Disney Announces $141 Million Investment Across 16 Countries

Disney is extending support to conservation organizations worldwide during Earth Month. The Disney Conservation Fund announced grants to 25 organizations across 16 countries, bringing its total investment to over $141 million since 1995.

Earth Month Focus for Disney

As Earth Day approaches on April 22, The Walt Disney Company is highlighting conservation and sustainability through a monthlong series of stories.

For more than 30 years, Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) has combined philanthropic grants with Disney expertise to:

• Protect wildlife
• Restore ecosystems
• Inspire action for the planet

This year’s investments support projects that will protect, restore, and rewild more than 120,000 square miles of corridor habitat, nearly twice the size of Florida.

Five Spotlight Projects

Disney is showcasing five grant recipients whose work demonstrates meaningful conservation impact:

1. Save the Elephants (Kenya)

Partnering with communities bordering Tsavo East National Park to establish a Community Conservancy protecting a critical 12.5 square-mile corridor.

Benefits:

• Enables elephants to move safely between protected areas
• Includes critical railway underpass passage
• Provides employment opportunities for local people
• Implements livelihood programs
• Creates sustainable human-elephant management strategies

The initiative helps communities see value in conserving land for wildlife migration while ensuring economic benefits.

2. Bat Conservation International (Mexico & U.S. Southwest)

Protecting threatened and endangered nectar-feeding bats by restoring critical migratory pathways.

Two-Year Plan:

• Restore and reconnect eight key stopover sites spanning 675 miles
• Plant nearly 140,000 native agave plants
• Create connected “nectar corridor”
• Implement sustainable agriculture practices

The climate-resilient habitats support greater long-nosed bats, lesser long-nosed bats, and Mexican long-tongued bats while strengthening land health and local livelihoods.

3. Ocean First Institute (Florida Keys)

Advancing conservation of the critically endangered great hammerhead sharks through research and education.

Methods:

• Satellite tagging
• Remote underwater video systems
• Understanding marine corridors sharks use

Over two years, the team will protect approximately 60 nautical miles of marine corridors within the Upper Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, including critical pathways connecting offshore reefs with inshore nursery areas.

4. Monarch Joint Venture (California)

Restoring and connecting 15 miles of monarch butterfly habitat across important migratory routes in California’s Bay Area and Central Valley.

Implementation:

• Distributing and installing approximately 6,000 native plants
• Engaging homeowners, farmers, and students
• Establishing community-led habitat corridors

5. Proyecto Tití (Colombia)

Extending protected areas for cotton-top tamarins, among the most endangered primates, by approximately 6 square miles.

This represents an important step toward building a 20-mile regional forest corridor between two critical areas, building on decades of community engagement in education, forest restoration, and sustainable agriculture.

The Disney Connection

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park brings these conservation stories to life through animal encounters that connect guests with wildlife:

• African elephants on Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Flying foxes demonstrate bat importance as pollinators
• Sharks at The Seas with Nemo & Friends at EPCOT
• Monarch butterflies at Butterfly Landing during Flower & Garden Festival
• Cotton-top tamarins showcasing tiny primates’ ecosystem roles

How Disney Guests Can Help

Earth Day at Animal Kingdom:

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park’s birthday falls on Earth Day, April 22. This makes it a particularly meaningful day to visit and learn about conservation efforts.

Contributing to Conservation at Disney:

Guests who want to support the Disney Conservation Fund should:

• Visit Animal Kingdom on Earth Day
• Ask cast members how to contribute
• Visit disney.com/conservation for complete grant recipient list

Cast members throughout the park can provide information and direct guests to resources for supporting conservation work.

Disney Planet Possible Commitment

Yalmaz Siddiqui, vice president of environmental sustainability at The Walt Disney Company, emphasized that DCF embodies Disney’s commitment to meaningful, measurable action for a healthier planet.

Projects are selected for their ability to connect critical spaces for people and wildlife, backed by strong science, meaningful collaboration, and programs co-developed with local communities.

This ensures restoration and rewilding efforts deliver real benefits for people who depend on these ecosystems today and for future generations.