On December 6, 2021, the Oakland, California-based Greenlining Institute received a $10 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund.
The funding will help revitalize the communities of color that are most burdened by climate change and systemic discrimination, and will help them forge the infrastructure needed to fight climate change and build healthier, more resilient neighborhoods.
Over two thirds of this new grant will be designated specifically for local grassroots organizations in these communities, building infrastructure and connecting them with the technical expertise needed to develop climate resilience projects.
Such projects include energy and water efficiency upgrades, solar installations on single-family homes and multi-family housing complexes, green infrastructure, streetscape improvements, electric vehicle carsharing programs and more.
This includes $1 million specifically for a catalytic climate action and racial equity fund to seed early-stage, community-led climate projects that will benefit the hardest hit communities.
“The Greenlining Institute is building on a 30-year track record of success to create a better, more just future for everyone,” said Greenlining Institute President and CEO Debra Gore-Mann.
“Our work to build enduring, transformative new solutions is core to who we are, and we’re proud to have that legacy recognized by the Bezos Earth Fund with this grant. We are committed to bringing together diverse stakeholders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to create dynamic frameworks of shared power for lasting change. And we are being very intentional in how we intend to spend the funds, including designating nearly $6 million for grassroots communities and their critical climate resilience work — because communities know best what their neighborhoods need to thrive,” she added.
Over their decades of advocating for equitable climate and energy policies, Greenlining has learned that the communities with the greatest burdens and needs often lack the resources to even apply for—much less effectively use—the funding that exists for revitalization and resilience efforts.
Photo of street market in Oakland by Frank Müller from Pixabay.