Posted on July 28, 2025
Ducks Unlimited in Memphis, Tennessee, has announced a $2.5 million grant from the James M. Cox Foundation to help conserve wetlands and wildlife habitat in Louisiana and Texas.
The award will help fund a $61 million effort to protect and restore more than 40,000 acres of marshland along the western Gulf Coast, described as one of the most vulnerable and ecologically diverse regions of the United States. According to Ducks Unlimited, while much of the program is backed by competitive public funding, private philanthropic contributions are key to unlocking the public funds. The award follows a $1.1 million grant in 2021 to preserve nearly 20,000 acres of Louisiana wetlands as well as a $100 million commitment in 2024 from Cox Enterprises to fund prairie conservation across North America.
“Restoring wetlands in coastal Louisiana and Texas is critically important to the future of North America’s waterfowl, other wildlife, and people, yet these habitats are disappearing at an alarming rate,” said Ducks Unlimited director of conservation programs Cassidy Lejeune. “This gift from the James M. Cox Foundation…will accelerate efforts to ensure that future generations can experience the abundant resources this landscape has to offer.”
