Microsoft Co-founder Focuses on African Wildlife Causes

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation plans to increase funding for conservation work in Africa, starting with a $1-million grant to the Jane Goodall Institute to help protect gorillas and chimpanzees, reports The Seattle Times.

Best known for supporting scientific research and civic and arts organizations in the Pacific Northwest, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has donated nearly $10-million to African charities and projects since 2008. Most of the money has gone to wildlife-conservation projects, like protecting lions in Namibia and developing a migratory corridor for elephants in Tanzania.

“This is going to be a major initiative going forward for the foundation,” said science officer Kathy Richmond. The foundation is also exploring ocean science as a future priority area, Richmond added.

The foundation’s largest African grant so far has been $3-million toward a scientific project to study the scent markers left by wild dogs, with the aim of developing a means to steer the animals away from human settlements.