PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Create the United States Foundation for Natural Security and Counterterrorism within 180 days after December 23, 2024. It must be a charitable, nonprofit corporation and must not be a U.S. government agency. The Board must get tax-exempt status under subsection (c) of section 501 of title 26. The Foundation must stop operating 10 years after it starts. The Board must send a wind-down plan to the appropriate congressional committees at least 180 days before that date and follow bylaws required by section 10603(b)(13). The Foundation will give grants and manage money to protect important natural areas in eligible countries with high biodiversity. It will support long-term care of protected areas and nearby buffer zones, raise and handle public and private funds, boost private investment, and work with other funders and partners. It will fund projects that follow good conservation and social safeguards across land, coastal, freshwater, and marine areas, and will work with governments, communities, Indigenous Peoples, and others to get lasting conservation results and improve local security, governance, food security, and jobs. Within 6 months after it is created, the Executive Director must give the Board a 3-year Plan of Action with priorities, timelines, how eligible countries and grants will be chosen and monitored, staff and budget needs, and a plan to attract private funding. The Plan must be sent to the appropriate congressional committees within 5 days after Board approval, and the Executive Director must update and resubmit the Plan every year under the same timeline.

Title 22, §10602

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Establishment

(1)In general

Not later than 180 days after December 23, 2024, the Secretary shall establish the United States Foundation for Natural Security and Counterterrorism, which shall be operated as a charitable, nonprofit corporation.

(2)Independence

The Foundation is not an agency or instrumentality of the United States Government.

(3)Tax-exempt status

The Board shall take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure that the Foundation is an organization described in subsection (c) of section 501 of title 26, which exempt the organization from taxation under subsection (a) of such section.

(4)Termination of operations

The Foundation shall terminate operations on the date that is 10 years after the date on which the Foundation becomes operational, in accordance with—

(A)a plan for winding down the activities of the Foundation that the Board shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees not later than 180 days before such termination date; and

(B)the bylaws established pursuant to section 10603(b)(13) of this title.

(b)Purposes

The purposes of the Foundation are—

(1)to provide grants for the responsible management of designated priority primarily protected and conserved areas in eligible countries that have a high degree of biodiversity or species and ecosystems of significant ecological value;

(2)to promote responsible, long-term management of primarily protected and conserved areas and their contiguous buffer zones;

(3)to incentivize, leverage, accept, and effectively administer governmental and nongovernmental funds, including donations from the private sector, to increase the availability and predictability of financing for responsible, long-term management of primarily protected and conserved areas in eligible countries;

(4)to help close critical gaps in public international conservation efforts in eligible countries by—

(A)increasing private sector investment, including investments from philanthropic entities; and

(B)collaborating with partners providing bilateral and multilateral financing to support enhanced coordination, including public and private funders, partner governments, local protected areas authorities, and private and nongovernmental organization partners;

(5)to identify and financially support viable projects that—

(A)promote responsible, long-term management of primarily protected and conserved areas and their contiguous buffer zones in eligible countries, including support for the management of terrestrial, coastal, freshwater, and marine protected areas, parks, community conservancies, Indigenous reserves, conservation easements, and biological reserves; and

(B)provide effective area-based conservation measures, consistent with best practices and standards for environmental and social safeguards; and

(6)to coordinate with, consult, and otherwise support and assist, governments, private sector entities, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and other stakeholders in eligible countries in undertaking biodiversity conservation activities—

(A)to achieve measurable and enduring biodiversity conservation outcomes; and

(B)to improve local security, governance, food security, and economic opportunities.

(c)Plan of Action

(1)In general

Not later than 6 months after the establishment of the Foundation, the Executive Director shall submit for approval from the Board an initial 3-year Plan of Action to implement the purposes of this chapter, including—

(A)a description of the priority actions to be undertaken by the Foundation over the proceeding 3-year period, including a timeline for implementation of such priority actions;

(B)descriptions of the processes and criteria by which—

(i)eligible countries, in which eligible projects may be selected to receive assistance under this chapter, will be identified;

(ii)grant proposals for Foundation activities in eligible countries will be developed, evaluated, and selected; and

(iii)grant implementation will be monitored and evaluated;

(C)the projected staffing and budgetary requirements of the Foundation during the proceeding 3-year period; and

(D)a plan to maximize commitments from private sector entities to fund the Foundation.

(2)Submission

The Executive Director shall submit the initial Plan of Action to the appropriate congressional committees not later than 5 days after the Plan of Action is approved by the Board.

(3)Updates

The Executive Director shall annually update the Plan of Action and submit each such updated plan to the appropriate congressional committees not later that 5 days after the update plan is approved by the Board.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), was in the original “this title” and was translated as reading “this subtitle”, meaning subtitle A (§§ 5101–5109) of title LI of div. E of Pub. L. 118–159, Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2410, known as the United States Foundation for International Conservation Act of 2024, which is classified generally to this chapter.

Amendments

2026—Pub. L. 119–75, § 7034(k)(2)(A), substituted “Natural Security and Counterterrorism” for “International Conservation” in section catchline. Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 119–75, § 7034(k)(2)(B), substituted “Natural Security and Counterterrorism” for “International Conservation”.

§10602 United States Foundation for Natural Security and Counterterrorism