2017 Grantees

Acta Non Verba $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of a grant award for their Urban Youth Farm Project that connects youth of color from East Oakland to a nature-based farm program. Youth learn about healthy eating and sustainable farming, and are supported in building savings for their educational future..

Adventure Risk Challenge $20,000 awarded in 2017, second installment for their programming including month-long summer immersion courses, weekend academic and adventure retreats, individualized mentoring, and employment and professional development opportunities for alumni. Core activities that ARC offers include backpacking, rock climbing, ropes courses, kayaking, rafting, skiing and hiking.

Bay Area Wilderness Training $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of a grant award for their programs that provide access to nature for underserved youth from all 9 Bay Area counties, and develop outdoor educators through training, access to gear, and transportation.

Brothers on the Rise $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of a grant award for their programs which provide access to nature to low-income urban youth of color, integrating outdoor-based life skills, leadership development, and environmental career opportunities.

Brown Girl Surf $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of their grant award to support programs that integrate awareness of marine and coastal ecology through hands-on explorations and projects, while surfing. This program provides girls with an opportunity to confront and overcome fear, and develop skills in self-reliance, confidence, and leadership.

California Conservation Corps $15,000 awarded in 2017, one year award to support a program that connects young people to conservation-based employment and opportunities to protect California’s natural resources. 

Camp Phoenix $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of their grant award to support programs that provide low income, middle school students with outdoor-based adventure opportunities, educational enrichment and social-emotional learning.

Center for Land-Based Learning $18,000 awarded in 2017, third installment of their grant award for a program inspiring and motivating youth to promote a healthy interplay between agriculture, nature, and society through their actions and as leaders in their communities.

Community Grows $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of their grant award to support programs that offer garden-based environmental education programs to low income youth, ages 5-17, in San Francisco.

Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps $15,000 awarded in 2017, one year award to support programs for young adult development and leadership by providing opportunities for young people to experience and better understand their wilderness and natural resources to become better stewards of the planet.

Environmental Volunteers $20,000 awarded in 2017, one year award to support the Transportation Fund which provides bus and transportation subsidies to help low-income students access science and environmental field trips throughout the Bay Area.

FoodWhat Inc. $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of their grant award to support their programs that serve low-income youth across Santa Cruz County by offering training in leadership skills, sustainable agriculture, cooking and nutrition, entrepreneurship, and community service.

Gateway Mountain Center $20,000 awarded in 2017, second installment of their grant award in support of their youth development and wellness programs for underserved teenagers in the Placer and Nevada counties to open young people’s hearts, minds, and bodies to their inner and outer environments, and to their role as stewards of our world through outdoor and environmental programming.

GirlVentures $20,000 awarded in 2017, third and final installment of their grant award for programs offering transformative experiential environmental education and leadership programs, empowering adolescent girls to develop and express their strengths. 

Growing Up Wild $18,000 awarded in 2017, third installment for their bilingual nature adventure program that helps economically disadvantaged youth and families in the Watsonville area develop a connection to nature, life skills, and physical fitness.

LandPaths $20,000 awarded in 2017, second installment for programs that connect youth of all backgrounds to nature, encouraging the mutually beneficial relationship that exists between people and the land. With great intention and efforts made to reach those not typically represented in the outdoors, LandPaths finds innovative ways to make the outdoors relevant, accessible, and welcoming to historically underrepresented populations, particularly the Latino community.

Literacy for Environmental Justice $20,000 awarded in 2017, third installment of their grant award to support programs that serve underrepresented youth from the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, engaging teen interns, and recruiting hundreds of youth to participate in diverse nature-based projects and environmental advocacy.

The Mosaic Project $20,000 awarded in 2017, third installment of their grant award to support a program working towards a peaceful future by uniting young people of diverse backgrounds, providing them with essential community building skills, and empowering them to become peacemakers at their weeklong outdoor school in Napa. They explore their interconnectedness to the natural world, to each other and their communities through environmental science and socio-emotional curriculum and programming.

Movimiento  $20,000 awarded in 2017, second installment for their work with youth supporting them in developing leadership and life skills via outdoor adventure, counseling and therapy, cultural exchange, service-learning, farming, and indigenous youth events. Movimiento’s focus is to synthesize outdoor-based learning experiences with mental health.

Our Wilderness Now $20,000 awarded in 2017, third installment for their grant award to support their community-based programming that empowers youth through nature connection, many of whom are developing their first sensitivity to stewardship of the environment.

Outward Bound California $20,000 awarded in 2017, second installment of their grant award to support their mission to change lives through challenge and discovery. They offer outdoor experiential learning programs in both backcountry and urban settings that challenge students of all ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds to push beyond their perceived limitations and develop “Skills for Life.”

Peralta Hacienda Historical Park $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of their grant award to support community programs that serve youth of color that  provide history, arts, and education throughout the Bay Area. Through the site’s creek, gardens and open space youth learn about ecology through hands-on science and stewardship projects.

Pie Ranch $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of their grant award to get young people outdoors for hands-on learning and leadership experiences in environmental stewardship, sustainable gardening and farming, community-building, nutrition, and food justice.

Project Avary (Alternative Ventures for At-Risk Youth) $20,000 awarded in 2017, third installment of their grant award to support early intervention and long-term prevention programming for children of incarcerated parents (CIP). Project Avary relies on outdoor education and recreation as a key strategy in improving the lives of CIP’s and break their social isolation.

Rooted in Resilience $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of their grant award to offer outdoor-based experiences to low income youth, ages 14-18, from Alameda County to improve health and environmental stewardship outcomes.

Seven Tepees $20,000 awarded in 2017, second installment to support their work to enable young people to build the skills, knowledge, and the relationships they need to be healthy, productive members of their community by providing wraparound, culturally relevant services in a safe and supportive environment.

Sierra Institute for Community and Environment $15,000 awarded in 2017, one year grant award to support programs that promote healthy and sustainable forests and watersheds by investing in rural communities and strengthening stewardship of local and urban youth through recreation, environmental education and career development.

Sierra Native Alliance $20,000 awarded in 2017, third installment of their grant award to support programs for indigenous youth and families through education, cultural resources and environmental activities. 

Student Conservation Association $20,000 awarded in 2017, third installment of their grant award to connect young people to nature and the outdoors to set them on a path to thriving, healthy lives through a continuum of hands-on conservation service opportunities.

Sunrise Middle School $20,000 awarded in 2017, second installment of their grant award to provide outdoor programs to middle school students in San Jose. These programs 1. provide students with  important tools for building self-confidence, teamwork and leadership 2. Help students find peace and balance 3. Teaches students about science, the natural world, and healthy living 4. Strengthens the bonds between students and teachers and 5. Inspires students to become stewards of the Earth.

Sunrise Special Services Foundation $15,000 awarded in 2017, one year grant award to support programs that promote outdoor education including cultural components of protecting and restoring Lake County Watersheds.

Tuolumne River Preservation Trust $20,000 awarded in 2017, second installment of their grant award to support programs rooted in the communities that rely on the river for water, power and recreation. Since 2008, they have been working closely with residents of underserved riverside neighborhoods in Modesto to improve river stewardship and quality of life. 

Vida Verde $20,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of their grant award to support programs that promote educational equity through overnight learning experiences for youth of color throughout Northern California.

Warrior Institute $20,000 awarded in 2017, second installment of their grant award for their programs which provide holistic, innovative solutions to organize and build indigenous leadership in the northern California region by forging new generations of young leaders with balanced (ki:maw) minds, bodies, and spirits who are empowered to create health, economic equality, and environmental justice for the next seven generations and beyond through outdoor experiences and environmental education.

Watsonville Wetlands Watch $20,000 awarded in 2017, third installment of their grant award for programs that foster wetland stewardship among youth by building their personal connection with the wetlands and increasing their understanding of the important ecological functions that the wetlands serve.

Wilderness Arts and Literacy Collaborative $15,000 awarded in 2017, first installment of their grant award for support of academic environmental education programs and outdoor experiences at two low-income high schools in San Francisco.

YES Nature to Neighborhoods $20,000 awarded in 2017, third and final installment of their grant award for programs to provide outdoor camp and community experiences for teens to develop leadership and life skills that promote successful transition to adulthood, and to expose youth to careers in the outdoors.