The ARIA Foundation, Inc. is the private foundation founded and funded by the late former Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) vice chairman Adam Albright. The foundation serves to make gifts to educational, environmentalist, LGBT-interest, and other left-of-center organizations. ¹

Founder

Adam Albright, who was until his death in 2023 ¹ the owner of Albright Ventures, LLC, was the ARIA Foundation’s founder, principal donor, and president ² Albright had previously sat on the boards of multiple environmentalist organizations, including as vice chair of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), program chair of Conservation International, ³ and trustee of the Rocky Mountain Institute. ⁴ Albright also sat on the board of Redefining Progress,³ a left-of-center public policy think tank which advocates for the common ownership of assets. ⁵ of Population Communications International (PCI-Media Impact, as of 2025),³ a pro-abortion organization centered on “population stabilization.” ⁶

Causes

The Aria Foundation has previously supported LGBT-interest groups and promoting LGBT causes. Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is a regular recipient with annual gifts of about $60,000. ⁷ In 2014, Basic Rights Oregon received $50,000. ⁷ The Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse had received over $360,000 since 2011, from the foundation. ⁷ A grant of $100,000 had also been made to the SF LGBT Center in 2017. ⁷

In 2024, the ARIA Foundation gave to the Amazon Conservation Team ($22,000), the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice ($23,298), the Central Oregon Environmental Center ($20,000), Central Oregon Landwatch ($208,019), Doctors Without Borders ($50,000), Earthjustice ($12,000), Earthworks ($30,000), the Equal Justice Initiative ($15,000), the Global Fund for Women, ($75,000), the Global Greengrants Fund, ($50,000), ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) ($15,000), the Natural Resources Defense Council ($80,000), Oceana ($20,000), the Oregon Desert Land Trust ($25,000), the Oregon Natural Desert Association ($10,000), Oregon Wild ($15,000), the Rainforest Alliance ($10,000), Resource Generation ($6,000), the Rocky Mountain Institute ($30,000), San Francisco Baykeepeers ($7,500), the SF LGBT Center ($135,798), the Southern Environmental Law Center ($5,000), Southerners on New Ground ($20,000), Sustainable Northwest ($63,000), the Sylvia Rivera Law Project ($20,000), the Union of Concerned Scientists ($42,000), Waterwatch of Oregon ($30,000), the Western Environmental Law Center ($15,000), the Woodwell Climate Research Center ($35,000), the Human Rights Campaign ($10,000), the Native American Rights Fund ($15,000), the Southern Poverty Law Center ($15,000), the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice ($5,000), the American Humanist Association ($35,000), the American Indian College Fund ($60,000), Human Rights Watch ($65,000), the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides ($10,000), the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council ($30,000), and the Environmental Working Group ($5,000). ⁸

In 2023, the first year Rachel Albright became president, the ARIA Foundation gave to most of the above mentioned groups as well as giving $10,000 to the Drug Policy Alliance. ⁹

In 2022, which was the final year that Adam Albright was the foundation’s president, the group gave to the Amazon Conservation Team ($20,000), American Rivers ($2,000), the Astrea Lesbian Foundation for Justice ($30,000), the Center for International Environmental Law ($5,000), the Central Oregon Environmental Center ($75,000), the Central Oregon Landwatch ($309,622), Doctors Without Borders ($50,000), the Drug Policy Alliance ($15,000), Earthjustice ($10,000), Earthworks ($30,000), the Environmental Defense Fund ($5,000), the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide ($2,000), the Equal Justice Initiative ($20,000), the Global Fund for Women ($65,000), the Global Greengrants Fund ($56,000), ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) ($15,000), Institute for Sustainable Communities ($25,000), the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (LCVEF) ($30,000), the Marine Conservation Institute ($2,000), the Natural Resources Defense Council ($90,000), Oceana ($20,000), the Oregon League of Conservation Voters Education Fund ($10,000), the Oregon Natural Desert Association ($10,000), Oregon Wild ($20,000), the Our Family Coalition ($5,000), PCI Media Impact ($50,000), the Rainforest Alliance ($33,000), Resource Generation ($10,000), the Rocky Mountain Institute ($25,000), San Francisco Baykeepers ($3,000), the SF LGBT Center ($40,000), the Southern Environmental Law Center ($5,000), Southerners on New Ground ($25,000), Sustainable Southwest ($75,000), the Slyvia Rivera Law Project ($30,000), the Union of Concerned Scientists ($52,000), Waterwatch of Oregon ($25,000), the Western Environmental Law Center ($5,000), the Woodwell Climate Research Center ($30,000), the Human Rights Campaign ($20,000), the Rainforest Action Network ($20,000), the Native American Rights Fund ($20,000), the Southern Poverty Law Center ($8,522), the Indigenous Environmental Network ($5,000), the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice ($5,500), the American Humanist Association ($50,000), the American Indian College Fund ($60,000), Human Rights Watch ($15,000), and the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides ($10,000). ¹⁰

In addition to funding numerous left-of-center social and environmental policy groups, the ARIA Foundation funds several non-political charities in Oregon and the San Francisco area. ⁸

Investments

The ARIA Foundation was accused of hypocrisy over its investments in oil and natural gas enterprises, including equity investments in Noble Corporation and Canadian Natural Resources. ¹¹ The foundation is also reported to have previously held stock in Chevron, Halliburton, and Texaco. ¹² As of 2024, it appears the foundation has liquidated its oil and natural gas investments. ⁸

Among the foundation’s investments are positions with Albright Ventures, LLC, a venture capital firm with pooled investors owned by the Albrights, of which the foundation holds a greater than ten percent share. ¹³

1. “NRDC Board Trustee Tributes.” Natural Resource Defense Council, March 17, 2023. https://www.nrdc.org/nrdc-board-trustee-tributes.
2. ARIA Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2016, Part VIII, Line 1
3. “Natural Resources Defense Council.” Wrong Kind of Green. January 24, 2012. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/the-group-of-ten/natural-resources-defense-council/.
4. “Board of Trustees.” Rocky Mountain Institute. Archived from the original 15 September 2008. Accessed 25 January 2018. http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid57.php
5. “Redefining Progress.” Community-Wealth.org. June 17, 2015. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://community-wealth.org/content/redefining-progress.
6. “Home.” Population Communications International. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://population.org/.
7. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML.
8. “ARIA Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed October 20, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133603275/202530599349100603/full.
9. “ARIA Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed October 20, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133603275/202420449349100512/full.
10. “ARIA Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed October 20, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133603275/202300469349100415/full.
11. ARIA Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2016, Statement 7, Part IV
12. Rogers, Jerry. “National Resources Defense Council Members Profit from Fossil Fuel Investments. Does Leo Know?” PJ Media. October 31, 2014. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://pjmedia.com/blog/national-resources-defense-council-members-profit-from-fossil-fuel-investments-does-leo-know/.
13. ARIA Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2016, Statement 9, Part XV