Historic $25 million grant to fund nature experience in Naples

A Naples-based nonprofit dedicated to environmental protection has received the largest donation in its 60-year history. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida was given a $25 million grant from the John & Carol Walter Family Foundation, which will go toward a new welcome center complex and programming designed to inspire visitors to join in the organization’s mission to protect Florida’s land, water and wildlife.

The welcome center complex will replace the current nature center at 1495 Smith Preserve Way in Naples. It will be sustainably designed with a two-and-a-half story parking garage that has a solar panel roof. A half-acre stormwater lake and enhanced filter marsh system will showcase water quality enhancement efforts.

Interactive exhibits and multimedia technology will educate visitors about local ecosystems and conservation challenges, while also informing them how they can take action to help. The grant will fund the creation of habitats as well that will provide “new opportunities for visitors to connect with nature, reflect and recharge,” according to a statement from the conservancy. Child-centered activities will be included in the programming, which will be designed for all ages.

The new offerings will be called the John & Carol Walter Nature Experience, in honor of the couple whose grant is driving the transformation. 

“This $25 million grant is not just a benefit for the Conservancy but for the entire Southwest Florida community,” Rob Moher, president and CEO of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, says in the statement. The nonprofit focuses on environmental protection in Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties.

“The more we connect with nature, the more likely we all are willing and able to protect it," Moher says. "John and Carol Walter’s family passionately and purposefully understand the value of making that connection.”

The John & Carol Walter Nature Experience is expected to open in the first half of 2028.

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John Walter is the vice chair and treasurer of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s board of directors, according to his biography, which says he is also chair of private investment and management services firm Ashlin Management Company. He is the retired president and COO of AT&T (1996–1997) and retired chair and CEO of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (1989–1996).

“It's our hope that the re-imagined Nature Experience will continue to positively transform this critical regional destination so that residents and visitors will better understand how fundamental the Conservancy's mission is to each of our personal lives,” John Walter says in the statement. “We hope our commitment inspires others to learn more and join us by investing in our way of life, which benefits all in Collier County.”

The Walters launched the John & Carol Walter Family Foundation in 2011 to support organizations and programs that promote transformational improvements to community life. Its strategic philanthropy has gone toward conservation, children and animal welfare, performing arts and education.