In the Field
Seen on the ground
The Fund raises donations and makes grants to schools, conservation organizations, and communities in Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania. It is supported by individual donors, fundraising events in St. Barths, and a portion of the revenue of Saint Barth Gorilla Expeditions LLC, a related for-profit company.
The Saint Barth Gorilla Fund is a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation that makes grants to schools and charitable organizations in Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda — for classrooms and dormitories, teacher salaries, student meals, school fees, and wildlife conservation and research. Every grant is approved by the board and paid by bank wire to the recipient organization.
Saint Barth Gorilla Expeditions LLC, a related for-profit safari company, contributes a portion of its revenue to the Fund. It independently brings some of its travel clients to visit recipients. The Fund does not plan, pay for, or promote those trips, and any money a traveler gives directly to a recipient during a visit is a personal gift from that traveler, which the Fund does not receive or control. At home in St Barts, the Fund hosts dinners, galas, and charity auctions to raise additional support for its grants.
Individual donors, including a small number of major donors; fundraising events in St Barts; and a portion of the revenue of Saint Barth Gorilla Expeditions LLC.
Recipients submit a written proposal and budget. The board reviews each one, approves the grant, and pays by bank wire to the recipient organization's account.
Each season the Fund hosts events on the island, including dinners, galas, and charity auctions, to expand what its grants can support.
Schools, classrooms, dormitories, and veterinary care for mountain gorillas.
See Uganda Partners →Conservation research, ranger operations, and a school built from an orphanage in Loliondo.
See Tanzania Partners →Mountain gorilla conservation, a school for deaf children, and children's charity work near the Virunga volcanoes.
See Rwanda Partners →Serving the community bordering Bwindi's Rushaga trailhead, with active needs across classrooms, a boys' dormitory, staff housing, and daily operations.
A school for gifted children supporting 120 pupils, with needs spanning staff salaries, meals, classroom completion, and dormitory construction.
Field veterinarians providing direct, hands-on care to wild mountain and Grauer's gorillas across the Bwindi and Virunga ecosystems.
Based in Loliondo, working directly with Maasai communities on women's entrepreneurship, conservation education, sustainable agriculture, and school programs.
Major conservation work across the entire Serengeti ecosystem, including anti-poaching, habitat restoration, and predator monitoring in the northern migration corridors.
The Serengeti Wildlife Research Centre in Seronera supports lion, elephant, leopard, and rhino research, GPS tracking programs, and student field science.
Founded as an orphanage for vulnerable Maasai children in Loliondo, now a full school with boarding facilities, supported through student sponsorship and infrastructure gifts.
One of the world's leading mountain gorilla conservation organizations, based at the Ellen DeGeneres Campus — museum, research labs, and veterinary medicine programs.
A Kigali-based nonprofit supporting vulnerable children through education, nutrition, healthcare, counseling, and annual medical outreach for underserved families.
Provides education, Rwandan Sign Language, and vocational training for deaf children in western Rwanda, many from families with limited access to specialized education.
These are the wish lists Rushaga Community Primary School and Gifted Child Foundation Primary School shared with us. Choose the needs you'd like your gift to support — a truck of sand for a dormitory, a month of meals, a term of school fees — and your total updates as you go.
Designated gifts are honored where possible, but the board retains final authority to use all contributions for the Fund's charitable purposes.
Amounts are converted from the school's original quotations in Ugandan Shillings at an approximate rate of $1 = 3,700 UGX. Individual line items are listed exactly as quoted by the school; small rounding differences from the official quoted total reflect the original document.
Gifts made here are made to the Saint Barth Gorilla Fund, a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation, and support its grants to schools and conservation organizations in Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
Every gift, of any size, is felt in the field — a term of school fees, a set of hearing aids, a truck of bricks for a dormitory.
Prefer to give by wire, check, or as part of your estate planning? Write to fund@stbarthgorillafund.org and our team will assist directly.
Prefer to choose your amount on PayPal's own page?
There are several ways to support the Fund's grants to schools and conservation organizations.
We host seasonal gatherings on the island — dinners, auctions, and evenings with guest speakers from the field — to widen support for the Fund.
Join the list to hear about the next one.
For gifts, grant inquiries, planned giving, or questions about the Fund.
