Hanne and Maurice Strong first came to the Baca /Crestone area of Colorado in 1978, after acquiring large tracts of land here. Though in a wilderness region, much infrastructure, including roads and utilities had been installed (at an estimated cost of $30 million dollars), and some houses built, while a previous developer tried unsuccessfully, to develop a retirement resort.

The Strongs learned that since antiquity indigenous peoples had revered this pristine wilderness as a place for conducting their vision quests and receiving shamanic trainings. It is prophesied that the world's religious traditions would gather here and help move the world toward globally conscious co-existence and co-creation. The Strongs embraced this vision and in the early 1980's, personally gave land to two religious traditions (Carmelite Catholic and Tibetan Buddhist), and one intellectual/ educational organiz ation. Through a dedicated commitment to honoring and developing the human spirit, Manitou Foundation, a non-profit, private foundation, was established in 1988 to carry on this vision, and foster a spiritually grounded community here.

Currently this community of centers of the world's religious traditions is the largest intentional interfaith ecumenical community in North America. Since its inception, it has grown as a place for many of the world's wisdom traditions to be practiced, taught and presented. Groups who have received financial and/or land grants, are in the process, or in discussion for grants, include - several Tibetan Buddhist lineages, Zen Buddhists, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Sufi, Taoist, and Zoroastrian organizations. Reflecting another growing interest of the Foundation, other projects revolving around youth and adult education in the area of Earth restoration, sustenance and preservation have also received grants. Over the years, tens of thousands of people have visited the various centers getting established here, and have been supported in their spiritual development, as well as in a deep experience of Nature.

The magnitude of nature in this wilderness environment, and its history of indigenous people understanding and honoring their relationship to nature, render it an ideal location for learning to live in balance with the Earth. Many individuals and organizations with this mission have been attracted here, and Manitou Foundation has embraced the mission of supporting these groups in demonstrating models of simple, spiritually based, self-sufficient life styles and appropriate sustainable technologies.

In 1994, The Manitou Institute, a public charity, was formed as an outgrowth of the Manitou Foundation. The Foundation continues to offer land grants, and the Institute provides financial grants to projects to accomplish the original vision by serving as an umbrella organization to support the growing community of spiritual and environmental groups here, and nurture their collaborative efforts. Manitou Institute offers its own in house programs towards this vision. These include a solitary retreat hermitage building project, the Earth Restoration Corps training project with international involvement, and development of a resource and reference library of spiritual and environmental materials.

Manitou Institute is now reaching out to the larger world community for financial assistance. The diversity and international representation evidenced by Manitou's achievements to date demonstrate commitment to inter-religious respect and global problem solving, through the development of a community of communities of responsible, spiritually centered, environmentally, sensitive individuals and groups living sustainable.