Fungi Foundation

The Fungi Foundation (Fundación Fungi) is a Chilean non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of fungi, their habitats, and the people who depend on them. Founded in 2012 by mycologist Giuliana Furci, it has grown from a national advocacy group into an international platform that combines scientific research, education, and policy work. Its mission is to protect the fungal kingdom — often called the 'funga' — with the same urgency and legal recognition afforded to flora and fauna. The foundation operates through several core programs: Conservation, Expeditions, Education, Ancestors, and the Fauna Flora Funga initiative. Its conservation work promotes habitat protection and has successfully pushed for the inclusion of fungi in Chilean environmental legislation. Its expeditions explore and document fungal diversity in remote wilderness areas, strengthening the FFCL fungarium, which holds more than 2,000 specimens from Chile and around the world. The education program offers a free mycological curriculum for teachers and educators, available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and has received over 4,400 registrations from 80 countries. The Ancestors program documents and protects ancestral relationships between humans and fungi, with a particular focus on Indigenous knowledge. Internationally, the Fungi Foundation opened a US office in 2020 and an India office in 2023 focused on ethnomycology. It has partnered with organizations such as Re:wild, IUCN, SPUN, and National Geographic Society. In 2024, alongside the UK and Chile, it presented a conservation commitment at COP16 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The foundation also advocates for the term 'funga' to be recognized alongside flora and fauna in scientific and legal frameworks. Through its books, field guides, and public campaigns, the Fungi Foundation has become a leading global voice for fungal conservation, bridging science, education, and policy.

The Fungi Foundation was founded in 2012 by mycologist Giuliana Furci, initially focused on the conservation of fungi in Chile. That same year, fungi were included in Chilean environmental legislation, a milestone that marked the foundation's early advocacy success. In 2014, the foundation created the FFCL Fungarium in Santiago, a biological reserve that now holds over 2,000 specimens from Chile and the world. In 2018, the foundation helped delimit the term 'funga' and proposed the 'Fauna Flora Funga' framework, advocating for equal recognition of fungi alongside animals and plants. Also in 2018, it published the second volume of the 'Fungi Field Guide to Chile'. In 2020, the foundation internationalized by opening an office in the United States. In 2021, Re:wild and IUCN adopted mycologically inclusive language, reflecting the foundation's influence. In 2022, it created a free mycological curriculum for teachers and educators. In 2023, it opened an office in India focused on ethnomycology. In 2024, Chile and the UK presented a conservation commitment at COP16, and the foundation celebrated the inclusion of funga in Chile's new national curriculum proposal. In 2025, it released a new version of its Ethical Guidelines for Ethnomycology. The foundation continues to expand its global reach through expeditions, education, and policy work.

• 2025

  New version of Ethical Guidelines for Ethnomycology

• 2024

  Chile and UK present conservation commitment at COP16

• 2024

  Inclusion of funga in Chile's new national curriculum proposal

• 2023

  Opening of an office in India focused on ethnomycology

• 2022

  Creation of a free mycological curriculum for teachers and educators

• 2021

  Re:wild and IUCN adopt mycologically inclusive language

• 2020

  Internationalization with the opening of a US office

• 2018

  Delimitation of the term 'funga' and proposal of Fauna Flora Funga

• 2018

  Publication of Fungi Field Guide to Chile Vol. II

• 2014

  Creation of the FFCL Fungarium in Santiago

• 2012

  Inclusion of fungi in Chilean environmental legislation

A global leader in fungal conservation, advocating for the recognition of fungi as a distinct kingdom in environmental policy and education.

• Free Mycological Curriculum

  A free curriculum for schools worldwide to teach about fungi as much as plants and animals, available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

• Fungi Field Guide to Chile

  A field guide series documenting fungal diversity in Chile.

• FFCL Fungarium

  A biological reserve with over 2,000 specimens from Chile and the world.

1. 1Fungi Foundation official websiteffungi.org
2. 2Fungi Foundation blogffungi.org
3. 3Fungi Foundation education pageffungi.org
4. 4Fungi Foundation expeditions pageffungi.org
5. 5Wikidata entry for Fungi Foundationwikidata.org