CAPACES Leadership Institute (Woodburn, OR) $10,000 – CLI is a project of nine sister organizations: PCUN, CAUSA, Farmworker Housing Development Corporation, Latinos Unidos Siempre, Mano a Mano Family Center, Mujeres Luchadoras Progresistas, Oregon Farmworker Ministry, Salem-Keizer Coalition for Equality, and Voz Hispana Causa Chavista. It was created to develop and sustain new leaders in the immigrant and farmworker movements, and will be housed in a green “Passive House” building to be completed this fall. This grant (the first made to CLI as a separate entity) will fund CAPACES de Verde, a new program which will bring “green” builders and Latino immigrant construction workers together to bridge the gap and foster candid dialogue between their worlds, and organize around a vision of “sustainability” that includes sustainable workers as well as sustainable materials.
Duwamish Tribal Services (Seattle, WA) $10,000 – The mission of Duwamish Tribal Services (DTS) is to promote the social, cultural, political and economic survival of the Duwamish Tribe, to revitalize Duwamish culture, and to share its history and culture with all peoples. This grant will fund the production of a “Digital Story” video about the Tribe’s view on the cultural and environmental value of the Duwamish River. The video will be produced by tribal youth and submitted as formal public comment at an EPA hearing regarding cleanup of the Duwamish River.
Hilltop Urban Gardens (Tacoma, WA) $10,000 – HUG’s mission is to develop systems for food sovereignty and create racial and economic justice, creating innovative urban agricultural programs to address root causes of inequity while growing healthy young people, elders and community. HUG organizes an Urban Farm Network of families in the low-income neighborhood of Hilltop, collectively growing and sharing produce. Through its youth programming, HUG also provides age-appropriate social justice and urban agriculture education to neighborhood kids and teens. This grant will provide general operating support.
Native Action (Lame Deer, MT) $10,000 – Founded in 1984 by members of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Tribe, Native Action has established itself as a leading model for citizen empowerment on Indian Reservations, bridging the racial, socio-economic, and environmental barriers by empowering, challenging, and educating people in order to protect the environment and enhance the quality of life for future generations. Native Action works to protect the homeland of the Cheyenne people and the surrounding area of the Powder River Basin in southeastern Montana from coal strip-mines, railroads, coal-bed methane gas wells, and underground water drainage, while elevating youth leadership in policy decisions. This grant will provide general operating support.
Nickelsville (Seattle, WA) $10,000 – Nickelsville is a self-governed, eco-friendly, permanent encampment providing an interim survival mechanism for homeless men, women, and children, while organizing to end homelessness in Seattle. Currently providing shelter for approximately 130 people in tents, Nickelsville is in the process of becoming an eco-village that will house up to 1,000 people in small, sturdy structures made of salvaged materials. Increasing use of alternative energy sources, rainwater collection, a permanent garden, and other sustainable practices will enable Nickelsville to provide safer, healthier, and more plentiful structure for people who might otherwise be forced to risk their lives on the streets. This grant will provide general operating support; Nickelsville intends to earmark 50% for increasing “green” practices.
OPAL (Organizing People, Activating Leaders) (Portland, OR) $10,000 – OPAL works to educate, engage and empower working-class communities and people of color to improve quality of life through environmental and social justice organizing. In response to the concerns of its constituency in East Portland and East Multnomah County, OPAL is focusing on access to public transit and the relationship between regional transportation planning and healthy, economically viable communities. Through its Transit Investment Plan (TIP) Advocates Program, OPAL organizes and trains bus riders to effectively advocate for equitable transit policy. This grant will provide general operating support.
Silver Valley Community Resource Center (Kellogg, ID) $1,500 – SVCRC’s mission is to provide education and outreach to all affected citizens living in one of the largest Superfund sites in the nation, containing millions of tons of toxic waste. In a region where six generations have been impacted by lead poisoning and a majority of residents have disabilities, SVCRC is the only organization keeping pressure on the EPA to execute a responsible cleanup of the site, shut down a 20 acre toxic repository next to a wetland, and provide universal lead health testing. The mini-grant of $1,500 will support general operating expenses.