Outlet profile

Center for Western Priorities

U.S. left-leaning environmental advocacy

Owned byOperated as a project of Resources Legacy Fund, a California-based environmental nonprofit and fiscal sponsor; previously associated with the New Venture Fund (Arabella Advisors network)

FundingFoundation grants, including from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and other environmental philanthropy networks; no subscription or advertising revenue

On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Center for Western Priorities was founded in 2012 and is based in Denver, Colorado. It was originally fiscally sponsored through the New Venture Fund, part of the Arabella Advisors network of left-leaning advocacy groups, before moving under Resources Legacy Fund. Jennifer Rokala, a longtime staffer for Democratic Senator Mark Udall of Colorado, served as executive director from 2015 until May 2026, when she was succeeded by deputy director Aaron Weiss. The organization publishes polling data, policy reports, and accountability trackers focused on conservation and public lands management in western states. Its 'Winning the West' campaign urges political candidates across the spectrum to back expanded conservation protections, though critics have argued the group's framing and funding reflect a progressive rather than genuinely bipartisan perspective. During Trump's first and second terms, CWP has been sharply critical of federal public lands rollbacks, publishing reports with titles such as 'From Disavowal to Delivery: The Trump Administration's Rapid Implementation of Project 2025 on Public Lands' and 'Trump Plans Secretive Attack on Utah National Monuments.' The Hewlett Foundation has provided repeated grant support through Resources Legacy Fund for CWP's communications and research work.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-07-24; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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