Jun 29, 2022 03:21 PM EDT By David Thompson, UniversityHerald Reporter

The Sheth Sangreal Foundation continues to support global conservation efforts that aim to make a big, lasting improvement on the world. Making a true impact is not easy, but Brian Sheth and his foundation are working to make substantial changes in conservation efforts.

Brian Sheth, who started from humble beginnings and built his wealth through a private equity firm, where he was the co-founder and President, has made his mark. 

In 2017, The Sheth Sangreal Foundation made a $15 million matching gift to the Re:wild, formerly known as Global Wildlife Conservation. The grant was designed to double the impact of the organization's critical mission of preserving the planet's diversity. That is just one example of the work he has done to achieve impressive results.

Sheth, who was named to the Forbes 2018 World Billionaires list, knows that he is lucky. The early software investments he made helped to skyrocket his company and build its value. Yet, he has taken that success and turned it into numerous tools to support conservation efforts throughout the world.

The Sheth Sangreal Foundation is a core component of this. Its mission statement reads, "For our children, our planet, and our well-being to ensure no one stands alone while protecting life in a changing world." The foundation, based in Austin, Texas, recognized the local poverty problem in the city, especially child poverty rates, which had climbed in recent years. The foundation made a multi-million-dollar donation to help fund the new Boys & Girls Club in the area, which opened in 2019. 

What makes this program unique is that it focuses on STEM learning centers to encourage children to learn to code, provides a computer lab, and offers tools like a recording studio, dance studio, teen center, and athletics courts. While his work in Austin is critically important, the foundation's reach is far more extensive.

Re:wild Conservation Efforts

With its $15 million match grant, the Re:wild organization was able to add Russ Mittermeier, a respected conservation biologist, to its program, which worked to accelerate critical habitat conservation initiatives around the world. 

When asked about the return on investment when it comes to environment conservation, he is quoted as saying, "In a real dollar term, every billion dollars that we invest in environmental preservation has about a 110 "x" return." He continues, "Not just clean water, clean air, and clean food, which are all important things, but also direct benefits to folks like arable farmland, soil preservation, and more." 

Re:wild works to conserve the diversity of life on the planet in multiple ways. That includes safeguarding wildlands, supporting guardians, and protecting wildlife. The organization was first incorporated in 2008. Since then, it is protected more than 350,000 acres of habitat in some of the most areas of the world, called biodiversity hotspots. These areas are critical to more than 150 threatened species and over 17,000 other species. The work the organization does is helping to prevent these areas that are being threatened for the future. 

The work of Re:wild is expansive. The organization worked, for example, with Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d'Orbingny in Bolivia to help rediscover the Sehunecas water frog in the wild in an effort to help rejuvenate the population. This particular effort received international attention, which may help to encourage more people to work towards helping imperiled species and keeping them from extinction. 

Another example is Wallace's giant bee, the largest in the world. The organization worked to rediscover the bee, one of the most wanted lost species. The organization also worked to establish the first private nature reserve in Haiti. 

Earth Alliance

While Brian Sheth's focus has been on Re:wild, his efforts do not stop there. He, along with other philanthropists such as Leonardo DiCaprio, created "Earth Alliance." This organization's goal is to battle biodiversity loss and climate change around the world. 

Earth Alliance aims to work on a global scale to protect wildlife and ecosystems and to ensure climate justice. The organization also has goals to support renewable energy and secure indigenous rights with the goal of benefiting the whole world. 

The organization provides grants to help fund films and campaigns while also working with grassroots organizations that are working to protect biodiversity in some of the most important areas of the world. The Sheth Sangreal Foundation is working to fund the operational and administrative costs of Earth Alliance. 

About Brian Sheth

Brian Sheth, along with his wife Adria, have become powerhouses in their conservation efforts, working to support numerous organizations that are trying to change the course of the world for the better. Sheth serves as the chairman of Re:wild, which is a main focus for the couple as they work to support conservation efforts around the world. 

The Sheth Sangreal Foundation also supports numerous other organizations, including Fundaeco, a nonprofit working in conservation and sustainable community development specifically in Guatemala and Central America, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, which is working towards public education and conservation, and ProAves, a conservation organization that is focused on Colombian biodiversity. 

Sheth, along with his foundation, plan to continue to work to support additional efforts around the world, with a specific focus on those organizations and campaigns taking on some of the most challenging work to reduce climate change and support biodiversity.

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