Katy Scholfield

About Katy Scholfield

Adviser

Katy Scholfield is the Director of Strategic Grantmaking for the Great Apes and Gibbons Programme at Arcus Foundation.

Katy was based at Synchronicity Earth for 10 years, where she led efforts to centre Indigenous and community rights and the revival and protection of biocultural diversity across the organisation. During this time, she played a key role in developing Synchronicity Earth’s forest grantmaking in Africa, Brazil and Papua New Guinea, as well as establishing collaborative funding initiatives to amplify conservation impact.

Prior to this, Katy held various conservation and development posts before completing her PhD using a case study of mountain gorilla conservation to explore how different people and their ideas are included or excluded in conservation.

She also holds a bachelor’s degree in environment, ecology, and economics from the University of York and a master’s in environment and development from the University of Manchester. Katy has sat on the executive committee of the AgroEcology Fund since 2015 and has a strong interest in how agroecology can help conservation re-imagine its relationship with agriculture to support all species to flourish. Katy joined the board of Synchronicity Earth USA in 2021.

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Katy Scholfield

Katy Scholfield

Adviser
Biocultural Diversity Programme
Katy Scholfield is the Director of Strategic Grantmaking for the Great Apes and Gibbons Programme at Arcus Foundation. Prior to starting this role in 2021, Katy was based at Synchronicity Earth for 10 years, where she led efforts to centre Indigenous and community rights and the revival and protection of biocultural diversity across the organisation. During this time, she played a key role in developing Synchronicity Earth’s forest grantmaking in Africa, Brazil and Papua New Guinea, as well as establishing collaborative funding initiatives to amplify conservation impact. Prior to this, Katy held various conservation and development posts before completing her PhD using a case study of mountain gorilla conservation to explore how different people and their ideas are included or excluded in conservation. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in environment, ecology, and economics from the University of York and a master’s in environment and development from the University of Manchester. Katy has sat on the executive committee of the AgroEcology Fund since 2015 and has a strong interest in how agroecology can help conservation re-imagine its relationship with agriculture to support all species to flourish. Katy joined the board of Synchronicity Earth USA in 2021.
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