I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6727 
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 
DECEMBER 12, 2023 
Mr. MCCAUL (for himself, Mr. COLE, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, Mr. HUDSON, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. 
RESCHENTHALER, Ms. WILD, Mr. KEAN of New Jersey, and Ms. 
KAMLAGER-DOVE) 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 pro-
tected and conserved areas, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Founda-
tion for International Conservation Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Appropriations of 
the Senate; 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
the Senate; 
(C) the Committee on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives; and 
(D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives. 
(2) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the 
Board of Directors established pursuant to section 
4(a). 
(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means— 
(A) an initial member of the Board ap-
pointed pursuant to section 4(a)(2)(C); or 
(B) a member of the Board selected to fill 
a vacancy pursuant to section 4(a)(3)(B). 
(4) ELIGIBLE
COUNTRY.—The term ‘‘eligible 
country’’ means any of the countries described in 
section 7(b). 
(5) ELIGIBLE
PROJECT.—The term ‘‘eligible 
project’’ means any of the projects described in sec-
tion 7(a)(2). 
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(6) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Execu-
tive Director’’ means the Executive Director of the 
Foundation hired pursuant to section 4(b). 
(7) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 
means the United States Foundation for Inter-
national Conservation established pursuant to sec-
tion 3(a). 
(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of State. 
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES FOUNDATION FOR INTERNATIONAL 
CONSERVATION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—There is established the 
United States Foundation for International Con-
servation (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Founda-
tion’’). The Foundation is a charitable and nonprofit 
corporation. 
(2) 
TERMINATION
OF
OPERATIONS.—The 
Foundation shall terminate operations on the date 
that is 10 years after the date on which it is estab-
lished pursuant to paragraph (1), 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 
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later than 180 days before such termination 
date; and 
(B) the bylaws established pursuant to sec-
tion 4(a)(9). 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Foundation 
are— 
(1) to provide grants for the management of 
priority protected and conserved areas that have a 
high degree of biodiversity or species and ecosystems 
of significant importance; 
(2) to promote effective, long-term management 
of protected and conserved areas and their contig-
uous buffer zones in eligible countries; 
(3) to advocate for, incentivize, accept, and ad-
minister governmental and nongovernmental funds, 
including donations from the private sector, to in-
crease the availability and predictability of financing 
for long-term management of protected and con-
served areas; 
(4) to close critical gaps in public international 
conservation efforts by— 
(A) increasing private sector investment, 
including investments from philanthropic enti-
ties; and 
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(B) collaborating with partners providing 
bilateral and multilateral financing to support 
enhanced coordination; 
(5) to identify and financially support imple-
mentation-ready projects— 
(A) that promote long-term management 
of protected and conserved areas and their con-
tiguous buffer zones in eligible countries, in-
cluding supporting the management of terres-
trial, coastal, freshwater, and marine protected 
areas, parks, community conservancies, Indige-
nous reserves, conservation easements, and bio-
logical reserves; and 
(B) that provide effective area-based con-
servation measures, consistent with internation-
ally recognized best practices and standards for 
environmental and social safeguards; and 
(6) to coordinate with, and otherwise support 
and assist, foreign governments, private sector enti-
ties, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and 
other stakeholders in undertaking biodiversity con-
servation activities— 
(A) to achieve sustainable biodiversity con-
servation outcomes; and 
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(B) to improve local security, governance, 
food security, and economic opportunities. 
SEC. 4. GOVERNANCE OF THE FOUNDATION. 
(a) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.— 
(1) GOVERNANCE.—The Foundation shall be 
governed by a Board of Directors. 
(2) COMPOSITION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Board shall be 
composed of— 
(i) the Directors described in subpara-
graph (B); and 
(ii) appointed Directors described in 
subparagraph (C). 
(B) DIRECTORS.—The following individ-
uals, or designees of such individuals, shall 
serve as Directors: 
(i) The Secretary of State. 
(ii) The Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Develop-
ment. 
(iii) The Secretary of the Interior. 
(iv) The Chief of the United States 
Forest Service. 
(v) The Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
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(C) APPOINTED
DIRECTORS.—The Sec-
retary, in consultation with the other Directors 
described in subparagraph (B), the Speaker and 
minority leader of the House of Representa-
tives, and the majority and minority leader of 
the Senate, shall appoint, as Directors of the 
Board— 
(i) 4 private-sector committed donors; 
and 
(ii) 5 independent experts who rep-
resent diverse points of view, to the max-
imum extent practicable. 
(D) APPOINTMENT
STRUCTURE.—There 
shall be an appointment structure that applies 
to directors in subsection (C) such that— 
(i) the Speaker of the House of Rep-
resentatives after consultation with the 
chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
of the House and the minority leader of 
the House of Representatives after con-
sultation with the ranking member of the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House shall each submit a list of five indi-
viduals to be considered by the Secretary 
for appointment to the Board of Directors, 
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of which the Secretary shall appoint one 
individual from each list submitted; and 
(ii) the majority leader of the Senate 
after consultation with the chair of the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate and the minority leader of the Sen-
ate after consultation with the ranking mi-
nority member of the Committee on For-
eign Relations of the Senate shall each 
submit a list of individuals to be consid-
ered by the Secretary for appointment to 
the Board of Directors, of which the Sec-
retary shall appoint one individual from 
each list submitted. 
(E) QUALIFICATIONS.—Each independent 
expert appointed pursuant to subparagraph (C) 
shall be knowledgeable and experienced in mat-
ters relating to— 
(i) international development; 
(ii) protected area management and 
the conservation of global biodiversity, fish 
and wildlife, ecosystem restoration, adapta-
tion, and resilience; and 
(iii) grantmaking in support of inter-
national conservation. 
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(F) 
CHAIRPERSON.—The 
Board 
shall 
elect, from among its Directors, a Chairperson, 
who shall serve for a 2-year term. 
(3) TERMS; VACANCIES.— 
(A) TERMS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The term of service 
of each Director appointed pursuant to 
paragraph (2)(C) shall be not more than 5 
years. 
(ii) INITIAL APPOINTED DIRECTORS.— 
Of the initial Directors appointed pursuant 
to paragraph (2)(C)— 
(I) 5 Directors, including at least 
private-sector committed donors, shall 
serve for 4 years; and 
(II) 4 Directors shall serve for 5 
years, as determined by the Chair-
person of the Board. 
(B) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the 
membership of the appointed Directors of the 
Board— 
(i) shall be filled in accordance with 
the bylaws of the Foundation by a private 
sector committed donor or an independent 
expert who meets the qualifications de-
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scribed in paragraph (2)(E), as cor-
responding to the vacating Director; 
(ii) shall not affect the power of the 
remaining appointed Directors to execute 
the duties of the Board; and 
(iii) shall be filled by an individual se-
lected by the Board. 
(4) QUORUM.—A majority of the current mem-
bership of the Board shall constitute a quorum for 
the transaction of Foundation business. 
(5) MEETINGS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall meet 
at the call of the Chairperson not less fre-
quently than annually. 
(B) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 60 
days after the Board is established pursuant to 
section 3(a), the Secretary shall convene a 
meeting of the ex-officio Directors and the ap-
pointed Directors of the Board to incorporate 
the Foundation. 
(C) REMOVAL.—Any Director who misses 
3 consecutive regularly scheduled meetings may 
be removed from the Board. 
(6) REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES.—Directors 
of the Board shall serve without pay, but may be re-
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imbursed for the actual and necessary traveling and 
subsistence expenses incurred in the performance of 
the duties of the Foundation. Such reimbursement 
may only be made available for expenses incurred 
outside the United States if at least two Directors 
concurrently incurred such expenses. 
(7) NOT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Appointment 
as a Director of the Board shall not constitute em-
ployment by, or the holding of an office of, the 
United States for purposes of any Federal law. 
(8) DUTIES.—The Board shall— 
(A) establish bylaws for the Foundation in 
accordance with paragraph (9); 
(B) provide overall direction for the activi-
ties of the Foundation and establish priority ac-
tivities; 
(C) carry out any other necessary activities 
of the Foundation; 
(D) evaluate the performance of the Exec-
utive Director; 
(E) take steps to limit the Foundations ad-
ministrative expenses to the extent practicable; 
and 
(F) not less frequently than annually, con-
sult and coordinate with stakeholders qualified 
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to provide advice, assistance, and information 
regarding effective protected and conserved 
area management. 
(9) BYLAWS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The bylaws established 
pursuant to paragraph (8)(A) shall include— 
(i) policies for the selection of Direc-
tors of the Board and officers, employees, 
agents, and contractors of the Foundation; 
(ii) policies, including ethical stand-
ards, for— 
(I) the acceptance, solicitation, 
and disposition of donations and 
grants to the Foundation; and 
(II) the disposition of assets of 
the Foundation; 
(iii) policies that subject all employ-
ees, fellows, trainees, and other agents of 
the Foundation (including ex-officio Direc-
tors and appointed Directors of the Board) 
to conflict of interest standards; 
(iv) the specific duties of the Execu-
tive Director; 
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(v) policies for winding down the ac-
tivities of the Foundation upon its termi-
nation, including a plan— 
(I) to return unspent appropria-
tions to the Department of the Treas-
ury; and 
(II) to donate unspent private 
and philanthropic contributions to 
projects that align with the goals and 
requirements described in section 7; 
and 
(vi) policies for vetting grantees to en-
sure the Foundation does not provide 
grants to for-profit entities whose primary 
objective is activity other than conserva-
tion. 
(B) REQUIREMENTS.—The Board shall en-
sure that the bylaws of the Foundation and the 
activities carried out under such bylaws do 
not— 
(i) reflect unfavorably on the ability of 
the Foundation to carry out activities in a 
fair and objective manner; or 
(ii) compromise, or appear to com-
promise, the integrity of any governmental 
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