Beautiful Black Hills
Bringing people together in the name of nature. The Beautiful Black Hills Fund supports healthy outdoor spaces, recreation, and community building.
INVESTING IN OUR HOME
The Black Hills and surrounding grasslands are home to abundant wildlife, deep spiritual meaning, and endless opportunities for outdoor recreation.
As this region grows and changes, we must work together to balance the effects of development on the place we love. The Beautiful Black Hills Fund protects our land, water, and wildlife for future generations.
Learn about our approach and how to join us.
Our Approach
Locals and partners started the Beautiful Black Hills Fund to care for this place. Now, your support can make it last forever.
Investing in nature-focused nonprofits
With seed funding from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, and local donors, the Beautiful Black Hills Fund will support nature-focused nonprofits in the Black Hills.
We support projects that care for natural spaces, expand recreation opportunities, and build community.
Building an ethic of land and water stewardship
The Black Hills deserve a unified voice for stewardship and advocacy. Locals are eager to connect with their friends and neighbors around one thing everyone agrees on: taking care of this special place.
By harnessing our shared passion, we can balance our region’s growth with our desire to keep natural spaces beautiful.
Community-Led Priorities
We invest in what matters to locals. Our three program areas respond to focus areas described by residents in a community survey.
healthy natural spaces
It’s important to protect nature for its own sake. These grants support local nonprofits that stabilize, improve, or restore ecosystems and support healthy wildlife. We will act thoughtfully to balance the effects of growth and development on the outdoor spaces we love.
outdoor recreation
Residents and visitors love getting outdoors and enjoying this place. These grants support projects that expand opportunities for responsible recreation, whether that’s trail maintenance, hunting and fishing, skiing, wildlife viewing, or other nature-centric activities.
community building
This focus area emphasizes what connects us rather than divides us. These grants connect people with place using art, nature, and other mediums. They inspire collaboration between nature-focused nonprofits and connect passionate locals.
From Our Community
Hundreds of Black Hills residents submitted messages about what keeping the Black Hills beautiful means to them.
Black Hills Resident
“Western South Dakota is defined by the Black Hills. We know our directions because of it. The smell of pine helps us know we’re home. I want to see projects that support the preservation of the forests in sustainable and sound ways for future generations."
Mother of teenagers
“I want my children to be able to experience the magic of the Black Hills.”
Local law enforcement officer
“Outdoor recreation is what gives me the most happiness in my life.”
Black Hills Resident
“Because I have been visiting here since my grandmother brought me here as a child--tradition. And because I find camping or hiking in the Hills is therapeutic for my mind and heart like nothing else I have found."
Black Hills Resident
“I am Lakota and the Black Hills are sacred to my people."
Black Hills Resident
“Everyone benefits when the Black Hills is cherished and protected."
Black Hills Resident
“I love trails. Trails keep you young."
Funding for Nature-focused nonprofits
Nonprofits engaged in natural spaces work can get in touch with BHACF’s staff to learn about funding opportunities for 2026 and beyond.
Give to the Beautiful Black Hills Fund
Build lasting support for nature-focused nonprofits and projects that bring people together around their love of this beautiful region.
Locals and partners helped start this project. Your support can make it last forever.
Connect with our Giving Team to learn how to contribute using your Donor Advised Fund (DAF).
Questions? Get in touch with us.
BHACF’s Giving Team is available to share how you can support the Beautiful Black Hills Fund in a way that leaves you feeling inspired and excited.
They can also answer questions about funding available for nature-focused nonprofits.
Eric Zimmer
Vice President of Philanthropy & Special Projects
Kathleen Fitzgerald-Ellis
Director of Philanthropy-Northern Hills
Call
Call 605-718-0112 to reach the BHACF office.
“This Hollow in the Rocky Black Hills…is wonderful even to me after seeing so many wild mountains.”
John Muir, 1896
“Of all our domain we loved, perhaps, the Black Hills the most. The Lakota had named these Hills He Sapa, or Black Hills, on account of their color.”
Luther Standing Bear, 1933