(NYSE: MTU) At its annual meeting held on November 2, 2012, the Board of Directors of the Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas (MCFA) approved an aggregate of $1,195,000 in additional support for environmental causes throughout the Americas, in the form of new grants and a continuation of mission-related investing.

The new grants will support: the launch of Japanese and Spanish language editions of the award-winning book Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity (edited by Eric Chivian, M.D. and Aaron Bernstein, M.D., M.P.H.), and related education and outreach about the health impacts of global environmental change by The Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard School of Public Health; sustainable development and conservation of critical bird habitats on Chiloe Island, Chile by the National Audubon Society; projects promoting sustainable small-scale fisheries in Chile, Peru, and Ecuador, and sustainable fishing practices in Mexico, led by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF); research funding alternatives to support socio-environmental monitoring related to infrastructure projects in Bolivia by FUNDESNAP[1]; the use of novel acoustic sensor devices to support research on coral reef vulnerability to fishing, by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; community-based environmental education for indigenous pueblos affected by mining in Chihuahua, Mexico by Tierra Nativa; and sponsorship of the 2013 Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS) Leadership Development program of the Ecological Society of America.  Also, included are general support grants to the Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA) and to International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP), both of which MCFA has been an active member of for many years.

The MCFA board also ratified continuing grants to: Indian Law Resource Center for their work securing indigenous rights as a basis for facilitating REDD+ projects; Island Conservation to protect biodiversity on the Juan Fernandez islands of Chile; Rainforest Alliance for their Sustainable Tourism Program in Brazil; New York Botanical Garden for the refurbishment of the Mitsubishi Wild Wetland Trail; Amazon Conservation Association for the promotion of ecotourism in the Manu Cloud Forest in Peru; Wildlife Conservation Society, for their Patagonian coastal marine conservation in Argentina; and the Wild Salmon Center for support of the  Olympic Peninsula Salmon Stronghold Partnership.

A renewal of the $300,000 interest-free loan to Root Capital, initially made in 2009 as a program-related investment, will provide financing for rural businesses engaged in sustainable development in Latin America, and represents MCFA’s continued commitment to mission-related investing.      

The Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas, based in New York City was established 1991 with funding from Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan, and its U.S.-based subsidiary, Mitsubishi International Corporation.  Since its establishment, the Foundation has dedicated more than $7.2 million to environmental causes throughout the Americas.  For more information, please visit www.mcfamericas.org.

Contributions for Europe and Africa are made by the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa, a UK registered charity, established in 1992 to promote environmental conservation, education and research into the environment and poverty alleviation, through funding from Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan, and its U.K.-based subsidiary, Mitsubishi Corporation International (Europe) Plc.

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Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas

Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas

The Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas, based in New York City was established 1991 with funding from Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan, and its U.S.-based subsidiary, Mitsubishi International Corporation. Since its establishment, the Foundation has contributed over $12 million to environmental causes throughout the Americas. We have funded over 100 projects in more than 15 countries, focusing on four themes: biodiversity conservation, environmental education, environmental justice, and sustainable development.

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