BY TFN Staff
Fix a flood-prone pedestrian path so neighbors can safely walk home. Provide climate-emergency training for people living in prefabricated houses. Create a resilience plan to ensure one of the oldest Chinatowns in the country remains safe and vibrant for generations to come.
These are just a few of the projects that will be supported by the latest round of Partners for Places grants, which help fund efforts to create more equitable and resilient communities across the U.S.
In all, five U.S. communities will receive more than $1.3 million in Partners for Places matching grants to support sustainability efforts that bring together local governments, place-based funders, and frontline community groups.
The five communities receiving this latest round of Partners for Places grants are: Boston, Mass.; Boulder, Colo.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Oakland, Calif.; and San Francisco, Calif.
Successful Partners for Places projects advance much-needed climate planning and sustainable solutions in communities both large and small.
With the support of matching local funders, these projects also help build bridges between city officials and the communities that bear the brunt of environmental injustice but are often left out of decision-making processes.
Meet the new Grantees!
How will these Partners for Places grants help local sustainability efforts?
In Boston, the grants will support the community outreach and planning required to transform a one-acre vacant lot in East Boston into a vibrant agricultural and educational community center. The funds will also support efforts to improve a pedestrian greenway prone to severe flooding that submerges the path, rendering it impassable and depriving residents of safe passage through their neighborhood.
Bridgeport will use its Partners for Places funds to build community resilience through collaborative environmental education, including the co-creation of a climate resilience curriculum that can be used by community leaders throughout the city. Their goals include building trust and understanding between frontline community residents and local decision-makers, and to ultimately establish a training program where community leaders can share knowledge and empower their fellow residents to participate in climate-related policymaking.
In California, Partners for Places will support efforts to create thriving and climate-resilient urban areas that provide cultural and social resources for Indigenous and immigrant communities.
In Oakland, the grants will support the co-creation of a resilience plan for the city’s Chinatown, one of the oldest Chinatowns in the U.S. The project centers on developing the leadership of community members to advocate for local priorities that advance equitable climate and community resilience strategies. The grant will also help ensure that critical services and social connections remain intact while a local community center is converted into a resilience hub.
In San Francisco, Partners for Places will support efforts to develop a green cultural zone in the city’s Mission District, a plan that aims to transform more than a mile of sidewalks, streets, buildings and storefronts into a thriving, greened, biodiverse neighborhood community. The concept is part of a larger initiative to create a home of urban belonging in the heart of San Francisco where the city’s Native peoples can connect with services, with nature, with each other, and with their cultures.
In Boulder, the funds will strengthen partnerships with local governments and center the experience, wisdom, and voices of frontline community members. Efforts supported by these funds will include community-led preparedness training for climate emergencies, with a focus on manufactured home parks; ensuring impacted residents are educated and empowered to advocate for equitable cleanup of toxic coal ash; and supporting a grassroots group of Latina leaders working to address the impacts of climate change and improve the social and economic wellbeing of the community.
The Boulder project advances the work of the local Climate Justice Collaborative, created with the support of an earlier Partners for Places grant — one of the many examples of how these local relationships can lay the groundwork for even more action and collaboration at the grassroots level.
About Partners for Places
Partners for Places, led by The Funders Network (TFN) in partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), will provide $718,000 in funding to these five communities through the grant program. With contributions from local matching funders, a total of $1,308,000 will be committed to fund sustainability projects in these selected communities. This grant cycle includes a total of $223,000 in Partners for Places grants and local matching funds awarded to the green stormwater infrastructure project in Boston.
To date, Partners for Places has awarded nearly $12 million across North America in this successful matching grant program, leading to more than $23 million in investments.
The matching grant program brings national funder investors together with place-based funders to support equitable, sustainable climate action and green stormwater infrastructure projects. The program is currently supported by The JPB Foundation, The Kendeda Fund, The Kresge Foundation, and the Pisces Foundation. One or more local foundations are required to provide at least a 50% matching grant.
Matching Funders and Community Partners
The latest Partners for Places grant recipients, matching funders and frontline community-led groups are:
- Boston, Mass. ($118,000): To support community outreach and planning to improve stormwater infrastructure on a flood-prone pedestrian pathway and transform vacant lot in East Boston into a vibrant agricultural and educational community center. Frontline community group: Eastie Farm. Matching funders: The Boston Foundation and Heinemann Foundation ($105,000).
- City and County of Boulder, Colo. ($150,000): To strengthen partnerships with local governments and center the experience, wisdom, and voices of frontline community members to foster collaboration and equitable climate action projects. Frontline community group: Community-Led Preparedness Training for Climate Emergencies (CPT). Matching funder: Philanthropiece Foundation ($170,000).
- Bridgeport, Conn. ($150,000): To empower an environmental justice community with education on climate change, enhancing informed decision-making and self-advocacy for residents. The Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs will coordinate collaboration along with the city’s sustainability manager. Frontline community group: PT Partners. Matching funders: Barr Foundation and William Caspar Graustein Foundation ($90,000).
- Oakland, Calif. ($150,000): To co-create a Rooted and Resilient Oakland Chinatown Plan, in collaboration with the city’s Sustainability and Resilience Division, centering its frontline anchor community to advance strategies for climate/community resilience for generations to come. Frontline community groups: Asian Pacific Environmental Network and Friends of Lincoln Square Park. Matching funder: The California Endowment ($75,000).
- San Francisco, Calif. ($150,000): To promote environmental justice and build an ecologically sustainable and supportive community for American Indians, Alaska Natives and Latino/a/es in San Francisco’s Mission District. Frontline community group: Friendship House’s Village SF Initiative. Matching funder: Future Allies ($150,000).
Partners for Places FAQ’s
→ Where is Partners for Places making an impact?
Read previous grant announcements and explore the Partners for Places Grantee Map here.
→ Where can I learn about completed Partners for Places projects?
Visit the Partners for Places Idea Bank to explore what grantees are doing, learning and sharing.
→ When is the next round of Partners for Places matching grants?
Partners for Places will open a new round of funding in winter 2025.
For more information about Partners for Places, please reach out to Ashley Quintana, ashley@fundersnetwork.org.
