Holland Chosen as New Pheasants Forever Director of Grant Development
Pheasants Forever 02.01.13
Minnesota native has helped Pheasants Forever accomplish habitat mission since 1996
Pheasants Forever (PF) is proud to announce Matt Holland has been appointed to the organization’s newly created position of Director of Grant Development. Holland has served Pheasants Forever for over 16 years in both field and national capacities as regional biologist, director of conservation programs, senior field coordinator, and the organization’s conservation education specialist.
As pressures on the landscape continue to intensify, the window of opportunity to protect and restore wildlife habitat continues to narrow. This expedites the need for action and partnership to protect wildlife habitat through land acquisitions and permanent conservation easements. In his new position, Holland will serve as a national resource to aggressively seek out funders and supporters who have a vision for the future that aligns with PF’s strategic initiatives.
“We can’t do this habitat mission alone. No one can,” noted Matt Holland, Pheasants Forever Director of Grant Development. “We need individuals, partners, donors, and professionals to step up and find our way forward into 21st century habitat conservation. Our wildlife legacy and quality of life depend upon it.”
Acting as the organization’s new focal point for state and national grants, as well as public and private foundation requests, Holland will continue to accelerate the organization’s successful development, grants, and major gift fundraising efforts, increasing the platform by which PF delivers its habitat mission.
“Partnerships and grant development are Matt’s strengths as evidenced by his leadership in authoring and delivering tens of millions of dollars towards the Pheasants Forever mission with state, federal, and private partners,” said David Bue, Pheasants Forever, Inc. Vice-president of Development. “We’re thrilled to be able to escalate our efforts on strategic funding initiatives through Matt’s leadership.”
Holland joined “The Habitat Organization” and received his M.S. in Wildlife Science from South Dakota State University in 1997. He is a 2010 graduate of the National Conservation Leadership Institute and currently serves on the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture Management Board.
“During his tenure at Pheasants Forever, no one has been more proactive in putting federal and state grant funding together to protect and enhance critical habitat than Matt Holland,” added Howard Vincent, PF’s President and CEO.
Holland currently resides in New London, Minnesota with his wife, Cherrish, children, Wolzen (9) and Miller (8), and black lab, Meadowlark. He can be contacted at (320) 894-5391 or email Matt.
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 135,000 members and 720 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent, the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure.
Pheasants Forever launched Quail Forever in August of 2005 to address the continuing loss of habitat suitable for quail and the subsequent quail population decline. Bobwhite population losses over the last 25 years range from 60 to 90 percent across the country. The reason for the quail population plunge is simple - massive losses of habitat suitable for quail. There are five major factors leading to the losses of quail habitat; intensified farming and forestry practices, succession of grassland ecosystems to forests, overwhelming presence of exotic grasses like fescue that choke out wildlife, and urban sprawl.
