Grantmaking Program

Grantmaking Program Mission

From 2007 to 2017, Midpen supported academic research on Midpen lands through its Resource Management Grant Program, which awarded small grants to local researchers. In 2018, the Midpen Board of Directors approved the replacement of the prior grant program with the current Grantmaking Program to update the focus areas and increase beneficial impact by enhancing the investment made in the program. Midpen Grants Program staff are responsible for administering the Grantmaking Program in addition to seeking external grants that support Midpen projects.

Midpen’s Grantmaking Program supports organizations and projects that further the understanding and protection of our natural world, build capacity in the environmental field and facilitate access to the outdoors or augment interpretation and education opportunities for the public.

The grantmaking process is guided by an emphasis on investments that reflect a regional focus and provide avenues for partnership with Midpen or other stakeholders.

Grants are awarded for the following funding priorities:

Applied science - advancing scientific understanding of natural processes and/or promoting environmental stewardship.
Partnership and network support - cultivating, sustaining, and growing conservation networks.
Access, interpretation, and education - educating and promoting open space protection.

In the previous grant rounds, applicants were invited to submit proposals for projects up to $50,000. For information on the 2023 grant round, refer to the 2023 Grantmaking Program request for proposals.

Grants Program staff are committed to soliciting proposals from a diverse range of community-based and other nonprofit organizations, K-12 schools, academic institutions, and public agencies, and encourage first-time applicants or organizations that represent underserved communities to apply.

Stay informed!

In the 2023 grant round, the Midpen board of directors awarded funding to the following applicants:

Canopy - Two-year program comprised of 12 outdoor events focusing on environmental education and stewardship. The paid internship program will offer 140 internships for high school students in underserved communities - $49,972
Grassroots Ecology - Two-year pilot project, expanding their prior work through the “Right Relations” Program, to increase access of Native American communities to District lands. The project will include outreach, community events, volunteer opportunities, honorariums, and visits to District land - $49,850
Saved by Nature - Field trips led by Naturalist Richard Tejeda to Midpen preserves for up to 350 students from Tile I Elementary and Jr. High schools - $49,946
Tamien Nation - Provide community workshops and training sessions to enhance climate education, build partnerships, and support understanding of indigenous land stewardship through knowledge-sharing and capacity building - $50,000
TOGETHER Bay Area - Nine-month program consisting of three cohorts that engage Native organizations in relationship and capacity building for climate resilience and equity through online workshops, six field trips, seven round table discussions, and various sessions focused on action planning - $50,000

In the 2021 grant round, the Midpen board of directors awarded funding to the following applicants:

Coastside Land Trust Outdoor education and stewardship program for students in Cabrillo Unified School District in coastal San Mateo County - $25,000
Creekside Science Two years of grassland surveys of Midpen lands in which the environmental and management drivers of native species will be rigorously documented - $50,000
Dominican University of California Undergraduate-led wildfire ecological monitoring project to assess wildfire-induced changes on terrestrial salamander populations - $25,000
Peninsula Open Space Trust A planning effort to close gaps on the California Coastal Trail in San Mateo County through the California Coastal Trail Feasibility Study - $25,000
Pie Ranch Outdoor engagement and nature-based learning experiences with a focus on reaching youth from traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities to increase environmental and food literacy - $50,000
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory Outdoor experiences for underserved communities, virtual nature talks, and the development of a high school education module focused on the Motus radio telemetry tower network in the Bay Area and how scientists use the network data to study and conserve birds - $24,980
San Jose State University Opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in environmental restoration projects on Midpen lands and apply techniques for managing natural areas - $49,964
Saved by Nature Field trips to Midpen preserves for students from Davis Jr High, Stipe Elementary, and Edenvale Elementary led by naturalist Richard Tejeda - $24,783
UC Elkus Ranch Hands-on educational activities at a working ranch for underserved, urban youth - $17,250
Vida Verde Nature Education Equitable access to immersive, multi-day experiences in nature for students from low-income communities and their families - $50,000

In July 2019 the Midpen board of directors awarded funding to the first round of grantees:

Environmental Volunteers
Collaborative Interpretation Project between Cooley Landing and Lucy Evans Nature Center - $25,000
Groundswell Coastal Ecology
Teaching Design Thinking for Coastal Resilience - $49,025
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Outreach Education Expansion - $25,000
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Restoring Transitional Habitat with Bird Nests - $24,704
Thrive Alliance
Environmental and Sustainability Thrive Action Group - $25,000
University of California, Santa Cruz
Does French broom invasion limit the success of native forbs in annual grasslands? - $49,375
Vida Verde Education Center
Multi-day Environmental Education Experiences for Students from Low-Income, Bay Area Schools - $50,000

(SJSU)

Hands-On Learning: Midpen grant introduces students to science outdoors

Despite the early hour and chill in the air, a group of San José State University (SJSU) students ventured bright-eyed into an area of Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve dominated by nonnative, invasive eucalyptus trees. Dubbed the “bird group,” this crew kept a keen eye and ear out for flapping wings and high-pitched chirps. What birds live in this eucalyptus forest? How are their populations different from those of nearby native habitats? The bird group sought answers to these questions to fulfill the field research component of their environmental restoration course.

See how a Midpen grant got them outdoors

Midpen Grants Connect Local Children to Nature - OpenRoad 2023

Follow along as a group of middle school students from San Jose experience nature and ocean views in a Midpen preserve, some for the first time. Grant partnerships like this one between Midpen and the local nonprofit organization Saved by Nature, are helping connect Bay Area youth with the physical, emotional and mental benefits of time spent in nature.

Check Out the Video Here!

Grantmaking Program