lHanne and Maurice Strong acquired the big track of land knows as the Baca Ranch in 1978. Guided by the vision of Native American elders that his land had a great purpose, and her own desire to establish a sustainable, interfaith retreat community in North America, Hanne began to implement a new kind of development. She consolidated tracks of land and gave them to traditional religious and educational/intellectual organizations. By 1988, the following centers had been established: the Spiritual Life Institute (Carmelite monastery), the Crestone Mountain Zen Center, The Haidakhandi Universal Ashram, the Sri Aurobindo Learning Center, the Aspen Institute ( which was later acquired by Colorado College), and the San Luis Valley Tibetan Project.
In 1988, Hanne and Maurice founded the Manitou Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization, to provide land and financial support to qualified spiritual organizations, earth stewardship programs, and related educational opportunities for youth and adults. To date, the Foundation has granted land to the Baca Center for High Altitude Sustainable Agriculture; EDUCO, a youth leadership and Earth Restoration Corps training center; Mangal Shri Bhuti (Nyingma Tibetan Buddhist lineage); SUBUD (which utilizes environmental and sustainable technologies for building and agriculture); Naropa Institute; and Yeshe Khorlo, a Bhutanese Tibetan retreat center. Applications for land grants from a Shinto organization, a Gelugpa Tibetan monastery, Zorastrian, Kriya Yoga, and a Native American group were under consideration as of 2000.
The Crestone/Baca community of centers of the world's religious traditions is currently the largest intentional interfaith ecumenical community in North America. The Foundation has also instigated its own solitary retreat hermitage project, providing the opportunity for individuals to focus on their contemplative practices.