WWF
LOCATION: WASHINGTON, DC
FOUNDERS: MAX NICHOLSON, SIR PETER SCOTT, PLUS TWO DOZEN OTHER INDIVIDUALS
INCEPTION: 1961
ABOUT WWF
WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, working for 60 years in nearly 100 countries to help people and nature thrive. With the support of 1.3 million members in the United States and more than 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment, and combat the climate crisis. Visit worldwildlife.org to learn more; follow @WWFNews on Twitter to keep up with the latest conservation news; and sign up for our newsletter and news alerts here.
ABOUT THE FOUNDERS
Inspired by a series of articles about the destruction of habitat and wildlife in East Africa, businessman Victor Stolan pointed out the urgent need for an international organization to raise funds for conservation. The idea was then shared with Max Nicholson, Director General of British government agency Nature Conservancy, who enthusiastically took up the challenge.
Nicholson felt that a new fundraising initiative might help conservation groups carry out their mission. He drafted a plan in April 1961 that served as a basis for WWF’s founding, which was then endorsed by the executive board of IUCN in a document known as the Morges Manifesto.
Nicholson and approximately two dozen other individuals –including Sir Peter Scott, a member of IUCN’s executive board who had signed the Morges Manifesto and later became WWF’s first vice president – hammered out the details of the new organization. This included choosing the name World Wildlife Fund and adopting the now-famous panda logo.
The first three national organizations were also established in 1961 in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the United States. Since then, WWF-US has grown to include over 1 million supporters and has helped lead conservation projects in Alaska, the Northern Great Plains, and around the world.
