Conservation Law Foundation, Inc.
For a thriving New England
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Clean Energy and Climate Change
The long-term focus of CLF’s Clean Energy and Climate Change program is to move New England to at least an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions and net-zero emissions by 2050 – a goal consistent with climate science. This focus drives our advocacy, whether pursuing solutions to meet climate goals or fighting projects and policies that would keep us from reducing emissions. Our advocacy will be dominated by involvement in the development and implementation of these new and revised state climate plans that are now in place. In each New England state, we demand that these climate laws must provide for a transition that is just. The plan for each sector must be infused with climate and environmental justice considerations and solutions. Our goal is ensuring not only that all communities will benefit from the new clean economy, but that neighborhoods that have historically borne the brunt of energy and transportation pollution will receive our particular attention and investment.
Healthy and Resilient Communities
Our Healthy and Resilient Communities program is a dynamic suite of initiatives that brings a people-centered approach to environmentalism. We promote economic well-being as a component of environmental health; advocate for land use policies to improve recreational opportunities, food, and housing for all; and bolster our policy and legal expertise.
CLF is working with partners to accelerate the development of healthy neighborhoods in the New England region and nationally to reduce health disparities and improve quality of life and well-being in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
CLF also works to improve the resilience of the region’s communities to survive and thrive in a changing climate. We seek to reduce environmental risk and improve climate resilience in vulnerable communities.
Through our Legal Food Hub, CLF works to support New England’s farmers and food businesses as they address the ripple effects of climate change.
Ocean Conservation
Ocean conservation has been one of our top program priorities since the mid-1970s. Our more than 40-year track record has established Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) as the leading ocean advocate in the region and a force in Washington, D.C., where the stage for ocean policy is largely set and played out. Our Ocean Conservation program’s mission is to restore and protect New England’s oceanic environment, promote resiliency in the face of a changing climate, and build a sustainable future for the region’s coastal communities.
CLF continues to work to ensure that the Atlantic’s sole Marine National Monument, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, remains protected.
Our campaign to restore the Atlantic cod population requires articulating scientifically informed fishing guidelines, expanded habitat protection, and gear modification to mitigate bycatch.
We’re also working to save New England’s iconic – yet critically endangered – North Atlantic right whale before it’s too late.
Clean Air and Water
For more than 50 years, CLF has fought to keep New England’s air and waters clean and healthy. It’s how we made our name – forcing polluters to clean up the dirty waters of Boston Harbor and turning the city’s shame into one of its most prized resources. We’ve taken the lessons learned from that hard-won victory and put them to work all across New England. We hold polluters accountable and push for the enforcement of clean air and water laws at the local, state, and federal levels. Today we are:
Cleaning up polluted runoff: We’re fighting for new protections and creative solutions to keep polluted runoff from wreaking havoc on our communities.
Safeguarding drinking water: We’re working state by state across New England to protect our drinking water from toxic threats.
Enforcing the law: We’re holding polluting businesses accountable for the harm they do to our air, water, climate, and communities.
Where we work
Accreditations
Charity Navigator 4-star rating 2022
Charity Navigator 4-star rating 2021
Charity Navigator 4-star rating 2019
Charity Navigator 4-star rating 2018
External reviews

Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Conservation Law Foundation, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 08/23/2023
Ms. Sara Molyneaux
Community Volunteer
Term: 2012 -
David W. Ellis
Retired
Sara Molyneaux
Community Volunteer
Peter Nessen
Nessen and Associates, Ltd.
Whitney Hatch
The Trust for Public Land
Sharon Malt
Community Volunteer
John T. Goodhue
MA Green High Performance Computing Center
EkOngKar Singh "EK" Khalsa
Amah Mutsun Land Trust
Kate Kilguss
Community Volunteer
Paul Lee
Goodwin Procter LLP
Travis McCready
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
Bradley M. Campbell
Conservation Law Foundation
Alice Chamberlin
Community Volunteer
Andy Falender
Retired
Thea James
Community Volunteer
Lois Schiffer
Community Volunteer
Christopher A. Klem
Retired
Loretta J. Mickley
Harvard Univeristy
Prabal Chakrabarti
Community Volunteer
Philip B. Coupe
ReVision Energy
John DeVillars
Retired
Carolyn Mansfield duPont
Community Volunteer
Azin Nezami
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Dan Rivera
MassDevelopment
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/23/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.