California Native Plant Society

A nonprofit organization

$26,014 raised by 128 donors

26% complete

$100,000 Goal

Towering coastal redwoods, saturated poppy fields, hardy Joshua trees, ancient bristlecone pines, deserts that bloom with color after winter rains—these are all iconic images of the California we love. 

Our native plants are not only beautiful, but they also make California one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. No other state in the U.S. has as many species of native plants as California, and of those, a third are found nowhere else on Earth! These plants and places need our protection amid the pressures of climate change, pollution, and habitat depletion.

The good news is that when we save plants, we save the many creatures that rely on them for survival. That's why CNPS has been working to protect California's native plants and the special places they inhabit since 1965. We are an organization of 36 chapters throughout California and NW Baja, Mexico, with more than 13,000 members and thousands of dedicated volunteers working at the local level to support the work. These supporters are essential to continuing our mission to conserve and protect California’s native plants and their habitats for future generations. We hope you will stand with us too.

When you save native plants... you save everything else.

Mission

The mission of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is to protect California's native plants and their natural habitats, today and into the future, through science, education, stewardship, gardening and advocacy.

Needs

In California – one of Earth’s 36 biodiversity hotspots – the stakes are high. More than 1,000 types of native plants are currently threatened or endangered, while the confluence of extreme wildfire, persistent drought, and an urgent housing crisis are increasing pressure on native plant habitats. And now, we face unprecedented threats to environmental protections at the national level – making what we do here in California even more critical to protecting native plants and the web of life they support.

The challenges before us also provide opportunities to strengthen the native plant movement: How will we protect the areas that provide the greatest multi-benefit solutions for biodiversity and climate resilience, and that are under greatest threat? How can we transform California’s communities with spaces for people and nature to thrive? How can we fulfill the promise that every person living in California deserves: to have a direct and joyful relationship with California native plants?

CNPS is facing these challenges and opportunities head on. Your support helps make our crucial work in conservation advocacy, plant science, public education, and native plant horticulture possible. The success of our mission depends on the commitment of individuals like you who care about safeguarding California’s native plants for future generations. We cannot do it without you.

Equity Statement

The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) envisions a future in which native plant diversity flourishes, where all people have access to native plants in both the built environment and the wild, and where people of every background play a vital role in the conservation of our native plant heritage. We work to protect native plants and their habitats not only because we love nature, but because we are a part of nature.

Wherever we live, whoever we are, the health of landscapes is intimately intertwined with the health of communities. Native plant issues are multidimensional and multidisciplinary, and today’s native plant movement represents a wide range of views and interests.

We are an organization that advocates for the best available science, but we also recognize that Western science isn’t the only lens through which people view and connect with plants. Just as biodiversity is essential to native plant communities, a diversity of perspectives and knowledge is necessary to achieve our mission.

We commit to action and invite you to learn more about our commitments here: www.cnps.org/deij

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

California Native Plant Society

other names

CNPS

Year Established

1965

Tax id (EIN)

94-6116403

Mission Category

Environment

Operating Budget

$5,000,001-$10 million

Organization Need

Funding: Unrestricted, Funding: Program

Demographics Served

General population

BIPOC Leadership

Executive Director/CEO

Local Counties Served

El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Yolo

Address

2707 K Street Suite 1
Sacramento, CA 95816

Service areas

CA, US

Phone

916-447-2677

fax

916-738-7622

Website

http://cnps.org

Social Media