Grants for Environmental Justice in New York

Our Mission

The Scherman Foundation invests in the economic, political, and cultural transformation necessary for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to reclaim and build power. 

Our Strategic Framework

We believe that investing in cultural, political, and economic transformation together advances justice to realize our vision. We support organizations working at the intersections of these transformation areas inside our strategic framework. This framework is the foundation of our more specific and evolving program priorities.

• Economic Transformation
  • Our focus on economic transformation acknowledges that the root causes of economic inequity are linked to white supremacy and racial injustice and that the economic well being of BIPOC individuals and communities is critical for liberation.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Strategies and models that provide BIPOC communities with greater access to capital, assets, and opportunities
    • Economic stability and security for BIPOC individuals and families
    • Advocating for more equitable economic systems through policy reform, institutional changes, and increased transparency
• Political Transformation
  • We believe that those who have been excluded must lead the way in dismantling current political structures and creating new, inclusive, and reflective democratic processes.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Work and priorities that are driven by BIPOC communities
    • Forging multi-racial coalitions working toward racial justice
    • Reforming political structures and processes to make the political system more accessible and accountable to BIPOC communities
    • Increasing the participation of BIPOC communities in democratic processes and decision-making at all levels
• Cultural Transformation
  • Recognizing the crucial role of culture in advancing justice, we support organizations that harness storytelling, expression, and artistic activism to drive systemic change.
  • Our focus is on collaborative narrative change strategies, innovative storytelling frameworks, and equitable media accessibility.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Public Narrative Change: Combating misinformation and harmful stereotypes through investments in journalism, local news outlets, and nonfiction narratives
    • Artistic Expression: Supporting the creativity and work of BIPOC artists and communities without imposing agendas or conditions and transforming the field to do the same
    • Artivism: Using art as a tool for organizing grassroots movements and collective action, including funding on-the-ground storytelling and public art projects

General Criteria

We consider the following general criteria in our grantmaking process.

• Organizations that are accountable to or directed by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.
  • While we prioritize BIPOC leadership, our main focus is on organizations where BIPOC communities have clear influence and decision-making power over the organization's strategy, direction, programmatic work, and finances.
• Organizations that are intersectional in their work and practices.
  • Intersectionality recognizes that individuals hold multiple identities, shaping their experiences with power.
  • We look for organizations that demonstrate a deep understanding of intersectionality in their mission, programs, and practices; center the voices and experiences of those most affected by multiple forms of oppression; and address the interconnectedness of racial justice with economic status, gender, LGBTQ+, and/or disability justice as well.
• Organizations that work with others to build movements toward racial justice.
  • Movement-building is the long-term process of organizing and empowering individuals and organizations to collectively work towards systemic change and a shared vision.
  • We look for organizations and coalitions that reflect key characteristics of movement building including an authentic mass base; grassroots leadership; a shared ideology or narrative; broad coalition-building; and strategy to create and sustain structural change beyond specific organizations or campaigns.
  • The Foundation supports organizations focused on organizing and advocacy, while our Arts funding includes a wider range of approaches

Environmental & Climate Justice Program

Over the next 20 years, and likely beyond, climate chaos will be a primary driver of economic, social, cultural, and political change in the U.S.  But while transformation is inevitable, a Just Transition one that replaces fossil fuel systems that drive racial and economic inequality with structures that are decentralized, equitably distributed, and democratically controlled—will only be achieved through grassroots climate organizing and movement-building that embodies racial justice.

Climate change disproportionally harms Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, whether it is adjacency to noxious fossil fuel facilities that drive sky-rocketing asthma rates, the poisoning of Indigenous peoples’ lands, or the ocean inundation of unprotected communities already suffering from climate-driven heat waves. In New York, these harms will be increasingly exacerbated by climate-driven immigration, pitting one historically oppressed group against another. This reality is central to the environmental and climate justice movement. It is also the movement’s strength because frontline communities of color are the natural leaders to build economic, cultural, and political power in the fight to shape climate transformation. Local and state based community organizations and mass-based coalitions embody the intersectionality, first-hand knowledge, and determination rooted in lived experience that informs and drives systemic change.  

Funding Priorities

New York Regional Focus

The Foundation will focus its support on New York City and State in order to seek synergies with grantees in its other programs, facilitate deep staff engagement and support of the field, and take advantage of the moment. The state and city are at dramatic climate policy tipping points, positioned to demonstrate that a transition to climate sustainability is inextricably interwoven with the fight for racial justice. Having won historic legal commitments to a Just Transition—the CLCPA, Local Law 97, etc.—our grantees are working to defend those wins and fight for aggressive implementation. 

In order to leverage regional synergies (and confront regional challenges), the Foundation will continue to fund a limited number of grassroots groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Local Frontline Organizations and Allies

The Foundation funds multi-issue, BIPOC, community-based organizations, or coalitions of such groups, with a primary focus on racial justice and climate sustainability, from democratically controlled renewable energy projects and local/state policy to local climate resiliency and green jobs. These groups approach climate through the lens of local needs and concerns of historically oppressed communities. They are not first and foremost focused on emissions reductions (the usual measure of climate strategies) but on intersectional approaches such as asthma and PEAK plant transition; community self-sufficiency and solidarity through renewable energy microgrids and resilient, community-controlled community infrastructure; and the creation of energy efficient housing and green jobs. This complex intersectionality requires the Foundation to vet groups on the viability of their goals and strategies and on the authenticity of their community roots, power building, and accountability.

The Foundation provides targeted support for mass transit work. The city and region are uniquely shaped by the benefits and inequities of mass transit. These systems intersect with issues of economic access, health inequities, affordable housing, and, of course, climate. While almost all of the ECJ program’s grantees work at least tangentially on transportation issues, the Foundation funds a core group of grassroots organizing, advocacy, and policy groups and campaigns working exclusively for equitable mass transit.

The Foundation also supports a limited number of policy, legal, and technical support organizations allied with, and accountable to, frontline groups and coalitions.

National Climate Justice Groups

The Foundation will support a limited number of national Climate Justice groups distinguished by the following characteristics:

• A strong grassroots base in New York BIPOC communities, primarily through affiliations
• The capacity to both support and amplify New York climate justice groups
• An intersectional approach addressing racial, political, and economic justice in addition to climate
• A cohesive racial justice narrative built with other organizations and community partners

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

Who We Are

The Block Foundation is a small family foundation established in 2001 to honor the memories of Harris & Frances Block and their daughter Carol Block Maurer. We are a small, family operated foundation whose ideological makeup reflects our family values.

Mission

The Harris and Frances Block Foundation seeks equitable solutions to social and environmental problems, working with small and emerging organizations to improve our communities and impact the world.

Values

The Harris and Frances Block Foundation holds as values:

Community: Where change begins and grows to scale.

Justice: Both social and environmental.

Equality: Aspiring towards a society that honors the potential of all humans.

Access: Equitable access to systems, resources, and opportunities.

Sustainability: Both social and environmental.

What We Fund

The Block Foundation supports small grassroots not-for-profit organizations with grants that work to foster just and sustainable communities.

Environmental Issues

• Environmental Education
• Environmental Justice

Food and Farm Initiatives

• Farm and Garden Programs
• Farmworker’s Rights
• Food Justice

We are Westchester's community foundation, serving Westchester County. Our competitive grants are made possible primarily by funds set up by donor bequests and wills, supporting projects to improve the lives of Westchester residents.

Our Grantmaking Guidelines

Human Justice

We support programs that protect civil liberties and human rights through access to civil legal services.

Human Services

We support programs that address basic human needs, including food and shelter, and programs that help individuals and families achieve greater long-term economic stability and self-sufficiency.

Workforce Development

We support programs that provide opportunities for Westchester residents ages 16+ to train for and get good jobs. Programs must demonstrate a clear connection between the training and jobs, and include strong employer partnerships. Preference is given to programs that lead to industry-recognized certification and include job placement and post-placement services.

Youth Development

We support programs that increase opportunities for youth up to age 24 to become resilient adults. Funding is provided in two areas:

• Programs that empower young people by teaching essential personal and practical skills that will serve them throughout life. Preference is given to programs that give youth a voice in the issues that affect their lives, and that offer diverse experiences, expand cultural horizons, and provide enriching opportunities for community engagement. We prioritize programs that utilize a Positive Youth Development framework.
• Innovative programs that create improved outcomes for youth before and after contact with the juvenile or criminal justice systems. Programs must provide critical social services supports, including mental health services. Preference is given to programs that use innovative strategies to steer youth away from school suspension and incarceration.

Arts

We support programs that broaden access to the arts for all and provide professional development opportunities for artists from diverse backgrounds. Funding support is available in these two areas only:

• Post-baccalaureate education and training fellowships to promising young, economically disadvantaged artists that will help them make the transition to professional careers
• Programs that bring to life the rich cultural history of Germany, including scholarships, research, and programs that promote Germanic arts, folklore, language, literature, and music.

Social Justice

We support community-based efforts that seek policy reforms that address social injustice through grassroots and community organizing. Programs must involve and be led by those most affected by the injustice, ensuring that they have a say in shaping policies that affect their lives. Current grantees are working to promote access to housing, employment and economic opportunity, and participating in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws.

Technical Assistance

The Foundation supports the capacity of nonprofits in Westchester through convenings, workshops, and cohort programs that foster a strong and connected nonprofit sector. We do not entertain requests for technical assistance funding for a single organization.

Our Program Areas

The Sills Family Foundation’s primary grants program intends to help children from low income families live up to their highest promise by concentrating on the following four areas:

Comprehensive Services to Families in Crisis- With a special focus on families impacted by incarceration

The Sills Family Foundation has a major focus on programs that support families impacted by the criminal justice system. We partner with programs that work to strengthen the parent/child bond during incarceration through facilitating transportation for prison visits, creating child-sensitive visiting areas in correctional facilities, providing parenting education classes to incarcerated parents, as well as supporting families through the re-entry period. This effort extends to addressing the inequities in the bail system, preventing juvenile detentions, and providing high quality legal services to low income populations.

In considering the rehabilitative opportunities so rarely provided to incarcerated individuals, the Foundation supports higher education and arts programming inside correctional facilities. The Foundation has begun to play a role in deepening policy makers and service providers’ capacity in this field. The Sills Family Foundation is proud to be a member of the NY Initiative for Children with Incarcerated Parents, as well as the New York Youth Justice Initiative.

Support to Underserved Communities- Through improved access to early education and reduction of neighborhood violence

Low income neighborhoods and schools experience a disproportionate amount of school suspensions, violence, arrests and damage to the community through involvement in the criminal justice system. We support programs that seek to intervene in this destructive cycle and help young people stay on the path to success.

Early education can make a world of difference in how a child goes on to succeed in school, work and life. This is especially true for children challenged by poverty, homelessness and other forms of trauma. Children who start kindergarten behind their peers may continue to face problems throughout school. Getting kids off to a good start is critical to their future.

We are committed to high-quality education experiences that help children live up to their highest potential. We want to improve chances for all children to succeed in life through access to education, early intervention and family supports such as mental health counseling and job skills classes for their parents.

Programs Supporting Immigrants, Refugees and Asylees

We believe all human beings have the right to pursue their dreams of building a better home for themselves and their families, and that newcomers to the US should have access to necessary legal, educational, and material needs.

Environmental Justice- With a focus on contaminants that harm the developing embryo, fetus and infant

Toxic chemicals are released into our environment every day. Children consume pollutants in their food, air and water, their toys, candy, even baby bottles. These hazards can cause serious health problems, ranging from asthma and cancer to brain impairment and behavioral problems. They take a greater toll on the most vulnerable: pregnant women, fetuses and children.

We want to protect families from lead, mercury and other toxic compounds. The foundation supports organizations that embrace the ideals of environmental justice and that protect against poor communities carrying a greater share of the toxic burden. We invest in programs that work to reduce pollutants in our air, water, food and homes so that the minds and bodies of our infants and children stay healthy and strong.

Arts and Culture- Arts education and other creative opportunities to support underserved populations

Arts and cultural activity can provide people of all ages important tools of self expression, can open paths to new forms of communication and can strengthen self esteem. We believe that high quality arts programming in schools, community centers and senior centers can be a powerful tool of social justice. The Foundation seeks to support culturally sensitive collaborations between teaching artists, educators and community leaders to bring the positive power of the arts to under-resourced schools and communities.

Funding Priorities

The Sills Family Foundation funds nonprofits that support early childhood education, environmental justice, arts and culture, and families in crisis, with a focus on families and communities impacted by the criminal justice justice system as well as refugees, migrants and asylees.

Funding Criteria

The organizations we invest in support families and communities to overcome obstacles created by poverty, racism and other forms of marginalization. The programs we support have passionate leaders, are community based and offer potential for systemic, sustained change, including the possibility of replication. We seek to fund organizations for whom our grantmaking capacity will make an impact.

Grant Making Budget

Most of our grants range from $10,000 to $25,000. The Foundation accepts applications for one-year grants only, with the possibility of renewal grants for extended periods. Many of our grants support general operating needs.

Office of Environmental Justice

The Office of Environmental Justice (EJ) offers competitive grants to support and empower communities as they develop and implement solutions that significantly address environmental issues, harms, and health hazards, build community consensus, set priorities, and improve public outreach and education.

Community Impact Grants

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is pleased to announce funding for projects that will implement state assistance funding through the Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant program to not-for-profit corporation (NFP) community-based organizations for projects that address exposure of communities to multiple environmental harms and risks (“projects”).

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Community Partnerships

Con Edison supports organizations and causes that champion a clean and equitable energy future for all New Yorkers.

Priority will be given to organizations with programs/projects centered-in historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities.

Focus Areas

Con Edison proudly funds organizations that share our vision to combat the effects of climate change, advance social justice, and create green jobs. Our philanthropic initiatives power the vitality of our communities in New York City and Westchester to advocate for equity and support the gaps that exist in state-designated disadvantaged communities.

Con Edison feels an urgency to confront the threat that climate change poses to our communities and help New Yorkers adapt to a changing world.

Our efforts focus on:

Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship

We will accelerate access to clean energy by prioritizing place-based investments, resilient infrastructure, and environmental stewardship.

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: Projects focused on addressing the accelerated risks of climate change and promote nature-based solutions. Special attention will be given to initiatives that address extreme weather events, sea level rise, biodiversity loss, and the restoration or conservation of natural habitats and ecosystems.

Environmental Stewardship: Initiatives that focus on equitable land use and greenway enhancement—specifically green corridors, pocket parks, community gardens, and local farms.

• Program support may include stewardship of public lands, promotion of environmental education, coalition building focused on climate and energy policy, and leadership development for climate and environmental advocates.

Social Justice

We are applying our resources to help organizations and social movements that address systemic social justice issues—through skill building, action, and advocacy.

Human Rights and Democracy: Fund social justice organizations that are providing the building blocks to address discrimination, bias, and opportunity inequities for marginalized and disadvantaged communities.

Economic Empowerment and Opportunity: Fund social justice organizations whose goals are to reduce the racial, ethnic, and gender wealth gap and expanding access to resources for nonprofits that serve disadvantaged populations.

Community Resilience Fund social justice organizations and projects that support initiatives to ensure that marginalized and disadvantaged communities have the capacity, leadership, and agency to address environmental, social, and political change.

• This focus includes support for climate justice implementation programs focused on areas such as emergency preparedness, extreme weather, and similar areas of impact.

Program support may include funding to assist with skill building, leadership development, capacity building, civic engagement, and community organizing and outreach.

Clean Energy and Technology Careers

We will foster a new generation of workers by supporting access to education, skills training, economic supports, and hiring and/or career advancement opportunities they will need for well-paying jobs in emerging and in-demand clean energy, technology, and environmental science careers.

Skills Training: Training programs that equip new and existing workers with the skills and credentials needed for sustainable, well-paying careers, in high-demand clean energy and technology fields—with prioritization for individuals from disadvantaged communities.

Career Exploration & Pathways: Programs, workshops, and initiatives that build awareness of career paths and further educational and career goals in clean energy and technology fields for young adults (grade 9 and above) and adults.

Energy Ecosystems: Foster innovations, partnerships, movements, and coalitions that bring together business, training providers, and community organizations to develop clean energy and workforce strategies to help workers access quality careers and address specific challenges.

Program support may include skills-based training, barrier reduction and retention services, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, paid internships, career coaching, curriculum development, and coalition and network-building.

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

Mission

The DanPaul Foundation will use its resources to help train teachers and parents in early childhood development, protect children from abuse and neglect, stimulate children's personal social responsibilities, and offer them opportunities for enrichment and growth.

The Foundation will also encourage children to be concerned and informed about the environment and the underprivileged, particularly with regard to clean air and water, and adequate housing and nutrition for all.

Beliefs

The DanPaul Foundation believes that children should have ample opportunities for enrichment in their lives, and thus strives to provide many different ways to enrich and expand children's minds through direct programs and monetary support to organizations doing similar work.

We have provided or currently provide grants related to the following program areas:

• Workshops, Conferences, + Seminars: We strive to offer educational workshops, conferences, and seminars for parents and teachers on topics related to early childhood development.
• Student Scholarships: We aim to help students attending post-secondary education institutions by providing need-based and academic scholarships.
• Scientific Endeavors: We desire to advance scientific endeavors which seek to improve the quality of life for everyone in the world.
• Clean Air + Water: We hope to pass on knowledge and practical life skills to youth regarding their personal responsibility to the environment, teaching them about issues surrounding clean air and water.
• Child Advocacy: We believe in protecting children from abuse and neglect and particularly love to support programs that provide education and assistance to children as well as organizations advocating or caring for vulnerable children.
• Homelessness: We want to encourage young people to take a personal interest in seeing that adequate housing and proper nutrition, especially for the underprivileged and homeless, are available.
• Poverty + Neglect: We seek to help those in poverty as well as educate youth about their responsibility to consider the underprivileged and take care of those most in need of life's basic essentials like adequate housing and proper nutrition.
• Refugee Enrichment: We wish to help refugee youth by supporting programs that provide them enrichment and help them transition to life in a new country.

The DanPaul Foundation provides grants to 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organizations as defined by the IRS. The Foundation is interested in providing funding to programs that directly serve the health, education, development, and welfare of the world's youth.

Grants range from a few hundred dollars up to $15,000 per calendar year.

PNC Foundation

Strengthening and enriching the lives of our neighbors in communities where we live and work.

Vision & Mission

For decades, we have provided resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination are at work enhancing people's lives everyday.

The PNC Foundation's priority is to form partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations in order to enhance educational opportunities, with an emphasis on early childhood education, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives.

Foundation Grant

The PNC Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on those that work to achieve sustainability and touch a diverse population, in particular, those that support early childhood education and/or economic development.

Education

The PNC Foundation supports educational programs for children and youth, particularly early childhood education initiatives that meet the criteria established through PNC Grow Up Great. Specifically, PNC Grow Up Great grants must:

• Support early education initiatives that benefit children from birth to age five; and
• Serve a majority of children (>50%) from low- to moderate-income families; and
• Adhere to all other standard PNC Foundation guidelines, as outlined on the PNC Foundation website, applicant eligibility quiz, as well as the Foundation policies and procedures; and
• Include one or a combination of the following:
  • direct services/programs for children in their classroom or community;
  • professional development/workforce development for early childhood educators;
  • family and/or community engagement in children’s early learning
• Additional considerations:
  • The grant focus should include math, science, reading, vocabulary development, the arts, financial education, or social/emotional development.
  • The grant recipient, or collaborative partner, should have early childhood education as an area of focus. If the organization’s focus is beyond birth to age five, the specific grant must be earmarked for birth to age five.
  • Incorporate opportunities for PNC volunteers in classroom or non-classroom-based activities.

Economic Development

Economic development organizations, including those which enhance the quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, cultural enrichment and human services are given support. Priority is given to community development initiatives that strategically promote the growth of low-and moderate-income communities and/or provide services to these communities.

• Affordable Housing
  • The PNC Foundation understands the critical need for affordable housing for low-and moderate-income individuals.
  • We are committed to providing support to nonprofit organizations that:
    • give counseling and services to help these individuals maintain their housing stock;
    • offer transitional housing units and programs; and/or
    • offer credit counseling assistance to individuals, helping them to prepare for homeownership.
• Community Development
  • Because small businesses are often critical components of community growth and help foster business development, the PNC Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that
    • offer technical assistance to, or loan programs for, small businesses located in low-and moderate-income areas or
    • support small businesses that employ low-and moderate-income individuals.
• Community Services
  • Support is given to social services organizations that benefit the health, education, quality of life or provide essential services for low-and moderate-income individuals and families.
  • The PNC Foundation supports job training programs and organizations that provide essential services for their families.
• Arts & Culture
  • Support is given for cultural enrichment programs benefitting the community.
• Revitalization & Stabilization of Low-and Moderate-Income Areas
  • The PNC Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that serve low-and moderate-income neighborhoods by improving living and working conditions.
  • Support is given to organizations that help stabilize communities, eliminate blight and attract and retain businesses and residents to the community.

Democratic Practice 

The Democratic Practice program seeks to strengthen the vitality of democracy in the United States and in global governance. The program’s core ideas—that for democracy to flourish and deliver on its promises, its citizens must be engaged, empowered, and assertive, and institutions of governance must be inclusive, transparent, accountable, and responsive—provide a frame for the Fund’s Democratic Practice work in the United States and on global challenges.

Democracy in the United States

Democracy in the United States is facing myriad challenges as persistent and deep divisions continue to undermine the nation’s social, economic, and political vitality. The current U.S. political system suffers from outsized influence of money in politics, extreme partisanship, retrenchment of voting rights, issues with outdated and inefficient election administration, and concentrations of power in narrow segments of society not reflective of the larger population. Alternatively, new opportunities for systemic reform are developing and gaining traction. The nation is seeing a resurgence of grassroots political activism, protest, and a democratization of both traditional and social media. Digital resources are fueling different kinds of engagement and activism that are reaching people in entirely new ways. Further, the ability to leverage creative investigative and solution-based journalism and broadly available government and election data to improve both democratic systems and grassroots civic engagement provides exciting opportunities to build a vital and inclusive 21st-century democracy.

The Fund recognizes that the gaps between rich and poor, and white and non-white, are widening, while the diversity of elected officials remains misaligned with the electorate, fundamentally undermining the quality of representative democracy. Exorbitant amounts of private money spent on political campaigns and lobbying by a very small percentage of the electorate profoundly distort the political system. Others without the financial resources to influence public policy are further marginalized, undermining the ability of voters and constituents to hold elected officials accountable and fostering public cynicism and distrust of elected officials and public institutions.

The quality of our political culture continues to deteriorate. Consequently, there are fewer and fewer examples of true bipartisanship and constructive compromise in state and federal legislatures. Additionally, partisan actors, with a goal of achieving partisan supremacy rather than ensuring democratic fairness, exert disproportionate control over voting rights, poll access, and redistricting. Participation in national elections remains below that of most advanced democracies, and turnout for local elections is persistently low. Moreover, fair, efficient, and effective election administration is undermined by inaccurate voter rolls and outdated processes and technology. In addition, eligible voters have been kept from the polls by restrictive voting laws, or worse, by overt voter-suppression efforts.

Meaningful and informed public participation in all phases of democracy in the United States provides the foundation for a truly vibrant democracy. The Fund believes that innovation in traditional grassroots organizing strategies, development of opportunities for underrepresented populations in civic leadership, and effective integration of digital media and communications into civic life are promising ways to improve public participation in governance. Authentic public participation in democracy lays the groundwork for substantive policy reforms that are a true reflection of our representative democracy.

Goal: Advance a Vital and Inclusive Democracy in the United States

In the United States, the Fund supports innovative strategies to strengthen and broaden participation in the practices and institutions of democratic governance, foster greater transparency, accountability, and responsiveness of government institutions, and promote social, economic, and racial justice in our democratic systems.

Strategies:

• Supporting innovations in systems and practices to strengthen equality of representation and disrupt corruptive influences, including money and privileged relationships.
• Increasing opportunities for meaningful citizen participation in democratic systems through election and voting reforms, including improvements in voting rights, election laws, redistricting processes, and election administration.
• Supporting movement-building strategies for systemic reform of democratic institutions to advance economic and racial justice.

The Democratic Practice–U.S. program works to enhance the quality of American democracy through support for high leverage opportunities at the federal, state, and local levels (including New York City as the Fund’s home).

Global Challenges

The dramatic increase in cross-border flows of capital, goods, and people and their values and ideas—“globalization”—is producing deep interdependencies and changes in power relations. It is a defining process of the 21st century, offering both challenges and opportunities.

Public engagement in decision making across all levels of governance must contend nowadays with powerful global actors, forces, and institutions, presenting profound challenges to democracy. Economic interests have largely overshadowed democratic practices, social equity, and environmental concerns in the evolution of global institutions. Powerful international trade and financial institutions remain opaque and exclusive, and the power and reach of multinational corporations often escape public scrutiny or effective regulation. Thus, although the impact of global forces on peoples’ lives is growing, they face enormous impediments to both defend their existing rights and engage to meet new global challenges.

At the same time, globalization has opened up new opportunities for building cross-border, citizen-based coalitions, which are finding innovative ways to frame, address, and resolve global problems. Evolving understandings of planetary limits and the drivers of climate change have given rise to citizen groups pressing for economic and environmental rights. Common experiences of inequality and the erosion of democracy have led to demands for changes in how rules of the global economy are written—and in whose interest. New technologies and ways of organizing undergird citizen networks working across languages, geographies, and cultures. These novel combinations of grassroots, professional, public, private, intergovernmental, and nongovernmental organizations are analyzing global processes, articulating alternatives, and advancing in democratic practice and accountability to address global challenges.

Who We Are

The Creag Foundation is a private grant making foundation established in 2009 in Woodinville, Washington.

The founders of the Creag Foundation believe that meaningful change can only be achieved through hard work, creativity and passion. They also understand the practical mechanisms that allow charitable organizations to succeed and grow. As a group, Creag Foundation principals are dedicated to helping today’s most innovative programs improve the human condition in a wide variety of ways.

Our Focus

The broad purpose of the Foundation is to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations who are innovators in the field of human services. Our particular focus is on smaller organizations that are starting out or established organizations that are looking for funding to take their organization in a new direction.

What We Fund

/ What We Fund

The Creag Foundation is focused on innovation in the industry. We will consider proposals from 501(c)(3) organizations that are finding new ways to address societal issues facing the nonprofit community. Applicants must have held 501(c)(3) status for one year before submitting. If your organization has held 501(c)(3) status for over a year, and your believe that your organization has a new approach to an existing social problem or is addressing a previously unaddressed social issue, you are welcome to contact us and request that we consider your organization for a funding opportunity.

Our Mission

The Scherman Foundation invests in the economic, political, and cultural transformation necessary for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to reclaim and build power. 

Our Strategic Framework 

We believe that investing in cultural, political, and economic transformation together advances justice to realize our vision. We support organizations working at the intersections of these transformation areas inside our strategic framework. This framework is the foundation of our more specific and evolving program priorities.

• Economic Transformation
  • Our focus on economic transformation acknowledges that the root causes of economic inequity are linked to white supremacy and racial injustice and that the economic well being of BIPOC individuals and communities is critical for liberation.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Strategies and models that provide BIPOC communities with greater access to capital, assets, and opportunities
    • Economic stability and security for BIPOC individuals and families
    • Advocating for more equitable economic systems through policy reform, institutional changes, and increased transparency
• Political Transformation
  • We believe that those who have been excluded must lead the way in dismantling current political structures and creating new, inclusive, and reflective democratic processes.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Work and priorities that are driven by BIPOC communities
    • Forging multi-racial coalitions working toward racial justice
    • Reforming political structures and processes to make the political system more accessible and accountable to BIPOC communities
    • Increasing the participation of BIPOC communities in democratic processes and decision-making at all levels
• Cultural Transformation
  • Recognizing the crucial role of culture in advancing justice, we support organizations that harness storytelling, expression, and artistic activism to drive systemic change.
  • Our focus is on collaborative narrative change strategies, innovative storytelling frameworks, and equitable media accessibility.
  • We support organizations that focus on:
    • Public Narrative Change: Combating misinformation and harmful stereotypes through investments in journalism, local news outlets, and nonfiction narratives
    • Artistic Expression: Supporting the creativity and work of BIPOC artists and communities without imposing agendas or conditions and transforming the field to do the same
    • Artivism: Using art as a tool for organizing grassroots movements and collective action, including funding on-the-ground storytelling and public art projects

General Criteria

We consider the following general criteria in our grantmaking process.

• Organizations that are accountable to or directed by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.
  • While we prioritize BIPOC leadership, our main focus is on organizations where BIPOC communities have clear influence and decision-making power over the organization's strategy, direction, programmatic work, and finances.
• Organizations that are intersectional in their work and practices.
  • Intersectionality recognizes that individuals hold multiple identities, shaping their experiences with power.
  • We look for organizations that demonstrate a deep understanding of intersectionality in their mission, programs, and practices; center the voices and experiences of those most affected by multiple forms of oppression; and address the interconnectedness of racial justice with economic status, gender, LGBTQ+, and/or disability justice as well.
• Organizations that work with others to build movements toward racial justice.
  • Movement-building is the long-term process of organizing and empowering individuals and organizations to collectively work towards systemic change and a shared vision.
  • We look for organizations and coalitions that reflect key characteristics of movement building including an authentic mass base; grassroots leadership; a shared ideology or narrative; broad coalition-building; and strategy to create and sustain structural change beyond specific organizations or campaigns.
  • The Foundation supports organizations focused on organizing and advocacy, while our Arts funding includes a wider range of approaches.

Strengthening New York Communities Program

New York is where the Scherman Foundation began. For much of its history, the Foundation made grants to challenge inequities and improve the conditions of New York City communities most in need. This focus on social justice remains at the core of our grantmaking today, with a clearer focus on racial justice as expressed in our new vision, mission, strategic framework, and program guidelines. 

New York remains an important part of our grantmaking, with its own distinct grants program. The Foundation is dedicated to challenging the inequities that still exist in New York and building the power of its communities to create a better and more just future for all. With our clearer focus on racial justice, our New York grantmaking recognizes that resourced BIPOC communities, including communities of immigrants—newly arrived and multi-generational—are powerful catalysts for economic, political, and cultural transformation for all.   

Funding Priorities

Housing and Land Use

A stable, decent home and a vibrant thriving neighborhood are elemental to the economic, political, and cultural transformations that the Foundation seeks. The Foundation will therefore continue to prioritize grassroots, movement-building organizations fighting for housing and land use justice in New York City and State. The current crisis in housing and land use is the result of long-term, intentional economic and racial discrimination and neglect. The solution is, therefore, not simply increased supply—more of the same— but qualitatively different housing and land use systems reflecting stability, autonomy, and joy. That systemic change is only achievable through the mobilization and grassroots movement-building leadership of those most deeply affected: low wealth, primarily BIPOC communities.

The Foundation will fund groups based in specific neighborhoods as well as organizations and coalitions with city and state-wide reach.

We support organizations that address the following issue areas separately or in combination:

• Tenant supports and protections for regulated apartments, including rent stabilized units, public housing, and those covered by Good Cause Eviction protections. This includes access to rent relief and expanded housing vouchers, and full implementation of the Right to Counsel in Housing Court
• Preservation of affordable housing and neighborhoods through the strengthening of BIPOC residents’ and communities’ voices in decisions about their future. This includes increased access to capital and alternative land, housing, and business ownership models, including community land trust and social housing, that build BIPOC community power and economic stability.
• Promotion of equitable and inclusive development of affordable housing and communities through the shaping of policy and decisions on housing and land use, including zoning and planning

Workers’ Rights and Justice

New York has been and continues to be shaped by its BIPOC and immigrant communities, particularly by its low-wage workers from those communities. Their contributions fuel economic growth, strengthen social bonds, and anchor resilient neighborhoods. Therefore, we are committed to advancing worker rights and justice for BIPOC and immigrant communities in New York to better support workers and their families as they build greater economic stability and security for themselves, their loved ones, and their neighbors.

We support organizations that address the following issue areas separately or in combination:

• Protections for low-wage, informal workers, including, but not limited to, delivery and food industry workers, construction workers, domestic workers, and street vendors
• Systemic access to fair wages, work opportunities, training, and language justice for BIPOC and immigrant communities
• A fairer, more accessible childcare system for workers, families, and providers, particularly one that supports low-wage, informal workers from BIPOC communities.

We interpret workers’ rights and justice broadly and recognize that organizations may work on these and other related issues.  We also prioritize applicable organizations that apply a gender justice lens to their work, recognizing the disproportionate challenges faced by BIPOC and immigrant women in the workforce.

Other Priorities

As stated in our programmatic guidelines, the Foundation looks to support organizations that primarily use grassroots organizing and advocacy. However, we also consider grantees whose work incorporates or focuses on narrative and culture shift related to one of the above priorities.

We also consider organizations that take an intersectional approach, contextualizing housing, land justice, worker justice, and immigrant justice issues within a broader framework that is responsive to the needs of those most impacted. This framework should align with the Foundation's other program priorities, which include environmental and climate justice and civic engagement. We offer limited support to capacity-building organizations that provide crucial assistance to organizing and advocacy groups within our priority areas. We expect to expand this portfolio to include at least one new priority.

Mission

Driven by a philanthropic calling to support marginalized communities throughout the world, the Semnani Family Foundation partners with on-the-ground organizations and leverages its resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit.

History

Guided by his grandmother Maliheh’s example and teachings, Khosrow Semnani and his wife Ghazaleh established the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993. The foundation’s first grant was issued through CARE International to an orphanage in Romania that cared for newborns affected by HIV. Over the last few decades, the foundation has continued to build upon its mission to empower the disaffected, partnering with a variety of organizations in different countries who can make the greatest impact.

In addition to its global influence, the Semnani Family Foundation established roots within the state of Utah with the founding of Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free healthcare to thousands of uninsured people in the Salt Lake City area.

Where We Work

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting health, education, and disaster relief for marginalized communities all around the world. Driven by a clear mission to adapt and serve at the global level, we have leveraged our resources to make a meaningful impact in the following countries so far:

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia
• Colombia
• England
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Romania
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Uganda
• United States
• Yemen

At the heart of the Foundation lies a fervent commitment to human welfare, always prioritizing health and the needs of society’s most vulnerable.

Eide Bailly Resourcefullness Award

Our nonprofit industry advisory group is thrilled to offer this opportunity for nonprofit organizations who develop outstanding initiatives to support their communities. Our Resourcefullness Award program was established in 2013 and each year we receive an abundance of wonderful applications. It’s hard choosing a winner!

Ultimately, we are passionate about helping our clients (and non-clients) thrive and succeed. This award program allows us to showcase nonprofit organizations that stand out and in turn, we are able to offer education around revenue generating trends, ideas and campaign strategies.

Eide Bailly’s Resourcefullness Award is our way to support the financial health of the nonprofit sector while recognizing and celebrating nonprofits across the nation for their creative and sustainable revenue-generating initiatives. Through a short application process, three judges from outside of the firm will select one 501(c)(3) organization as the Award winner, receiving a $50,000 prize.

Criteria for Evaluation

Our Resourcefullness Award judges will reference the following criteria when evaluating application submissions:

• Sustainability
• Creativity
• Financial Impact
• Overall Impression
• Implementation

Overview

The Long Island Sound Stewardship Fund (LISSF) is a competitive grant program seeking proposals to restore and protect the health and living resources of Long Island Sound. We are interested in empowering communities of all kinds (including communities typically underrepresented in environmental programs and projects) to access, improve and benefit from Long Island Sound, its waterways, and surrounding lands. Up to $400,000 is expected to be available for grants in 2025. The most competitive proposals will incorporate multiple values including sustainability, resilience, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

The LISSF aims to:

• support non-profit 501(c)(3) public charities working on issues and projects that address the strategies and Implementation Actions of the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) and support communities and organizations in advancing environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion. 

The Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative

The Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative (the Collaborative) is a group of funders with missions that include clean waters, thriving habitats, and sustainable communities in the Long Island Sound region. While most of the funders are not solely focused on this goal, we aim to build our effectiveness through collaboration. Since its inception, the Collaborative has worked together to learn about the myriad issues facing the Sound and possible solutions.

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute

We’re funding a more sustainable New York State. The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) was established to give businesses, nonprofits, municipalities, and communities across the Empire State the resources and expertise they need to realize the benefits of sustainability.

Community Grants

Each year, NYSP2I awards funding to support projects that raise awareness and understanding and lead to the implementation of pollution prevention practices and/or behaviors at the local level with the goal of improving the health, environmental quality, and economic vitality of communities in New York State.

The program is designed to support initiatives that raise public awareness and understanding of environmental issues and that lead to adoption of sustainable practices.

Disadvantaged Community Air Pollution Mitigation Grant (NY)

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is pleased to announce funding for projects that will implement State assistance funding through the Disadvantaged Community Air Pollution Mitigation Grant program to support Indian Nations/Tribal Organizations and not-for-profit (NFP) community-based organizations in Disadvantaged Communities (DAC) and Environmental Justice (EJ) Areas for projects that address ambient air pollution mitigation strategies. The focus should be on evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation strategies so that effective strategies can be replicated in other communities across the State. The data collected will be made publicly available.

The DEC and the Office of Environmental Justice note that ambient air pollution can compromise human health and the environment in many ways. Per the EPA, “Air pollution is associated with several human health effects including heart attacks, asthma attacks, bronchitis, hospital and emergency room visits, work and school days lost, restricted activity days, respiratory symptoms, and premature mortality.”

The Disadvantaged Community Air Pollution Mitigation Grant is being offered to support effective action to reduce air pollution and exposure within Disadvantaged and Environmental Justice Communities. Air Pollution mitigation projects are intended to further the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) in Disadvantaged Communities throughout New York. Projects should be designed to reduce or mitigate emissions or pollution in areas that have a record of poor ambient air quality. Mitigation techniques can be varied, and multiple techniques can be implemented. 

Examples of mitigation projects include but are not limited to the following:

• Pollution vacuums
• Air filtration units
• Vegetative barriers
• Phytoremediation
• Diesel engine retrofits and other advanced truck technologies
• Bicycle and pedestrian facilities and programs
• Alternative multimodal transportation infrastructure, such as car shares
• Alternative fuels and vehicles
• Methane capture
• Carbon sink projects
• Local planning efforts to reduce pollution, to develop local action plans or local health intervention programs
• Technical and capacity building can be used to improve indoor air filtration or educate and train community members on how to properly operate or maintain supporting programs such as community car sharing
• Innovative projects are encouraged

Funding

Minimum grant amount is $250,000 Maximum grant amount is $500,000.

Approximately $3,000,000 is available for Disadvantaged Community Air Pollution Mitigation Opportunity Grants. Funding for this grant is provided from the state Environmental Protection Fund. Applicants may be awarded up to $500,000 each until funding has been exhausted. Funding will be utilized to fund as many eligible projects as possible which may include partial funding of projects.

Community Environmental Education Centers Grant (NY)

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is pleased to announce funding for projects that will implement the support of new construction or renovation of a facility to create a Community Environmental Education Center (Center). The Center should inspire exploration, discovery, and learning about the community’s environment.

Possible uses or programming of the Center include but are not limited to: 

• Education about indoor air pollution and modeling methods to reduce exposure to indoor air pollution.
• Education about environmental justice challenges.
• Cultural preservation and environmental stewardship.
• Green jobs training and education.
• Programs, information, and exhibits that increase awareness and stewardship of the local environment.
• Models of sustainable development including LEED Green Building Certification, green infrastructure, and agriculture.
• Extreme weather shelters with innovative architecture or engineering demonstrations.
• Research and monitoring programs focusing on watershed issues, combined sewer overflow, vehicle emissions, energy generation, solid waste transfer activities and/or other environment issues.
• Community space for local community-based organizations, community events, and workshops.
• K-12 educational programming in STEAM which may include ecology, environmental harms/risks/issues, green technology, and environmental sustainability.
• College level electives in ecology, green energy technology, and environmental sustainability.
• Outdoor components such as community gardens or farms.

Funding

Minimum grant amount is $250,000.00; Maximum grant amount is $3,000,000.

Approximately $7 Million is available for Community Environmental Education Center Grants. Funding for this grant opportunity is provided from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and is available to support capital costs of new construction proposals or renovation proposals. Funding will be utilized to fund as many eligible projects as possible which may include partial funding of projects.

A Thriving Communities Grantmaker Program

Welcome to the Flourishing in Community Grantmaker, a regional program under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaker program that serves New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Our mission is to fuel the transformation of underserved areas into vibrant communities, equipped to take on past, current, and future environmental and public health challenges. The FIC Grantmaker understands the dire need to address climate change, curb pollution, champion racial equality, and uplift disadvantaged communities and works to redress previous harms by ensuring environmental justice, promoting fair treatment, and facilitating meaningful participation of all individuals in decisions impacting their environment and health. We focus especially on communities that have been historically marginalized and underserved.

Frontline communities and the organizations that serve them have a profound understanding of the challenges they face and possess the most promising solutions for the glaring environmental justice issues of our time. However, the organizations striving to serve these communities often face hurdles in acquiring federal funding.

The FIC Grantmaker is here to bridge this gap, by offering funding, technical support, capacity development, programs, and research opportunities to projects led by community organizations, nonprofits, and other entities championing environmental justice initiatives in Region 2: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and eight federally recognized Indian Nations. This initiative aligns deeply with Executive Orders (EO 14008 and EO 13985) from the Biden Administration and is funded and supported by the EPA.

Noncompetitive Awards

Noncompetitive awards will be made to capacity-constrained communities and CBOs without the submission of an application to the competitive review process. These noncompetitive small subawards will be made in a fixed amount of $75,000 each. These awards are easy to distribute and easy to receive, with less reporting needed compared with competitive awards. Noncompetitive subgrants will be selected through a participatory strategy. An open call for project nominations will be released in September 2024, inviting community members, organizations, and groups to submit nominations via an online portal. Any individual or organization may nominate any organization or project, including themselves, in Region 2 for a noncompetitive award. Nominations will appear on the program website with a short description of the organization and/or project and a photograph or set of photographs, or as a video entry.

Community members in Region 2 will vote on noncompetitive awards using a ranked-choice system. Final selections will be reviewed by the FIC team to ensure any permissions, permits, or other requirements are in place before the final award is made. Final awards will be made by a board of community leaders and will be based on the feasibility of the project, the necessity of the project, and public support for the project. Selected projects will be supported by the FIC team, and their progress will be monitored through a public-access website.

A Thriving Communities Grantmaker Program

Welcome to the Flourishing in Community Grantmaker, a regional program under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaker program that serves New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Our mission is to fuel the transformation of underserved areas into vibrant communities, equipped to take on past, current, and future environmental and public health challenges. The FIC Grantmaker understands the dire need to address climate change, curb pollution, champion racial equality, and uplift disadvantaged communities and works to redress previous harms by ensuring environmental justice, promoting fair treatment, and facilitating meaningful participation of all individuals in decisions impacting their environment and health. We focus especially on communities that have been historically marginalized and underserved.

Frontline communities and the organizations that serve them have a profound understanding of the challenges they face and possess the most promising solutions for the glaring environmental justice issues of our time. However, the organizations striving to serve these communities often face hurdles in acquiring federal funding.

The FIC Grantmaker is here to bridge this gap, by offering funding, technical support, capacity development, programs, and research opportunities to projects led by community organizations, nonprofits, and other entities championing environmental justice initiatives in Region 2: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and eight federally recognized Indian Nations. This initiative aligns deeply with Executive Orders (EO 14008 and EO 13985) from the Biden Administration and is funded and supported by the EPA.

Assessment Projects

Phase I Assessment Projects are starter funds for local groups or new groups who need support with environmental or public health problems and must begin by assessing or studying the problem. These funds might be used to measure air quality, water contamination, or the prevalence of toxic substances in a particular area, or funds can be used to understand how well a group of people in a community or geographic area understand a particular environmental issue. Groups receive funding of $150,000 for one year to help understand the most pressing issues facing their community and to prepare for an action plan. They can use the money for different tasks like research, sampling, testing, monitoring, surveys, or even educating the public about the problems.

The main goal is to support communities in understanding EJ problems facing them, to prepare to make a plan to address those issues. Grant recipients at this phase may be paired with faculty research support at participating universities and colleges to support their assessment activities if it would be useful to the proposed projects. These are examples of possible funded projects; other projects are also eligible for funding.

A Thriving Communities Grantmaker Program

Welcome to the Flourishing in Community Grantmaker, a regional program under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaker program that serves New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Our mission is to fuel the transformation of underserved areas into vibrant communities, equipped to take on past, current, and future environmental and public health challenges. The FIC Grantmaker understands the dire need to address climate change, curb pollution, champion racial equality, and uplift disadvantaged communities and works to redress previous harms by ensuring environmental justice, promoting fair treatment, and facilitating meaningful participation of all individuals in decisions impacting their environment and health. We focus especially on communities that have been historically marginalized and underserved.

Frontline communities and the organizations that serve them have a profound understanding of the challenges they face and possess the most promising solutions for the glaring environmental justice issues of our time. However, the organizations striving to serve these communities often face hurdles in acquiring federal funding.

The FIC Grantmaker is here to bridge this gap, by offering funding, technical support, capacity development, programs, and research opportunities to projects led by community organizations, nonprofits, and other entities championing environmental justice initiatives in Region 2: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and eight federally recognized Indian Nations. This initiative aligns deeply with Executive Orders (EO 14008 and EO 13985) from the Biden Administration and is funded and supported by the EPA.

Planning Projects

Phase II Planning Projects are designed for groups in the community, or other qualified parties, that have a good understanding of their local environment and public health issues. They should be ready to come up with a detailed plan to solve these problems. These projects can be run by a single group or by a team of partner organizations working together. Usually, a Phase II subgrant offers up to $250,000 for a project that lasts 1 to 2 years. This money can be used for several activities like creating the project plan, building partnerships, educating and reaching out to the public, coordinating with community stakeholders, and training for community groups and members, including workforce development programs and education programs. The funds can also support community projects like cleaning up empty lots and buying small pieces of land, as long as these purchases don't use up more than half of the total grant money. These are examples of possible funded projects; other projects are also eligible for funding.

A Thriving Communities Grantmaker Program

Welcome to the Flourishing in Community Grantmaker, a regional program under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaker program that serves New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Our mission is to fuel the transformation of underserved areas into vibrant communities, equipped to take on past, current, and future environmental and public health challenges. The FIC Grantmaker understands the dire need to address climate change, curb pollution, champion racial equality, and uplift disadvantaged communities and works to redress previous harms by ensuring environmental justice, promoting fair treatment, and facilitating meaningful participation of all individuals in decisions impacting their environment and health. We focus especially on communities that have been historically marginalized and underserved.

Frontline communities and the organizations that serve them have a profound understanding of the challenges they face and possess the most promising solutions for the glaring environmental justice issues of our time. However, the organizations striving to serve these communities often face hurdles in acquiring federal funding.

The FIC Grantmaker is here to bridge this gap, by offering funding, technical support, capacity development, programs, and research opportunities to projects led by community organizations, nonprofits, and other entities championing environmental justice initiatives in Region 2: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and eight federally recognized Indian Nations. This initiative aligns deeply with Executive Orders (EO 14008 and EO 13985) from the Biden Administration and is funded and supported by the EPA.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.

Our Mission

To conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund

To make the highest possible impact on the climate and biodiversity crises, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is committed to advancing solutions and supporting partners throughout the Appalachians to connect and conserve vital wildlife habitat, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, and generate new job and recreation opportunities for communities.

Approximately one-third of the U.S. population lives in or within 100 miles of the Appalachians, including an estimated 36 million people that rely on the region for sources of drinking water. The landscape contains the world's largest remaining expanses of temperate broadleaf mixed forest and provides habitat to a wide diversity of plants of animals, many of which are listed as rare, threatened, or endangered. Conserving this landscape is critical for nature and for the people that live and work there.

However as climate change drives ecosystem instability, plants and animals are shifting their ranges northward, and people are having to find ways to adapt to complex and intertwined challenges. TNC and many others have been working to conserve vital Appalachian habitats for decades. Now we must ramp up our efforts and coordinate with partners across the Appalachians for maximum impact.

To succeed in these efforts, TNC’s Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund offers two grant programs for conservation and community organizations, municipalities, Federally Recognized Tribal Nations, and local and state agencies in the Appalachians who are working to protect and conserve this region:

• The Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program
• The New York Climate Resilience Grant Program

New York Climate Resilience Grant Program

The Nature Conservancy is pleased to announce a fifth round of funding available in New York through our Climate Resilience Grant Program. The program supports conservation and climate adaptation projects, including land protection, led by local organizations, with the goal of increasing resilience to climate change for people and nature. Program grants will help local organizations with fee and easement acquisitions of lands that connect with important floodplains and shorelines that mitigate flooding and erosion. The grants will also provide funding for organizational capacity building, planning and strategy development.

Resilient Floodplains and Shorelines

Natural infrastructure, like floodplains, streams, wetlands, tidal marshes, beaches, dunes and bluffs, help mitigate flooding and erosion. We refer to these features as resilient floodplains and shorelines. They also benefit people and nature by filtering water, recharging groundwater, offering recreational opportunities, providing habitat and enhancing human wellbeing. 

New York is experiencing more intense rainfall, erosion and sea level rise.  To ensure our communities are resilient to climate change impacts like flooding and erosion, we must plan for future conditions, engage with people affected by flooding, and collaborate with nature to keep people safe and allow nature to adapt. By conserving undeveloped lands along rivers, streams and coasts, we mitigate flooding, preserve migration pathways and habitats, maintain water quality, facilitate the movement of sediment, and protect drinking water and aquifers.

The Climate Resilience Grant Program offers grants for projects and initiatives that support conservation and resiliency planning, build organizational capacity and help develop climate focused strategies. The program also supports land acquisition projects that:

• Maintain natural buffers between people and flooding or erosion, particularly in areas where natural lands are threatened by development,
• help lessen harmful impacts to communities from floods,
• and make floodplain and shoreline habitats more resilient.

Equitable Conservation and Community Benefits

Conservation organizations are increasingly acknowledging the importance of incorporating social equity in their missions, partnerships, and projects and evolving how they work to have better outcomes for people and nature.

TNC defines community benefits as the positive outcomes that directly result from or are included within conservation projects as experienced by local communities and people. This is particularly important for historically marginalized communities, communities with limited access to nature, communities experiencing heightened impacts of climate change due to systemic underinvestment and poor infrastructure, and Indigenous communities. 

Climate Resilience Grant Program funding will support projects that demonstrate meaningful community engagement, work with those historically excluded from conservation, and lead to a fairer distribution of benefits for people and communities.

Some examples of community benefits include improved and greater access to nature, protection of drinking water sources, recreational and resource-based economic opportunities, flood mitigation, engagement in cross-cultural initiatives, or protection of lands that will meet community-defined conservation needs. We encourage projects with meaningful community benefits that are integrated with the land protection goals.

Project Types

The Climate Resilience Grant Program invites applications for two types of projects:

• Projects that strengthen an organization’s planning, capacity or strategy initiatives that will ultimately lead to actions that will help make species, habitats and communities more resilient to climate change. 
• Projects that result in the permanent fee or easement acquisition of lands that contain or intersect with floodplains; coastal sediment sources and natural, protective infrastructure like beaches and dunes; or tidal marshes and marsh migration corridors. These Resilient Floodplains and Shorelines features are shown on the program’s online map viewer.

Project Evaluation

Planning, capacity and strategy projects will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Planning:
  • The project develops or updates an existing plan to advance climate resilience and landscape connectivity and/or climate adaptation initiatives in your work.
• Capacity:
  • The project increases your capacity for engaging in land protection projects, conservation planning, climate-focused strategy development and community engagement (e.g., staff professional development, skills enrichment, technology access or skills, grant or financial resources).
• Strategy:
  • The project advances strategies to incorporate or expand equitable climate resilience and connectivity or climate adaptation principles into your work.
    • This may include expanding, innovating or developing new kinds of work for your organization related to climate resilient land protection and equitable conservation, as well as funding for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice training, support for community engagement, development of communication or media campaigns, or convening non-traditional or historically excluded partners.

Resilient Floodplains and Shorelines land acquisition projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Size:
  • Total acres of Resilient Floodplains and Shorelines features within the project area (the context of the property to its surroundings will be considered).
• Connectivity:
  • The property adjoins or is near other protected lands or waters and/or is part of a floodplain complex (see online map viewer)
• Timeline:
  • The anticipated closing is before deadline on website.
• Collaboration: 
  • Evidence of engagement with other organizations, community groups or local governments.
• Community:
  • Project elements that directly engage or help people, especially vulnerable or marginalized groups.

All projects will also be evaluated for:

• Clarity of project goal(s) and how the project increases organizational capacity to achieve climate resilience and connectivity and/or climate adaptation outcomes
• Degree of collaboration with or support from other conservation organizations, community groups, local governments or Tribal Nations
• Feasibility of project and reasonable costs.

Funding

The total amount of funding available is $500,000. Applicants may apply for up to $50,000 for a project. Grant awards may be less than the amount requested. Projects must be completed within twelve months of the start of the grant term.

Planning, capacity and strategy grant recipients will receive an initial payment followed by two additional payments tied to interim and final reporting requirements.

Land acquisition project awards are disbursed up front, except for any portion of the grant allocated for stewardship and legal defense, which will be provided after closing.

Westchester: Youth Civic Engagement

Civic engagement is essential for a healthy democracy and a just and inclusive community. Westchester can benefit from the energy, innovation, and participation of young people who bring fresh ideas and work together to act on issues they care about. No matter the issue area—environmental sustainability, social justice, affordable housing, misinformation in the media—young people’s voices can make a difference.

At the same time, participation in civic activities helps young people develop emotional resilience, selfawareness, and a sense of agency. Research also suggests that young people who engage in civic activities are more likely to experience better mental health, higher educational attainment, greater financial stability in adulthood, and are also more likely to remain civically active throughout their lives.

The Trust-Westchester’s youth development grants program has funded initiatives that empower youth, build their confidence, help them form supportive relationships with mentors and other adults, and prepare them to become active changemakers in their communities. Recent New York State Senate laws adopted in 2023 and 2024, promote student voter registration and pre-registration, expand opportunities for youth participation in student government in secondary schools, and empower them to serve as ex officio members of school boards. These efforts reflect the growing consensus that young people’s participation is essential to a healthy democracy.

This request for proposals (RFP) seeks proposals for civic engagement projects that inspire, equip, and mobilize young people (up to age 24) in Westchester to actively participate in civic life. Grants will support youth-led projects that promote democracy and social equity. Projects must be nonpartisan. Grants will be up to $100,000 each, for a total term of up to two years. (Grants will not exceed $50,000 per year.)

Examples of youth civic engagement projects may include, but are not limited to:

• Youth involvement in local government through youth councils, advisory boards, and other mechanisms that create opportunities for young people to engage in decision-making processes.
• Voter engagement efforts, including youth-led voter registration drives, education campaigns, and efforts to increase youth participation in elections.
• Local journalism projects that encourage young people to investigate and report on issues that matter to their communities.
• Media literacy initiatives that help young people critically evaluate information and combat misinformation.
• Advocacy campaigns led by young people to raise awareness of issues, mobilize peers, and engage with policymakers at local, county, state, and/or national levels.
• Youth-led research and policy analysisto provide recommendations to local officials on topics affecting their communities.
• Community organizing, including petitioning and participation in public forums that address local, county, state, and/or national issues.

Wolf Kahn Foundation

The Wolf Kahn Foundation is dedicated to preserving and promoting the artistic achievements of Wolf Kahn (1927-2020) and to sharing them with audiences, scholars, and other artists towards a greater understanding of his work and his lasting contribution to American art of the Second Generation New York School.

Through its grants program and other initiatives, the Foundation supports artists and arts organizations that educate youth and the broader public and that advance artists’ careers through exhibitions, publications, and residencies.

Grants

The Wolf Kahn Foundation grant program continues Wolf Kahn’s commitment to fellow artists, the environment and its effect on creative work, and to the vitality of organizations that advance artists’ careers and educate youth and the public. Guided by our mission, the Foundation supports projects that reflect the practices that shaped Wolf Kahn’s life and work: observation, experimentation, and respect for the work of other artists.

Recent successful proposals include support for exhibitions, publications, residencies, and community or museum-based arts education programs, with an emphasis on projects that advance social justice or environmental awareness through the arts. General operating support for organizations whose programming aligns with these priorities and the Foundation’s mission will also be considered.

Grants are usually in the range of $5,000 to $15,000.