Environment

Goal

The Environment Program at The San Francisco Foundation seeks to improve the environmental health and well-being of the Bay Area’s most vulnerable and impacted communities while protecting and preserving the region's natural environment. We recognize that low-income people, immigrants, and people of color live in the most polluted communities and suffer from the highest degrees of toxics exposure. For this reason, we are committed to addressing gender, racial, and socio-economic inequities in our efforts to achieve environmental and ecological sustainability.

We support organizations that shape policies and regulations at the local, regional, and state level to maximize equity, environmental justice, and environmental health outcomes for all communities. We are committed to building the capacity of social and environmental justice groups' ability to produce high levels of program impact necessary to achieve environmental solutions. We prioritize groups with a long term commitment to environmental work. We fund work in neighborhoods where the basic elements of a healthy and sustainable environment are most lacking. We look for opportunities to leverage funds and projects through public private partnerships and donor aligned giving.

Objectives

Our funding priorities include Climate Change, Land Use and Transportation, and Toxics Reduction.

Objective: Reduce the Impact of Climate Change in the Bay Area

• Invest in organizations that work with nonprofits, government, businesses, and the public to curb regional greenhouse gas emissions. 
• Support innovative and effective mitigation and adaptation strategies to climate change.
• Seek out projects that identify solutions and create opportunities for negatively impacted communities.
• Give special attention to the implementation of AB 32 - California's landmark climate change legislation.

Objective: Create Healthy, Green, and Sustainable Communities

• Invest in organizations that promote transit-oriented opportunities for low-income communities, advocate for green and healthy affordable housing, and address food access and food security issues. 
• Support projects that leverage public agency activities, increase civic participation, and address the inequity of resource allocation within communities. 
• Give special attention to the development and implementation of SB 375 and the Bay Area Sustainable Community Strategy.

Objective: Decrease Toxics and Pollution in the Region

• Support organizations that develop and advance environmental health frameworks for state, regional, and local agencies. 
• Support efforts to build replicable, scalable models for toxic reduction and pollution prevention.
• Support groups that advance laws, regulations, and programs to reduce toxic chemicals exposure and environmental pollution for disproportionately affected communities in the Bay Area. 

Strategies

The following strategies are used by The San Francisco Foundation Environment Team to identify projects to support:

Advance effective advocacy efforts to shape environmental policies

• Support organizations that shape policies and regulations at the local, regional, and state level to maximize equity, environmental justice, and environmental health outcomes for all communities.
• Increase public involvement and accountability in decision-making to ensure that environmental policies, regulations, and investments include the needs of all Bay Area residents.
• Educate decision makers and the public on environmental solutions that result in the well-being, health, and life opportunities for all communities.
• Advance innovative, environmentally based research, data, technical assistance, popular education, and media campaigns that take into account issues of race, class, gender, and social justice.

Invest in the sustainability of leading and emerging environmental organizations

• Increase the capacity of social and environmental justice groups’ ability to play leadership roles in the environmental arena.
• Support networking and collaboration amongst environmental justice groups in order to be simultaneously active in multiple and cross-cutting issues.
• Invest in leadership development within environmental organizations of low income people, people of color, and youth.

Invest in communities most affected by environmental degradation

• Fund neighborhoods where the basic elements of a healthy and sustainable environment are most lacking: Richmond, West Oakland, Bayview Hunter's Point, Western Addition, East Palo Alto, and Marin City.
• Support place-based grassroots organizing that solicits the input and knowledge of local residents.
• Participate in efforts to phase out polluting industries and toxic practices in low-income communities.
• Promote neighborhood investments that foster sound environmental solutions to increase the quality of life, expand public open space, provide better access to transportation choices, and allow for encounters with the natural environment.

Priority will be given to environmental projects, programs, or organizations that:

• Have deep community (local, regional, state) impact
• Address issues that are timely and relevant
• Involve a broad cross-section of stakeholders
• Have innovative plans for the integration and dissemination of their work

We will not be funding through our responsive grantmaking cycle:

• Wildlife conservation and animal protection
• Water systems, coastal, river, and wetland restoration
• Habitat restoration and preservation
• Land acquisition and capital improvements
• Creation of open space and parks
• Greening of businesses and nonprofit entities
• Environmental education and service provision

Environment Staff

For more information about the Environment Program at The San Francisco Foundation, please contact us at 415.733.8500 or environmentinfo@sff.org.

Francesca Vietor [bio]
Program Officer, Environment

Jessica Buendia [bio]
Program Fellow, Environment

Sarah Chun
Program Assistant, Environment