Programs
George Mitchell, who was credited with pioneering the economic extraction of shale gas, supported, funded, and advocated environmental sustainability and sustainability science issues since the early 1970s, including the funding of the National Academy of Sciences' first-ever study on sustainability science.
As the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation has evolved, it has increasingly lent its voice to ongoing dialogue and debate in regard to the issue of sustainability. In 2015, grantmaking programs focused on the following sustainability-related initiatives:
The foundation also operated Cook’s Branch Conservancy, and made significant grants to the Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University, the Giant Magellan Telescope Consortium, and various other organizations that reflect the values and vision of Cynthia and George Mitchell.
