The Cedar Tree Foundation is excited to announce a new round of grantmaking for “Rooted in Justice,” a funding program designed to help amplify youth voices and actions in the environmental and food justice movements.
Donor Name: Cedar Tree Foundation
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/31/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The program supports community-based organizations that manage established, youth-led urban greening programs within a justice framework as a core part of their work.
Rooted in Justice recognizes the importance and undeniable right of every young person to have the ability to develop their own relationship with the environment, be it through growing food, spending time with nature, creating community green spaces, or becoming environmental stewards. Rooted in Justice also honors the power and possibilities that arise when young people collectively work to be change-makers in their communities.
Rooted in Justice supports organizations, groups, collectives, and programs that work with young people between the ages of 12 to 20 in youth-led programming for communities or cultures which have historically or currently experience:
- A lack of access to land or nature;
- Agricultural oppression and/or neglect;
- Food apartheid; and/or
- Other forms of injustice based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics and disability.
Rooted in Justice grants support existing organizations or programs that include all four of the elements described below: social justice, urban greening, youth-led, and cohort-based youth work. They articulate the understanding of those terms below in an effort to provide a guide for prospective organizations to use in determining whether their program is a good fit. However, as they continue the work towards questioning and dismantling some of the preconceived notions, they recognize that these are not finite definitions and encourage prospective applicants who still feel their work may be a good fit to describe in their proposals why this is the case.
- Social Justice-Based Programs: Programs dedicated to creating equitable outcomes for communities directly affected by injustice through:
- Sharing and redistributing power and resources;
- Amplifying voices and leadership;
- Tackling root problems through ongoing engagement and collaboration to find solutions, organize against oppression of all kinds and create mechanisms for change; and
- Developing a critical analysis with youth and community members.
- Urban Greening: For the purpose of this grant they define “urban greening” as any activity that creates a mutually beneficial relationship between city dwellers and their environments. Project settings can include, but are not limited to: urban farms; greenhouses; hydro and aquaponic farms; community gardens; community green spaces; composting sites; rain gardens; rooftop gardens; land conservation efforts; school gardens (when in partnership with an outside organizational partner); urban forests; and river or other water restoration, etc.
- Youth-Led: The development of youth leadership skills is a core part of programs funded by Rooted in Justice. Young people have the opportunity to play a role in the planning and decision-making for their program and may help shape the internal workings of the organization. Examples of youth-led programs include participants:
- Managing a portion of their programming budget;
- Co-facilitating program activities, meetings and gatherings;
- Being included in the shaping of a program and/or organizational strategic planning;
- Having regular and end-of-program opportunities to provide program feedback and evaluation;
- Having opportunities for personal and/or professional growth within the program and organization; and
- Participating in ample opportunities for feedback and expression through a diversity of means.
- Cohort-Based Youth Work: Rooted in Justice looks to fund organizations that build community with cohorts of youth through intentional, recurring programming. This grant is intended to support programs that offer youth significant learning and leadership opportunities as a group and as individuals; priority will be given to organizations that have program infrastructure that goes beyond drop-in programming, one-time conferences, or individual internships.
Funding Information
- Two Year Grant
- Rooted in Justice Grant awards are two-year grants of $20,000 – $25,000 per year.
- After the initial two year grant, grantees may be eligible for a third year of funding at the same or lower level through a simple renewal process.
- In the 2024-2025 grant cycle, the Cedar Tree Foundation expects to award no more than 4 grants.
- Funding for Professional Development
- Annual funding is set aside for grantees to support professional development opportunities identified by each organization.
- Rooted in Justice grantees can request reimbursement from this fund to attend conferences, hire consultants, purchase equipment or software that increases organizational capacity, or participate in any activities that strengthen youth programming or justice practice of program providers in support of their youth development programming.
- Community Cohort Space
- Cedar Tree works with grantee partners to assess their professional development interests and facilitates on-line gatherings of staff or youth for skill shares, trainings, and networking opportunities.
- These network calls will likely happen 2-3 times per year.
Uses of funds
Rooted in Justice funding must be used for project support of existing youth led, urban greening, social justice work and associated general operating expenses. Operating expenses can include anything from program costs like staff salaries and youth stipends to organizational sustainability needs like major equipment purchases and leadership/staff training. If your organization’s entire mission is youth led, urban greening, social justice work, the Rooted in Justice grant can be general support.
As part of the Request for Proposals, all Rooted in Justice grantees must share a plan to allocate a portion of the grant funds for youth participants to manage. What do they mean by this? They ask applicants to specifically set aside some amount of the grant funds for youth to allocate to priorities of their choosing. For example, youth participants can use their allocated funding to:
- Fund an entrepreneurial endeavor;
- Design the brand or swag for their group;
- Hire a speaker or outside expert to teach a new skill;
- Purchase supplies for a community-based art project;
- Host a celebration for their families, friends and neighbors;
- Pay for transportation to programming, special events, or conferences; and/or
- Any other youth-led activity the group may find beneficial.
Who can apply?
- This year, this opportunity is available for up to 4 community-based organizations/groups with a 501(c)3 status or secured fiscal agent located in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Washington, D.C.
- Organizations of any size can apply but preference will be given to organizations or programs with a budget of less than $800,000. Programs must already be established. Rooted in Justice funding is not intended to support new programs or pilot projects.
- Preference will also be given to organizations that are majority-led by people who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color) or of the global majority.
- This grant cannot be used to fund:
- individuals;
- lobbying or partisan political activity;
- re-granting programs;
- organizations that have a religious affiliation or mission;
- new/pilot work; or
- for-profit organizations.
For more information, visit Cedar Tree Foundation.
