I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1298 

To establish the United States Foundation for International Conservation 

to promote long-term management of protected and conserved areas, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 1, 2023 

Mr. JOYCE of Ohio (for himself, Mr. STEWART, Ms. MCCOLLUM, and Mr. 

CUELLAR) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish the United States Foundation for International 

Conservation to promote long-term management of protected and conserved areas, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Founda5 tion for International Conservation Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com3 mittees’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Appropriations of 

5 the Senate; 

6 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

7 the Senate; 

8 (C) the Committee on Appropriations of 

9 the House of Representatives; and 

10 (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

11 the House of Representatives. 

12 (2) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the 

13 Board of Directors established pursuant to section 

14 4(a). 

15 (3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means— 

16 (A) an initial member of the Board ap17 pointed pursuant to section 4(a)(2)(C); or 

18 (B) a member of the Board selected to fill 

19 a vacancy pursuant to section 4(a)(3)(B). 

20 (4) ELIGIBLE COUNTRY.—The term ‘‘eligible 

21 country’’ means any of the countries described in 

22 section 7(b). 

23 (5) ELIGIBLE PROJECT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

24 project’’ means any of the projects described in sec25 tion 7(a)(2). 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (6) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Execu2 tive Director’’ means the Executive Director of the 

3 Foundation hired pursuant to section 4(b). 

4 (7) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 

5 means the United States Foundation for Inter6 national Conservation established pursuant to sec7 tion 3(a). 

8 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of State. 

10 SEC. 3. UNITED STATES FOUNDATION FOR INTERNATIONAL 

11 CONSERVATION. 

12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

14 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec15 retary shall establish the United States Foundation 

16 for International Conservation. 

17 (2) INDEPENDENCE.—The Foundation is not 

18 an agency or instrumentality of the United States 

19 Government. 

20 (3) TAX-EXEMPT STATUS.—The Board shall 

21 take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure 

22 that the Foundation is an organization described in 

23 subsection (c) of section 501 of the Internal Revenue 

24 Code of 1986, which exempts the organization from 

25 taxation under subsection (a) of such section. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (4) TERMINATION OF OPERATIONS.—The 

2 Foundation shall terminate operations on the date 

3 that is 10 years after the date on which it is estab4 lished pursuant to paragraph (1). 

5 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Foundation 

6 are— 

7 (1) to promote effective, long-term management 

8 of protected and conserved areas and their contig9 uous buffer zones in eligible countries; 

10 (2) to advocate for, incentivize, accept, and ad11 minister governmental and nongovernmental funds, 

12 including donations from the private sector, to in13 crease the availability and predictability of financing 

14 for long-term management of protected and con15 served areas; 

16 (3) to close critical gaps in public international 

17 conservation efforts by— 

18 (A) increasing private sector investment, 

19 including investments from philanthropic enti20 ties; and 

21 (B) collaborating with partners providing 

22 bilateral and multilateral financing to support 

23 enhanced coordination; 

24 (4) to identify and financially support imple25 mentation-ready projects— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (A) that promote long-term management 

2 of protected and conserved areas and their con3 tiguous buffer zones in eligible countries, in4 cluding supporting the management of terres5 trial, coastal, freshwater, and marine protected 

6 areas, parks, community conservancies, indige7 nous reserves, conservation easements, and bio8 logical reserves; and 

9 (B) that provide effective area-based con10 servation measures, consistent with internation11 ally recognized best practices and standards for 

12 environmental and social safeguards; and 

13 (5) to coordinate with, and otherwise support 

14 and assist, foreign governments, private sector enti15 ties, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and 

16 other stakeholders in undertaking biodiversity con17 servation activities— 

18 (A) to achieve sustainable biodiversity con19 servation outcomes; and 

20 (B) to improve local security, governance, 

21 food security, and economic opportunities. 

22 SEC. 4. GOVERNANCE OF THE FOUNDATION. 

23 (a) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.— 

24 (1) GOVERNANCE.—The Foundation shall be 

25 governed by a Board of Directors. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (2) COMPOSITION.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall be 

3 composed of— 

4 (i) the Directors described in subpara5 graph (B); and 

6 (ii) Appointed Directors described in 

7 subparagraph (C). 

8 (B) DIRECTORS.—The following individ9 uals, or designees of such individuals, shall 

10 serve as Directors: 

11 (i) The Secretary of State. 

12 (ii) The Administrator of the United 

13 States Agency for International Develop14 ment. 

15 (iii) The Secretary of the Interior. 

16 (iv) The Chief of the United States 

17 Forest Service. 

18 (v) The Administrator of the National 

19 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

20 (C) APPOINTED DIRECTORS.—The Sec21 retary, in consultation with the other Directors 

22 described in subparagraph (B), shall appoint, 

23 as Directors of the Board— 

24 (i) 4 private-sector committed donors; 

25 and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (ii) 5 independent experts who rep2 resent diverse points of view, to the max3 imum extent practicable. 

4 (D) QUALIFICATIONS.—Each independent 

5 expert appointed pursuant to subparagraph (C) 

6 shall be knowledgeable and experienced in mat7 ters relating to— 

8 (i) international development; 

9 (ii) protected area management and 

10 the conservation of global biodiversity, fish 

11 and wildlife, ecosystem restoration, adapta12 tion, and resilience; and 

13 (iii) grantmaking in support of inter14 national conservation. 

15 (E) CHAIRPERSON.—The Board shall 

16 elect, from among its Directors, a Chairperson, 

17 who shall serve for a 2-year term. 

18 (3) TERMS; VACANCIES.— 

19 (A) TERMS.— 

20 (i) IN GENERAL.—The term of service 

21 of each Director appointed pursuant to 

22 paragraph (2)(C) shall be not more than 5 

23 years. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (ii) INITIAL APPOINTED DIRECTORS.— 

2 Of the initial Directors appointed pursuant 

3 to paragraph (2)(C)— 

4 (I) 5 Directors, including at least 

5 2 private-sector committed donors, 

6 shall serve for 4 years; and 

7 (II) 4 Directors shall serve for 5 

8 years, as determined by the Chair9 person of the Board. 

10 (B) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the 

11 membership of the appointed Directors of the 

12 Board— 

13 (i) shall be filled in accordance with 

14 the bylaws of the Foundation by a private15 sector committed donor or an independent 

16 expert who meets the qualifications under 

17 subparagraph (C)(ii)(A), as applicable, as 

18 represented by the vacating Director; 

19 (ii) shall not affect the power of the 

20 remaining appointed Directors to execute 

21 the duties of the Board; and 

22 (iii) shall be filled by an individual se23 lected by the Board. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (4) QUORUM.—A majority of the current mem2 bership of the Board shall constitute a quorum for 

3 the transaction of Foundation business. 

4 (5) MEETINGS.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall meet 

6 at the call of the Chairperson not less fre7 quently than annually. 

8 (B) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 60 

9 days after the Board is established pursuant to 

10 section 3(a), the Secretary shall convene a 

11 meeting of the ex-officio Directors and the ap12 pointed Directors of the Board to incorporate 

13 the Foundation. 

14 (C) REMOVAL.—Any Director who misses 

15 3 consecutive regularly scheduled meetings may 

16 be removed from the Board. 

17 (6) REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES.—Directors 

18 of the Board shall serve without pay, but may be re19 imbursed for the actual and necessary traveling and 

20 subsistence expenses incurred in the performance of 

21 the duties of the Foundation. 

22 (7) NOT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Appointment 

23 as a Director of the Board shall not constitute em24 ployment by, or the holding of an office of, the 

25 United States for purposes of any Federal law. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (8) DUTIES.—The Board shall— 

2 (A) establish bylaws for the Foundation in 

3 accordance with paragraph (9); 

4 (B) provide overall direction for the activi5 ties of the Foundation and establish priority ac6 tivities; 

7 (C) carry out any other necessary activities 

8 of the Foundation; 

9 (D) evaluate the performance of the Exec10 utive Director; and 

11 (E) not less frequently than annually, con12 sult and coordinate with stakeholders qualified 

13 to provide advice, assistance, and information 

14 regarding effective protected and conserved 

15 area management. 

16 (9) BYLAWS.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The bylaws established 

18 pursuant to paragraph (8)(A) may include— 

19 (i) policies for the selection of Direc20 tors of the Board and officers, employees, 

21 agents, and contractors of the Foundation; 

22 (ii) policies, including ethical stand23 ards, for— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (I) the acceptance, solicitation, 

2 and disposition of donations and 

3 grants to the Foundation; and 

4 (II) the disposition of assets of 

5 the Foundation; 

6 (iii) policies that subject all employ7 ees, fellows, trainees, and other agents of 

8 the Foundation (including ex-officio Direc9 tors and appointed Directors of the Board) 

10 to conflict of interest standards; and 

11 (iv) the specific duties of the Execu12 tive Director. 

13 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—The Board shall en14 sure that the bylaws of the Foundation and the 

15 activities carried out under such bylaws do 

16 not— 

17 (i) reflect unfavorably on the ability of 

18 the Foundation to carry out activities in a 

19 fair and objective manner; or 

20 (ii) compromise, or appear to com21 promise, the integrity of any governmental 

22 agency or program, or any officer or em23 ployee employed by, or involved in, a gov24 ernmental agency or program. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (b) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Board shall hire an 

2 Executive Director of the Foundation, who shall serve, at 

3 the pleasure of the Board, as the Chief Executive Officer 

4 of the Foundation. 

5 (c) FOUNDATION STAFF.—Officers and employees of 

6 the Foundation— 

7 (1) may not be employees of, or hold any office 

8 in, the United States Government; and 

9 (2) shall be appointed without regard to the 

10 provisions of— 

11 (A) title 5, United States Code, governing 

12 appointments in the competitive service; and 

13 (B) chapter 51 and subchapter III of chap14 ter 53 of such title, relating to classification 

15 and General Schedule pay rates. 

16 (d) LIMITATION AND CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS.— 

17 (1) POLITICAL PARTICIPATION.—The Founda18 tion may not participate or intervene in any political 

19 campaign on behalf of any candidate for public of20 fice in any country. 

21 (2) FINANCIAL INTERESTS.—Any Director of 

22 the Board or officer or employee of the Foundation 

23 is prohibited from participating, directly or indi24 rectly, in the consideration or determination of any 

25 question before the Foundation affecting— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (A) the financial interests of such Director, 

2 officer, or employee; and 

3 (B) the interests of any corporation, part4 nership, entity, or organization in which such 

5 Director, officer, or employee has any fiduciary 

6 obligation or direct or indirect financial inter7 est. 

8 SEC. 5. CORPORATE POWERS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE 

9 FOUNDATION. 

10 (a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation— 

12 (A) shall have perpetual succession unless 

13 dissolved by an Act of Congress; 

14 (B) may conduct business throughout the 

15 States, territories, and possessions of the 

16 United States and in foreign countries; 

17 (C) shall have its principal offices in the 

18 Washington, DC, metropolitan area; and 

19 (D) shall continuously maintain a des20 ignated agent in Washington, DC, who is au21 thorized to accept notice or service of process 

22 on behalf of the Foundation. 

23 (2) NOTICE AND SERVICE OF PROCESS.—The 

24 serving of notice to, or service of process upon, the 

25 agent referred to in paragraph (1)(D), or mailed to 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 1298 IH

1 the business address of such agent, shall be deemed 

2 as service upon, or notice to, the Foundation. 

3 (3) SEAL.—The Foundation shall have an offi4 cial seal, which shall be selected by the Board and 

5 judicially noticed. 

6 (b) AUTHORITIES.—In addition to powers explicitly 

7 authorized under this Act, the Foundation, in order to 

8 carry out the purposes described in section 3(b), shall have 

9 the usual powers of a corporation headquartered in Wash10 ington, DC, including the authority— 

11 (1) to accept, receive, solicit, hold, administer, 

12 and use any gift, devise, or bequest, either absolutely 

13 or in trust, or real or personal property or any in14 come derived from such gift or property, or other in15 terest in such gift or property; 

16 (2) to acquire by donation, gift, devise, pur17 chase, or exchange any real or personal property or 

18 interest in such property; 

19 (3) unless otherwise required by the instrument 

20 of transfer, to sell, donate, lease, invest, reinvest, re21 tain, or otherwise dispose of any property or income 

22 derived from such property; 

23 (4) to borrow money and issue bonds, deben24 tures, or other debt instruments; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (5) to complain and defend itself in any court 

2 of competent jurisdiction (except that the Directors 

3 of the Board shall not be personally liable, except for 

4 gross negligence); 

5 (6) to enter into contracts or other arrange6 ments with public agencies, private organizations, 

7 and persons and to make such payments as may be 

8 necessary to carry out the purposes of such con9 tracts or arrangements; and 

10 (7) to award grants for eligible projects, in ac11 cordance with section 7. 

12 (c) PROPERTY INTERESTS.— 

13 (1) INTEREST IN REAL PROPERTY.—In this 

14 subsection, the term ‘‘interest in real property’’ in15 cludes— 

16 (A) mineral and water rights; 

17 (B) rights of way; and 

18 (C) easements appurtenant or in gross. 

19 (2) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation may ac20 quire, hold, and dispose of lands, waters, and other 

21 interests in real property by donation, gift, devise, 

22 purchase, or exchange. 

23 (3) LIMITS TO PROPERTY RIGHTS.—A gift, de24 vise, or bequest may be accepted by the Foundation 

25 even though it is encumbered, restricted, or subject 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 1298 IH

1 to beneficial interests of private persons if any cur2 rent or future interest therein is for the benefit of 

3 the Foundation. 

4 (d) FEDERAL FUNDS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation may— 

6 (A) hold Federal funds made available, but 

7 not immediately disbursed; and 

8 (B) use any interest or other investment 

9 income earned on such Federal funds to carry 

10 out the purposes of the Foundation under this 

11 Act. 

12 (2) LIMITATION.—Investments made pursuant 

13 to paragraph (1)(B) may only be made in— 

14 (A) interest-bearing obligations of the 

15 United States; or 

16 (B) obligations guaranteed as to both prin17 cipal and interest by the United States. 

18 (e) LIMITATION OF PUBLIC LIABILITY.—The United 

19 States shall not be liable for any debts, defaults, acts, or 

20 omissions of the Foundation. 

21 SEC. 6. SAFEGUARDS AND ACCOUNTABILITY. 

22 (a) SAFEGUARDS.—The Foundation shall develop, 

23 and incorporate into any agreement for support provided 

24 by the Foundation, appropriate safeguards, policies, and 

25 guidelines, consistent with internationally recognized best 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 1298 IH

1 practices and standards for environmental and social safe2 guards. 

3 (b) INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation shall estab5 lish a transparent and independent accountability 

6 mechanism, which shall provide— 

7 (A) a compliance review function that as8 sesses whether Foundation-supported projects 

9 adhere to the requirements developed pursuant 

10 to subsection (a); 

11 (B) a dispute resolution function for re12 solving concerns between complainants and 

13 project implementers regarding the impacts of 

14 specific Foundation-supported projects with re15 spect to such standards; and 

16 (C) an advisory function that reports to 

17 the Foundation on projects, policies, and prac18 tices. 

19 (2) DUTIES.—The accountability mechanism 

20 shall— 

21 (A) report annually to the Board and to 

22 the appropriate congressional committees re23 garding the Foundation’s compliance with inter24 nationally recognized best practices and stand25 ards in accordance with paragraph (1)(A); 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (B)(i) have permanent staff to conduct 

2 compliance reviews and dispute resolutions; or 

3 (ii) maintain a roster of experts to serve 

4 such roles, to the extent needed; and 

5 (C) hold a public comment period lasting 

6 not fewer than 60 days regarding the initial de7 sign of the accountability mechanism. 

8 SEC. 7. PROJECTS AND GRANTS. 

9 (a) PROJECT FUNDING REQUIREMENTS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation shall— 

11 (A) fund eligible projects that support its 

12 mission to provide long-term funding for the ef13 fective management of protected and conserved 

14 areas and their contiguous buffer zones in eligi15 ble countries; and 

16 (B) recognize the importance of a land17 scape or seascape approach to conservation that 

18 includes buffer zones, wildlife dispersal and cor19 ridor areas, and other effective area-based con20 servation measures. 

21 (2) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—Eligible projects 

22 shall include projects that— 

23 (A) focus on supporting— 

24 (i) long-term management of pro25 tected or conserved areas and their contigVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:36 Mar 16, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1298.IH H1298

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 1298 IH

1 uous buffer zones in countries described in 

2 subsection (b), including terrestrial, coast3 al, and marine-protected or conserved 

4 areas, parks, community conservancies, in5 digenous reserves, conservation easements, 

6 and biological reserves; and 

7 (ii) other effective area-based con8 servation measures; 

9 (B) are cost-matched from sources other 

10 than the United States Government; 

11 (C) have host country and local population 

12 support, as evidenced by a long-term binding 

13 memorandum of understanding signed by the 

14 host government that respects free, prior, and 

15 informed consent of affected communities; 

16 (D) incorporate a set of key performance 

17 indicators; 

18 (E) demonstrate robust local community 

19 engagement, with the completion of appropriate 

20 environmental and social due diligence, includ21 ing— 

22 (i) free, prior, and informed consent 

23 of Indigenous Peoples and consultation 

24 with relevant local communities; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (ii) equitable governance structures; 

2 and 

3 (iii) effective grievance mechanisms; 

4 (F) create economic opportunities for local 

5 communities, through activities such as— 

6 (i) equity and profit-sharing; 

7 (ii) employment activities; and 

8 (iii) other economic growth activities; 

9 (G) provide stable baseline funding for the 

10 effective management of the protected or con11 served area project; 

12 (H) are implementation-ready; and 

13 (I) where possible, demonstrate a plan to 

14 strengthen the capacity of, and transfer skills 

15 to, local institutions to manage the protected or 

16 conserved area before or after grant funding is 

17 exhausted. 

18 (b) ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Before awarding any grants 

20 or entering into any project agreements for a given 

21 fiscal year, the Board shall conduct a review of 

22 countries in which the Foundation shall be eligible 

23 to fund projects to determine which countries— 

24 (A) are low-income, lower middle-income, 

25 or upper-middle-income economies (as defined 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 1298 IH

1 by the International Bank for Reconstruction 

2 and Development and the International Devel3 opment Association; 

4 (B) have— 

5 (i) a high degree of biological diver6 sity; or 

7 (ii) species or ecosystems of signifi8 cant importance; and 

9 (C) have demonstrated a commitment to 

10 conservation through actions, such as protecting 

11 lands and waters through the gazettement of 

12 national parks, community conservancies, ma13 rine reserves and protected areas, forest re14 serves, and other legally recognized forms of 

15 place-based conservation. 

16 (2) IDENTIFICATION OF ELIGIBLE COUN17 TRIES.—Not later than 5 days after the date on 

18 which the Board determines which countries are eli19 gible countries for a given fiscal year, the Executive 

20 Director shall— 

21 (A) submit a report to the appropriate con22 gressional committees that includes— 

23 (i) a list of all such eligible countries; 

24 and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (ii) a justification for such eligibility 

2 determinations; and 

3 (B) publish the information contained in 

4 the report described in paragraph (A) in the 

5 Federal Register. 

6 (c) GRANTMAKING.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—In order to maximize its 

8 program effects, the Foundation should— 

9 (A) seek to coordinate with other inter10 national public and private donors to the extent 

11 possible; 

12 (B) seek additional financial and non13 financial contributions and commitments for its 

14 projects from host governments; and 

15 (C) strive to generate a partnership men16 tality among all participants, including public 

17 and private funders, host governments, local 

18 protected areas authorities, and private and 

19 nongovernmental organization partners. 

20 (2) GRANT CRITERIA.—Foundation grants— 

21 (A) shall fund the management of well-de22 fined protected or conserved areas and the sys23 tems of such conservation areas in eligible 

24 countries; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
23 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (B) should provide adequate baseline fund2 ing for at least 10 years, without replacing or 

3 duplicating existing baseline funding, for each 

4 protected and conserved area and the system 

5 that supports that area in an amount sufficient 

6 to maintain the effective management of the 

7 area over the long term; 

8 (C) should, during the grant period, dem9 onstrate progress in achieving clearly identified 

10 key performance indicators (as defined in the 

11 grant agreement), which may include— 

12 (i) the protection of biological diver13 sity; 

14 (ii) the protection of native flora and 

15 habitats, such as trees, forests, grasslands, 

16 mangroves, coral reefs, and sea grass; 

17 (iii) community-based economic 

18 growth indicators, such as improved land 

19 tenure, increases in beneficiaries partici20 pating in economic growth activities, and 

21 sufficient income from conservation activi22 ties being directed to communities in 

23 project areas; 

24 (iv) improved management of the pro25 tected or conserved area covered by the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
24 

•HR 1298 IH

1 project, as documented through the sub2 mission of strategic plans or annual re3 ports to the Foundation; and 

4 (v) the identification of additional rev5 enue sources or sustainable financing 

6 mechanisms to meet the recurring costs of 

7 management of the protected or conserved 

8 areas; and 

9 (D) may be terminated if the Board deter10 mines that the project is not meeting applicable 

11 requirements under this Act or making progress 

12 in achieving the key performance indicators de13 fined in the grant agreement. 

14 SEC. 8. PROHIBITION OF SUPPORT IN COUNTRIES THAT 

15 SUPPORT TERRORISM OR VIOLATE HUMAN 

16 RIGHTS AND OF SUPPORT FOR SANCTIONED 

17 PERSONS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation may not provide 

19 support for any government, or any entity owned or con20 trolled by a government, if the Secretary has determined 

21 that such government— 

22 (1) has repeatedly provided support for acts of 

23 international terrorism, as determined under— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
25 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (A) section 1754(c)(1)(A)(i) of the Export 

2 Control Reform Act of 2018 (subtitle B of title 

3 XVII of Public Law 115–232); 

4 (B) section 620A(a) of the Foreign Assist5 ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371(a)); 

6 (C) section 40(d) of the Arms Export Con7 trol Act (22 U.S.C. 2780(d)); or 

8 (D) any other relevant provision of law; or 

9 (2) has engaged in a consistent pattern of gross 

10 violations of internationally recognized human 

11 rights, as determined under section 116(a) or 

12 502B(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

13 (22 U.S.C. 2151n(a) and 2304(a)(2)) or any other 

14 relevant provision of law. 

15 (b) PROHIBITION OF SUPPORT FOR SANCTIONED

16 PERSONS.—The Foundation may not engage in any deal17 ing prohibited under United States sanctions laws or regu18 lations, including dealings with persons on the list of spe19 cially designated persons and blocked persons maintained 

20 by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department 

21 of the Treasury, except to the extent otherwise authorized 

22 by the Secretary or by the Secretary of the Treasury. 

23 (c) PROHIBITION OF SUPPORT FOR ACTIVITIES SUB24 JECT TO SANCTIONS.—The Foundation shall require any 

25 person receiving support to certify that such person, and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
26 

•HR 1298 IH

1 any entity owned or controlled by such person, is in com2 pliance with all United States sanctions laws and regula3 tions. 

4 SEC. 9. ANNUAL REPORT. 

5 Not later than 360 days after the date of the enact6 ment of this Act, and annually thereafter while the Foun7 dation continues to operate, the Executive Director of the 

8 Foundation shall submit a report to the appropriate con9 gressional committees that describes— 

10 (1) the goals of the Foundation; 

11 (2) the programs, projects, and activities sup12 ported by the Foundation; 

13 (3) private and governmental contributions to 

14 the Foundation; and 

15 (4) the standardized criteria utilized to deter16 mine the programs and activities supported by the 

17 Foundation, including baselines, targets, desired out18 comes, measurable goals, and extent to which those 

19 goals are being achieved for each project. 

20 SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro22 priated to the Foundation $100,000,000 for each of the 

23 fiscal years 2024 through 2033 to carry out the purposes 

24 of this Act. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
27 

•HR 1298 IH

1 (b) COST MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Amounts ap2 propriated pursuant to subsection (a) may only be made 

3 available to grantees to the extent such grantees secure 

4 funding for an eligible project from sources other than the 

5 United States Government in an amount that is not less 

6 than the amount received in grants for such project pursu7 ant to section 7. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS