On December 13, Midpen awarded funding to five local community organizations as part of our 2023 grantmaking program. Almost $250,000 in funding will be provided to: Canopy, Grassroots Ecology, Saved By Nature, Tamien Nation and TOGETHER Bay Area.
“Midpen is delighted for the opportunity to collaborate with community organizations like these grant recipients,” Midpen General Manager Ana María Ruiz said. “We look forward to deepening relationships with partners, both long-standing and new, and supporting the vital role they play in connecting our communities to open space.”
Organizations were invited to submit pre-proposals for three 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
Canopy’s grant will support a 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 communities with limited access to parks and open space.
Grassroots Ecology’s funding will focus on a two-year pilot project, expanding their prior work through the “Right Relations” Program, to increase access of Native American communities to Midpen lands. The project will include outreach, community events, volunteer opportunities, honorariums and visits to Midpen preserves.
Saved By Nature will concentrate their grant funding on field trips led by Naturalist Richard Tejeda to Midpen preserves for up to 350 students from Title I elementary and middle schools.
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.
Tamien Nation’s grant will 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.
TOGETHER Bay Area will direct their grant funds to a nine-month program consisting of three cohorts that engage Native organizations in relationship and capacity building for climate resilience and equity through a series of online workshops, field trips, round table discussions and various action planning sessions.
All five final proposals build the capacity of academic and nonprofit institutions to sustain and grow the conservation field and facilitate Midpen’s mission by building and strengthening new and existing partnerships.