Donations
Help Build a World Where Communities and Nature Have Rights.
Your gift powers expanded action grassroots support + training, legal strategies, and bold action to shift power from corporations to people and the broader natural world.
EFT “Bank Account” donations below $150 MAY require micro-deposits that REQUIRE YOUR verifiCATION in order to proceed. cONTACT YOUR BANK WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.
CELDF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent permitted by law. EIN: 25-1760934
Interested in giving through a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) instead?
Get started now, or visit here to learn more.
Legacy Giving
Resistance without
resilience is burnout.
A legacy gift is resilience.
The Disruptors Circle is CELDF’s legacy society — for those who have decided their commitment to this work doesn’t end with their lifetime.
No resilience without resistance.
No right relationship without disruption.
We are inviting a small group of newly committed and long-time supporters to be founding members of the Disruptors Circle. You have helped CELDF turn audacious thought experiments into reality. As a result, a global rights of nature movement and a local community self-governance revolution have been ignited. Today you can help turn up the heat and be the ones who determine what comes of all that work.
What Your Support Makes Possible.
300+
communities served across the U.S.
30 years
of frontline legal and organizing support
$20M+
in pro bono and low-cost services
500
community inquiries and 150 consultations in 2025 alone
From passing local rights ordinances to challenging corporate control of waterways, CELDF works where the stakes are highest and where communities most need backup.
“CELDF helped our community do something we didn’t think was possible. They didn’t just give us legal advice. They helped us understand our own power.” — Community organizer, Midwest
CELDF’s work has been covered by Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Common Dreams, and Native News Online, and featured in documentary films including Invisible Hand (produced by Mark Ruffalo, 2021), Hellbent (2023), and What We Do To Nature, We Do To Ourselves (2024).
WAYS TO GIVE.
One Time Gift
Support CELDF today. Make a one-time contribution to support communities defending their rights, protecting their land, and advancing democratic self-governance.
Monthly Giving
Sustain this work year-round. Become a monthly donor and provide steady support for long-term community defense and legal advocacy.
By Mail
Make checks payable to CELDF and mail to:
CELDF, PO Box 360, Mercersburg, PA 17236.
Please include your full name and address.
Stocks & Investments
Give appreciated assets. Donate stock or other investments to support CELDF’s mission while potentially receiving tax benefits. Gifts of securities are a powerful way to give without using cash.
Give Through Your IRA
If you are 70 ½ or older, make a tax-free charitable gift directly from your IRA to CELDF — known as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), which can satisfy your required minimum distribution (RMD) while reducing your taxable income.
Contact your IRA administrator and ask to transfer funds to CELDF. Include your name and mailing address, and note that it is a QCD.
Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)
Recommend a grant to CELDF through Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, Amalgamated Charitable, or another sponsoring organization. Provide your fund sponsor with the following: Legal Name: Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
Tax ID/EIN: 25-1760934
Address: PO Box 360, Mercersburg, PA 17236
Leave a Lasting Legacy
Include CELDF in your will, name us as a beneficiary, or explore other planned giving options. Legacy donors are invited to join the Disruptors Circle, CELDF’s legacy society.
Resistance without resilience is burnout. A legacy gift is resilience.
Major Gifts
Considering a gift of $10,000 or more? We would welcome a conversation about matching your priorities to our work.
Contact Stacey Schmader, CFO, at stacey@celdf.org, or click the button to use our general contact form.
