Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing
Funding campaign
Funding campaign
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In 2014, the [National Wildlife Federation](/wiki/National_Wildlife_Federation "National Wildlife Federation"), the [Santa Monica Mountains Fund](/wiki/Santa_Monica_Mountains_Fund "Santa Monica Mountains Fund"), and the \#SaveLACougars campaign began to raise money for the project. The inspiration for the project, as well as the funding drive's "poster puma", was [P\-22](/wiki/P-22 "P-22"), a mountain lion that survived crossing two freeways, the 101 and [the 405](/wiki/Interstate_405_%28California%29 "Interstate 405 (California)"), to reach [Griffith Park](/wiki/Griffith_Park "Griffith Park") at the easterly end of the Santa Monica Mountains. P\-22 became a local celebrity; his death in 2022 would further stimulate awareness and funds for the campaign.

In 2014, the California Wildlife Conservation Board gave a $650,000 grant to the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains for the design of the crossing.

In 2015, the [California Coastal Commission](/wiki/California_Coastal_Commission "California Coastal Commission") gave a $1 million grant to Caltrans for environmental assessment. Private donors were encouraged to contribute. The project stalled for years due to lack of funding. In May 2021, the [Annenberg Foundation](/wiki/Annenberg_Foundation "Annenberg Foundation") pledged to donate another $25 million once the project raised $35 million. As of mid\-April 2022, donations totaled more than $87 million, with more than 5,000 people, foundations, agencies, and businesses contributing expertise and donations.

The project costs around $90 million, with funding from private donations covering about 60% and the rest coming from public funds set aside for conservation purposes.


What is the total cost of the project?