We’re awarding some $1.4 million in grants to local nonprofits and community groups to help fight climate change, improve water quality, and address social inequities in this, our inaugural round of funding.
2023 Grant Recipients
Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods (Lake County, IL) will receive $75,000 to build on their recently released report “Health, Equity and Nature: A Changing Climate in Lake County” by training community health workers about the importance of nature for human health and the environmental injustices impacting patients in their community. They will also partner with five community health organizations to implement community-driven and designed on-the-ground projects focused on public health, climate change, and/or water quality.
Clean Wisconsin (Madison, WI) and partners will receive $175,000 to produce a roadmap relying on the modeled greenhouse gas reduction potential of a number of farm practices to show how large-scale adoption of nature-based agricultural solutions and market development can help Wisconsin meet its net-zero goals by 2050. The roadmap will highlight several pilot projects that show the economic opportunities for farmers that implement these practices. As part of the grant, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) will help create a direct market for perennial grain and forage crops by connecting growers to local brewers, bakers and livestock producers, and the Savanna Institute will focus on opportunities to increase the use of tree crops and silvopasture systems to improve farm profitability and environmental outcomes. The project also incorporates the work of Grasslands 2.0 to establish a learning hub in Northeast Wisconsin to advance managed grazing as a nature-based climate solution.
Eco-Justice Center (Racine, WI) will receive $50,000 to integrate silvopasture practices into their alpaca grazing areas. The tree canopy will establish shade for the animals and reduce soil compaction and erosion, capture and regulate water, protect established grasses from the intense summer sun, and sequester and capture carbon. The silvopasture practices will be implemented by the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps Ag Veterans program which will provide homeless military veterans with forestry career skills.
Fondy Food Center (Milwaukee, WI) will receive $50,000 to pilot a unique Urban Farmers’ Cooperative that will allow participating farmers to have an ownership interest in the Making Allies Farm, a 60-acre farm just north of the City of Milwaukee. This pilot builds in their Rooted Futures program that seeks to increase land access and ownership for small-scale African American, Hmoob, and other immigrant and/or refugee farmers who practice regenerative agriculture and sell their produce in Milwaukee’s underserved neighborhoods. Ownership will give farmers the confidence to invest in longer-term sustainable practices that will further mitigate and build resilience to climate change and promote water quality.
Lake Michigan Bird Observatory (Port Washington, WI) will receive $125,000 to conduct a pilot project to plant over 500 trees in lakeside communities using biochar. Biochar is a special type of super-heated charcoal made from woody debris like yard waste and invasives species removal that can be incorporated into the soil to sequester carbon and slow the release of water and nutrients to trees, increasing their growth and survival rate. Trees will be planted primarily in underserved communities that lack adequate tree canopy, and residents and neighborhood groups will be engaged in tree planting and educational events.
Medicine Fish (Menominee Reservation, WI) will receive $185,000 to build youth resiliency, food sovereignty, and energy independence for their Buffalo Camp and add several sustainability measures including land expansion for bison/buffalo habitat and the first solar battery storage facility on the Menominee Reservation. In partnership with The Nature Conservancy’s Nachusa grasslands, Medicine Fish will learn prairie restoration practices and study the ecological impact Bison or buffalo have when reintroduced to the land. Through restoration of perennial grasses and plants to support Buffalo grazing, Menominee youth will revitalize their cultural connection with the land and ensure a sustainable future.
Reflo (Milwaukee, WI) will receive $100,000 on behalf of 13 youth-serving environmental organizations in the Milwaukee area that have formed a new collaborative to coordinate their efforts and better serve youth pursuing environmental careers and interests. Daybreak funding will allow the collaborative to focus on nature-based projects such as tree planting, maintenance of green infrastructure, land stewardship, restoration activities, and urban farming, thereby helping train future generations for these careers. Funding will also allow for development of a joint climate action plan and shared programming and educational efforts amongst the 13 organizations focused on water quality, climate change and environmental justice.
Renew Environmental Public Health Advocates (Milwaukee, WI) will receive $25,000 to create a plan for neighborhood tree planting and green stormwater infrastructure in yards and on vacant lots on Milwaukee’s northside. REPHA also focuses on educating the community about how environmental issues are disproportionately impacting neighborhoods of color and empowering people to implement solutions. REPHA will partner with Congregation Beth Israel in Glendale to bring additional attention to the northside neighborhoods.
Sand County Foundation (Madison, WI) will receive $150,000 to coordinate paired, on-farm demonstrations across the Western Lake Michigan Basin, where they will utilize sensor technology to collect real-time soil data that can assist farmers in making informed in-season management decisions. The sensor data will be used with soil health samples to evaluate how soil health management (i.e., climate-smart agriculture) can increase carbon sequestration, reduce fertilizer loss, and improve water holding capacity and other soil properties critical to farm productivity and climate resiliency. The project includes an agrivoltaics site in Fond du Lac, WI where solar panels will be incorporated with rotational sheep grazing to show the potential benefits of solar energy production alongside farming.
Savanna Institute (Madison, WI) will receive $175,000 to expand agroforestry within the Western Lake Michigan Basin by creating a 5-county ‘hub’ to introduce agroforestry to farmers and landowners and to train a statewide network of county conservationists to promote agroforestry. Agroforestry integrates trees, crops, and livestock to foster ecological resilience, climate stability, economic prosperity, and vibrant communities.
Sherman Park Community Association (Milwaukee, WI) and Slipstream (Madison, WI) will receive a combined $165,000 for their “Greening Congregations Project” which aims to establish a streamlined pathway for houses of worship to pursue green stormwater infrastructure and decarbonization projects in the Sherman Park neighborhood. Sherman Park Community Association will coordinate efforts and ensure the community is meaningfully engaged and represented in the project. Slipstream will bring their systems knowledge along with Greenprint Partners, EcoBalance Technologies and BlocPower to scope projects for the congregations and help connect them with funding for implementation. The project focuses on faith leaders as they pursue eco-friendly actions, but also projects that could be replicated by their congregants at home and in the neighborhood.
Sixteenth Street Community Health Center (Milwaukee, WI) will receive $125,000 to train resident health promoters about the impacts of climate change and other environmental factors on public health through their Lideres por la Salud (Leaders for Health) program. These leaders will help community members prepare for and adapt to a changing climate and will also implement a resident-led tree planting program to address climate change in Milwaukee’s most densely developed neighborhoods.