly opposing worlds: the hyper-disciplined culture of Navy SEALs and the countercultural realm of psychedelic therapy. In that tension, we saw a rare opportunity to explore deeply personal healing journeys and address the urgent mental health crisis among veterans—particularly the epidemic of suicide—and to help destigmatize alternative treatments in that community.”

- Jon Shenk, President

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