Cordelia S. May spent much of her life thinking about balance, the kind found in ecosystems and the kind found in human choices about growth. Her concern took root early, and by the time she reached her early twenties she had already begun supporting family planning as a matter of conscience. That early commitment would eventually shape one of the more distinct philanthropic institutions in the region, now known as the Colcom Foundation.

The Colcom Foundation carries her legacy forward because May chose to formalize decades of personal conviction into a lasting organization. She founded it in 1996, when she was 68, and the foundation gained its full financial footing after her death in 2005. Her worldview is captured plainly in one of her own reflections: “Human activity is putting such a strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.”

Grant Priorities Rooted in Population and Place

That sentence still guides how the Colcom Foundation approaches its work. Rather than treating environmental harm as an isolated technical problem, the foundation frames it as a consequence of population pressure colliding with finite natural resources. Habitat loss, pollution, and biodiversity decline are treated as symptoms of a deeper imbalance, one that mainstream culture rarely names directly.

Regionally, the Colcom Foundation channels its resources into conservation work, environmental projects, and cultural assets, giving its philanthropy a distinctly local footprint even as its founding ideas address a broader pattern. Grant decisions are meant to honor May’s humanitarian objectives along with her foresight, dignity, and compassion. For example, the foundation has provided funds to organizations such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, which work to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

May understood that her views placed her outside the mainstream during much of her lifetime. The foundation’s telling of her story draws a comparison between her and other reformers who faced resistance before eventual vindication, among them advocates for gender equality and civil rights. That framing suggests an institution comfortable holding an unpopular position when it believes the underlying reasoning is sound. For more information, visit: https://gwpa.org/redhen/org/347

Visit this page, for related information.