The Disney Conservation Fund has announced a $1 million investment in Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the youth programme of the Jane Goodall Institute, as 10 young conservation leaders from across the United States gathered at Walt Disney World Resort for a multi-day conservation summit.
Announced on 26 October 2026, the investment brings Disney’s total support for Roots & Shoots to more than $7.5 million. The announcement was made by the Disney Conservation Fund, which is marking its 30th anniversary, alongside the young leaders selected through the “Hop into the Animal Kingdom Challenge”, run with Roots & Shoots USA.
Ten young leaders, ten local projects
The 10 summit participants are already active leaders in their own communities. Their projects span pollinator habitat, sea turtle conservation, plastic pollution clean-up, bird and bat conservation, reef technology, shark awareness, prairie restoration, orca and salmon habitat, and conservation education.
The leaders are Angela Butz of New Jersey, Jack Dalton of Massachusetts, Shea Polley of Florida, Destiny Joy Sagay of Georgia, Marlee Christiansen of Illinois, William Tan of Minnesota, Cash Daniels of Tennessee, Ethan Park of Texas, Nateli Sanderson of Washington and Katelyn Liu of California.
At Walt Disney World, the group learned from Disney’s animal care, veterinary, science and conservation experts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and EPCOT, explored careers in conservation, and networked with fellow young changemakers. Each participant was also paired with a Disney mentor who will act as a career and education coach over the next year.
Small grants with a wide ripple
The young winners also received small grants from the Disney Conservation Fund for their projects. According to the announcement, they have since expanded their work by guiding peers through native plantings, leading reef restoration events, installing bat boxes in critical habitats and distributing turtle-themed care packages to children being treated for cancer.
The winners were also invited to help select further youth-led community projects as Roots & Shoots grant winners, resulting in 102 grants awarded across 32 states and territories.
FAKTA
- Investment: $1 million from the Disney Conservation Fund to Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, announced 26 October 2026.
- Total Disney support: more than $7.5 million to Roots & Shoots to date.
- Summit: 10 youth conservation leaders at Walt Disney World Resort, selected through the “Hop into the Animal Kingdom Challenge”.
- Programme reach: Roots & Shoots, founded in 1991 by Dr Jane Goodall, is active in 75 countries, all 50 US states and Puerto Rico.
- Wider grants: 102 youth-led community project grants across 32 states and territories, chosen with the winners’ help.
- Fund record: the Disney Conservation Fund has directed more than $141 million to conservation programmes worldwide over 30 years.
Why this matters for youth climate action
Roots & Shoots works by helping young people identify challenges in their own communities and take practical action for people, animals and the environment. The Disney announcement is a reminder that youth climate action is often local first: a pollinator garden, a reef project or a school clean-up can grow into a model others copy.
It also comes just days before the world’s largest youth climate gathering, the Conference of Youth in Antalya, where young delegates will carry local experience into global climate talks. Readers can follow that story here: COY21 in Antalya: the world’s largest youth climate gathering before COP31.
“The future of conservation depends on supporting and inspiring the next generation of leaders,” said Claire Martin, Senior Manager for Biodiversity Conservation Programmes at The Walt Disney Company. Anna Rathmann, chief executive of the Jane Goodall Institute USA, called the 10 winners inspiring examples of Dr Goodall’s belief that young people are “our greatest reason for hope”.
