The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) conservation organization dedicated to “Putting and Keeping Wild Sheep on the Mountain®.” Founded in 1977 in response to historic lows in North American wild sheep populations, WSF is headquartered in Reno, Nevada, and has grown to more than 11,000 members worldwide.
WSF’s work centers on direct funding of state, provincial, territorial, and tribal wildlife agency programs to restore and manage wild sheep populations — including bighorn sheep, Dall sheep, Stone sheep, and desert sheep. Since 1977, WSF has directed more than $145 million to conservation and management, and North American wild sheep numbers have more than tripled. The Foundation’s most recent Million-Pound Fund (MPF) was $11.5 million for 2024–2025, its second consecutive year above $11 million. WSF also operates the Sheep Show, a major annual convention, and a portfolio of youth education programs including the YWCE and S.H.E.E.P. initiatives.
WSF is a member of the IUCN and engages with international wild sheep and mountain ungulate conservation efforts, including through the Wild Sheep Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. WSF’s distinctive model — using hunter-conservationist funding to support state-managed wildlife programs — has made it a major contributor to bighorn sheep recovery across the American West.
