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Linden Trust for Conservation
The Linden Trust for Conservation was founded in 2006 by Lawrence (Larry) Linden and Dana Weschler Linden, channeling the founder's Wall Street and strategy...
Linden Trust for Conservation
The Linden Trust for Conservation was founded in 2006 by Lawrence (Larry) Linden and Dana Weschler Linden, channeling the founder's Wall Street and strategy consulting background into a focused conservation finance mission. The trust is structured as an endowment that applies structured-finance tools and catalytic capital to high-value conservation projects, pursuing a methodology that draws directly on Linden's experience as a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and a Partner at McKinsey. The trust's strategy is financing-heavy rather than grantmaking-intensive. It deploys capital into deals characterized by distressed debt, mezzanine financing, growth capital, and fund-of-funds commitments to specialized conservation and environmental vehicles. Direct project financing and innovative capital stacks are central to its approach, often executed in coordination with key co-investors such as AES Corporation co-founder Roger Sant. Its operating footprint reaches across North America, Latin America, and Africa, where it participates actively in the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds (RedLAC) and the Consortium of African Funds for the Environment (CAFÉ). Linden Trust operates from a single office in New York, New York. Its intellectual network is a core organizational asset: the trust collaborates closely with figures such as Roger Ullman, its Executive Director, and Robert Litterman, a founding partner of Kepos Capital who also serves on the boards of Resources for the Future (RFF) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) alongside Larry Linden. The trust is a key funder of the Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) and is linked to 501(c)(4) advocacy bodies including the Alliance for Market Solutions (AMS) and LTC Action, vehicles that allow for direct policy engagement on market-based climate solutions. The trust's structural differentiator is its identity as a finance-first conservation endowment, deliberately designed to mirror the investment committees and deal-structuring rigor of a family office or private investment firm rather than a traditional foundation. By applying public-markets and investment-banking disciplines to environmental philanthropy, Linden Trust fills the capital-structure gaps that early-stage conservation ventures frequently encounter, and it maintains an advocacy arm capable of pushing the regulatory frameworks those projects require to scale.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
2006
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Lawrence Linden
Founder
Roger Ullman
Executive Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does Linden Trust for Conservation source its deals?
The trust originates transactions through a deep network of conservation finance practitioners, multilateral environmental funds, and policy circles. It is a core funder of the Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) and an active participant in the Latin American network RedLAC and the African network CAFÉ, channels that surface project opportunities requiring catalytic capital and structured finance. Co-investor relationships, particularly with veterans like AES Corporation co-founder Roger Sant, also generate collaborative deal flow.
Is Linden Trust a grantmaking foundation or an investment vehicle?
Linden Trust operates as a finance-first endowment, not a traditional philanthropy. It deploys capital via structured instruments including distressed debt, mezzanine financing, growth capital, and fund commitments — applying the investment-banking and management-consulting discipline of its founder more than the grantmaking posture of a conventional foundation.
Who runs investment decisions at Linden Trust?
Investment and strategic decisions are driven by founder Lawrence Linden, whose career includes a Managing Director role at Goldman Sachs and a Partnership at McKinsey, alongside Executive Director Roger Ullman. The trust does not disclose a separate investment committee, and its small professional footprint suggests principal-level decision-making is the norm.
Where does the underlying capital come from?
The endowment's capital originates from the personal wealth of Lawrence Linden and Dana Weschler Linden, generated during Mr. Linden's career in finance and strategy consulting. While the trust's total asset base is not publicly disclosed, Altss estimates its size at approximately $18 million.
What is Linden Trust's relationship to political advocacy on climate?
The trust maintains structural links to 501(c)(4) advocacy vehicles including the Alliance for Market Solutions (AMS) and LTC Action, through which it supports market-based climate policy and legislative engagement. These are legally and operationally distinct from the conservation endowment but share trustee and officer overlap.
Which geographies does Linden Trust operate in?
The trust pursues conservation finance projects across North America, Latin America, and Africa. Its membership in RedLAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) and CAFÉ (Africa) confirms an active pipeline on those continents, while its New York headquarters anchors domestic work.
What investment stages and instruments does Linden Trust prefer?
The trust's strategy includes distressed debt, mezzanine capital, and growth-stage investments, often structured as direct project finance or fund-of-funds commitments to specialized conservation vehicles. It seeks capital-stack gaps where structured finance can catalyze underfunded environmental outcomes.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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