Colcom was created to perpetuate Mrs. May's philanthropic vision, which reflected her deep and lifelong concern about the negative effects of human overpopulation on the environment and quality of life in the United States.

Mrs. May, who spent her entire life and considerable resources protecting ecosystems, preserving the environment and conserving land and water, concluded that "the well intended actions of most environmental organizations are doomed to failure unless and until they recognize that the degradation of our natural world ultimately results from the press of human numbers."