Whale Foundation

Our Mission

To provide support services that promote, restore, and celebrate the health and well-being of the Grand Canyon river guiding community

Our Vision

We envision a Grand Canyon guiding community where:

• Guides have a stable mental, physical, and financial foundation 

• Both present and past guides have a functional, fulfilling, and successful life

• Career advancement and transition is supported

• Guides have a social safety net of services to assist them as issues arise

• Support, inclusion, and respect are common practice

• All people, indigenous and non-native, are passionately active and welcomed as a part of the community

• Whale Foundation services are widely known and accessed

Core Values

We are deeply connected to Grand Canyon.

We are accountable to our community and work.

We recognize guiding as a legitimate and valuable profession. 

We support river guiding as a way of life and promote longevity in guiding careers.

We guarantee confidentiality for the services we provide.

We exercise impartiality, consistency, and transparency in all that we do.

We respect individuality and conduct our work with integrity and tolerance.

We are committed to de-stigmatizing mental healthcare.

We honor our historical roots and the original purpose of our founding.

We adapt and evolve to meet the changing needs of our community.