At Envision Utah, we strive to be open and clear in everything we do. That includes being transparent about how we fund our mission to bring Utahns together to shape the future. Every dollar we receive goes to support the work that we do. Like other companies, our expenses include everything from paying staff to covering the costs of bringing people together to buying advertising for outreach campaigns. But, as a nonprofit, we don't pay any profits to owners or investors. Any profits from a grant or project simply goes back into the mission. Here’s a look at where our funding comes from and how it supports our mission.
Grants: Funding for Our Mission
A big portion of our funding comes as grants from local and national foundations. Some grants fund specific projects,while others support our general mission.
To receive these grants, we go through an application process where we outline our goals and how we’ll use the money. And for most grants, we report on our work and how we used the funding at the end of the grant cycle.
Our funding from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation is a prime example. The Foundation gives grants to Envision Utah (and many organizations across the state) to support our general mission, which means we can use the funds to support any of our projects. But to receive the grant, we go through a very thorough application process and report regularly on progress towards our goals, how we use the funding, and how much additional funding we receive for our work.
The Early Learning Project at Envision Utah is a program majorly funded by the Bezos Family Foundation.
Corporate Contributions: Businesses Giving Back
Many local companies support Envision Utah by providing financial contributions. These donations and grants come from businesses that care about Utah’s future and want to support long-term solutions for growth, sustainability, and quality of life.
Our Welcoming Communities project falls into this category. Thanks to help from corporate contributions, we were able to create a guide that presents best practices for how planners, government leaders, and community stakeholders can better engage all Utahns in processes related to our built environment and guide development in a way that provides even more opportunities to thrive.
The Welcoming Communities guide was made possible by corporate contributions and is available to the public through our projects webpage.
Work Contracts: Partnering for Progress
Grants and contributions typically support projects and work that we dream up and plan. But we also take on projects that come through contracts state agencies, local governments, and private organizations.
Basically, contract funding comes when someone hires us to complete specific projects—like creating a long-range vision or conducting research. Our current assistance to the Mountainland Association of Government’s efforts of updated Wasatch Choice Vision in Utah County, serves as an example of the type of contracts we undergo.
Because we’re a nonprofit, we often participate in a competitive bidding process for these contracts, competing against other nonprofits, consulting firms, or private companies.
From time to time, the state directly funds a specific project we’re working on. These appropriations are not common, but when they happen, it’s in close partnership with the state to address a critical issue for Utah.
And occasionally, organizations outside Utah seek our expertise for their own planning efforts. While these contracts are rare, they allow us to share the innovative approaches we’ve developed here with other communities.
Community Support: Events & Giving Campaigns
We also raise a portion of our funding through our major annual events, such as the Spring Breakfast and Common Good Awards. Our annual giving campaign allows board members and community partners to contribute directly to our work.
The 2023 Spring Breakfast hosted a panel of Utah water experts to talk about the future of water in our state.
Does Envision Utah receive USAID money?
To our knowledge, we have not received any funding from USAID. Since our focus is on Utah’s future, we don’t seek out funding for international relief or development.
Want to Learn More?
We’re committed to being open about how we’re funded. You can always check out our website to see our largest and most recent funders. Our Annual Report is a great place to start! And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out—we love talking about what we do!
Now that you know where our funding comes from, stay tuned—we’ll soon be diving into how we put those funds to work for Utah’s future!