Kenneth A. and Jennie H. Barker Wildlife Preservation Fund

Jennie and Ken Barker are passionate about animals and their environment. Ken’s love of nature and wildlife started in his 20s the first time he went backpacking in the Sierra Nevada. Jennie has always loved animals, both wild and domestic. For their honeymoon in 1984, Ken convinced her to backpack a segment of the John Muir Trail, which opened her eyes to the importance of preserving wildlife habitat.  When they started thinking about what their legacy should be, establishing a wildlife preservation fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation became the logical choice.

They established the Kenneth A. and Jennie H. Barker Wildlife Preservation Fund as a legacy fund in May 2004, meaning they included the Fund in their will. In 2007 they decided to take a more hands-on approach, making donations and converting it to a donor-advised fund, which will make grants in perpetuity even after the Barkers are gone. The charitable intent of their fund is to preserve wildlife and wildlife habitat by supporting the following activities:

• Providing wildlife refuge and rehabilitation services.
• Acquiring land to be set aside as wildlife refuge, wilderness or public parkland for the primary use by wildlife and/or low impact human use.
• Providing reproductive assistance to endangered/threatened species.
• Assisting in the maintenance, protection and stewardship of existing nature preserves, wilderness areas or other wildlife habitat. 
• Providing no-kill sanctuary and shelter to domestic animals such as pets, livestock or exotic species.

As Legacy donors, Jennie and Ken’s plan is for most of their estate to fully endow this fund. They believe it’s important to establish an ongoing legacy for making meaningful grants to deserving organizations.  Recipients of grants from their fund include:

• Humane Animal Rescue Wildlife Rehab Center.
• Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
• Allegheny Land Trust.
• Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.
• Nine Mile Run Watershed Association.
• Animal Friends.
• Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley.

It is their hope that this fund, along with donations from like-minded individuals, will ensure animal welfare and wildlife habitat for generations to come.