The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla fund was officially opened in February 2022; the Ellen Fund was established to support the formation of an everlasting home for the Dian Fossey Fund. Click here to view mountain gorilla trekking safaris

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund was generated with the aim of continuing Dian’s legacy after her untimely death. Since Dian Fossey died nearly 50 years ago, Rwanda’s government has been doing fabulous work to serve its mission of saving the endangered gorillas. Click here to see our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour.

Not only addressing all the threats to the gorillas, such as human illnesses and habitat loss, but also working closely with the surrounding local communities to assure them that they can live together with the gorillas in harmony.

But Dian’s Fund was not mentioned in a critical component: a permanent home—a 20-year goal. This home had a bold vision: to support (a) the long-term health and care of the Dian Fossey Fund, (b) gorilla science, (c) responsible tourism, and (d) the needs of the local population. 

The campus goal is to inspire travelers who visit and local community members to cherish these gorillas and encourage lifetime conservation for them.

The campus supports Rwandan conservation efforts and has been a huge investment in the local community by offering over 2,300 employment opportunities (over 21% of which are female), millions invested in the local people, and local materials outsourced for the construction.

The Ellen DeGeneres campus construction Support came from a number of generous donors, such as an actor and conservationist, Leonardo DiCaprio, who named the 360 theater for his mother, Irmelin DiCaprio, and a computer lab for his father, George DiCaprio.

The Ellen DeGeneres Campus was designed by MASS Design Group, and from the architecture bit, daily operations, and its intended operation such as the environmental stewardship.

12+ acres adjacent to Volcanoes National Park in northern Rwanda, with more than 50,000 square feet of building space.

 The best in sustainable architecture, local resourcing, and environmentally-responsible practices.

 State-of-the-art laboratories (increasing laboratory space by 500 %), a scientific conservation library, and meeting space for large groups.

T’s officially called The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, and it was opened in February 2022.

The Ellen Fund was formed to support the creation of a permanent home for the Dian Fossey Fund.

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund was created to continue Dian’s legacy after her untimely death. For nearly 50 years, they have been doing amazing work to continue their mission of saving the gorillas. Not only do they address all threats to the gorillas — from human illnesses to habitat loss — but they also work closely with the surrounding communities to help assure locals and the gorillas can live together in harmony, where each helps the other.

But Dian’s Fund was missing a critical component: a permanent home  a 20 year goal. This home had a bold vision: to support (a) the long-term health and care of the Dian Fossey Fund, (b) gorilla science, (c) responsible tourism, and (d) the needs of the local population.

  The goal of the campus is to inspire everyone who visits, and the community members, to cherish gorillas and encourage a lifetime of conservation.

The Campus supports Rwandan conservation efforts, and has been a huge investment in the local community — with about 2,300 workers employed (21% female), with millions invested in local people and local materials.

Support came from numerous generous donors, including actor and conservationist, Leonardo DiCaprio, who named the 360 theater for his mother, Irmelin DiCaprio, and a computer lab for his father, George DiCaprio.

The Campus was designed by MASS Design Group, and from its architecture through daily operations, it’s intended to be an example of responsible environmental stewardship.

The Campus features
 12+ acres adjacent to Volcanoes National Park in northern Rwanda, with more than 50,000 square feet of building space.

The best in sustainable architecture, local resourcing, and environmentally-responsible practices.

 An interactive exhibit that focuses on Dian Fossey’s story and the conservation of the mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

State of the art laboratories (increasing laboratory space by 500 %), a scientific conservation library, and meeting space for large groups.

 Indoor and outdoor classrooms with a range of experiences for everyone from young children to scientists to tourists, and

 An extensive living laboratory housing 250,000 native plants.

 Groundbreaking was February 12, 2019, with the official grand opening being February 1, 2022 (which was also the 4th anniversary of The Ellen Fund!) We thank everyone who has played a part  big or small in making this incredible Campus a reality. It is the first permanent headquarters the Fossey Fund has known.

 You can visit the Campus, contribute to The Fossey Fund to support their further activities, or get involved at any level . Thank you for supporting gorillas … and people.

 Indoor and outdoor classrooms with a range of experiences for everyone from young children to scientists to tourists, and

An extensive living laboratory housing 250,000 native plants. 

Groundbreaking was February 12, 2019, with the official grand opening being February 1, 2022 (which was also the 4th anniversary of The Ellen Fund!) We thank everyone who has played a part big or small in making this incredible Campus a reality. It is the first permanent headquarters the Fossey Fund has known.

Travelers can visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus, or contribute to the Dian Fossey Fund to support further activities. Thank you for supporting gorillas and people.

Tourists can visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund any day in a week because it is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily seven days a week. Last entry is at 4:00 PM for self guided tours.

The best time to travel Rwanda is usually during the dry seasons that takes place from June to September and December to March), which offer blue clearer skies, easier trekking conditions for mountain gorilla watching and better wildlife viewing. However, Rwanda can be visited all year-round destination.