Grants That Make a Difference
Every month, "Grants that Make a Difference" highlights grants given to Washington, DC area organizations that have helped make a difference in people's lives. "Grants That Make a Difference" profiles these important community success stories.
June 1, 2008
Grant amount: $275,000
Who got the grant:
West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. (WE ACT)
271 West 125th Street, Suite 308
New York, New York 10027-4424
Phone: (212) 961-1000
Fax: (212) 961-1015
Web site: http://www.weact.org/
Who gave the grant:
The Ford Foundation
320 East 43rd Street
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 573-5000
Fax: (212) 351-3677
E-mail: office-secretary@fordfound.org
Web site: http://www.fordfound.org
Purpose of the grant:
Two-year general support for community organizing and other activities to engage residents in proactive planning for sustainable development and environmental justice.
Impact:
West Harlem Environmental Action, also known as WE ACT, was first established to combat the practice of locating environmentally dangerous facilities in working-class communities of color. In 1988, co-founder and executive director Peggy Shepard organized the residents of Harlem to demand a commitment from New York City to repair the North River Sewage Treatment Plant, a site that had been emitting noxious pollutants. The lawsuit was settled in 1994 for $1.1 million, and WE ACT hired its first 3 staff members with a grant from those settlement funds. Today, WE ACT has 17 staff members.
West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. became the first environmental justice organization in New York City and took on a monitoring role with the Natural Resources Defense Council in the enforcement of the city-state consent agreement on a plan to fix the North River plant.
With the funding support of the Ford Foundation and other institutional funders, including the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, WE ACT has developed five main program areas, including community-based participatory research; advocacy and government accountability; sustainable development (which includes the Columbia University Expansion Project); and environmental education and youth leadership.
This year, the Ford Foundation has awarded WE ACT another two-year grant, this time for $600,000, for general support of its community-based sustainable development programs. In addition, the Rockefeller Foundation announced that WE ACT's Peggy Shepard will receive the 2008 Jane Jacobs Medal for Lifetime Leadership in recognition of her "pioneering work at the forefront of the environmental justice movement". For more information about this award, see the press release from the Rockfeller Foundation.
Mission:
The mission of West Harlem Environmental Action is to inform, educate, train and mobilize the predominantly African-American and Latino residents of Northern Manhattan on issues that impact their quality of life - air, water, indoor pollution, toxins, land use and open space, waterfront development and usage, sanitation, transportation, historic preservation, regulatory enforcement, and citizen participation in public policy making.
"Grants that Make a Difference" is a rotating
feature profiling grants awarded to 501(c)3 nonprofit
organizations in the tri-state region (NY, NJ, or CT); the grantmaker doesn't necessarily
have to be local. The selection of grants for
"Grants That Make a Difference" is based on criteria
such as programmatic interests, geographic focus,
and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation
of the region's nonprofit sector.
If you'd like to see a grant that was awarded to your nonprofit organization
featured here, e-mail a detailed description of
the grant (following the format below), to nyweb@foundationcenter.org,
with "Grants Submission" in the subject line.
We welcome press releases in addition to, or as
a substitute for the description.
Here is what you need to include:
- Name of your funded program
- The amount of the grant (indicate if multi-year)
- Who received the grant: Your organization's name, contact person's name (if applicable), address, telephone and web site (if applicable).
- Who gave the grant: Name of the grantmaker
- Community impact: A brief (250 words maximum) explanation of how this program is making a difference in the community.
- Your organization's mission and how it relates to this funded project.
|
