The Daily Tell

The Ford Foundation has committed $85 million to advancing rural land rights and helping rural and indigenous communities become more involved in stopping climate change.

The New York-based foundation hopes that the grants, to be used over a five-year period, will help people living in low-income rural communities in countries including Brazil, Indonesia, China, India and Mexico, as well as those living in grasslands, forest and marginal agricultural land in Eastern Africa and Central America. The aim of the project is to help these rural and indigenous populations take a more active role in preventing and reversing global climate change. By engaging these communities, the foundation hopes to reduce poverty and increase quality of life.

"This work heralds a new way of thinking about natural resources and sustainable development. It unlocks the potential for people, especially rural and indigenous communities, to be a part of the solution," said Ford Foundation president Luis Ubiñas.

The initiative will work to strengthen the voice and influence of rural leaders, encourage investments that benefit rural communities and demonstrate effective methods of community management. Since more than 30 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emission comes from the rural sector, helping these communities get involved in sustainable climate change solutions has enormous implications for the worldwide effort to end global warming.

"As sustainable development programs are ramped up globally, we have the responsibility of ensuring that the people who have historically lived in and preserved forests and natural resources are included in the global dialogue about the future of their lands," added Ubiñas.

The Ford Foundation was founded by the Ford Motor Company in 1936 thanks to an initial grant of $25,000 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford. Today, the foundation makes grants in all 50 states and supports programs in more than 50 countries.

Omidyar Network has announced plans to award $2.1 million in grants to the Foundation for Ecological Security to help secure land rights for India’s poor.

The grants, which will be distributed over two years, will help FES fund its growing operations, advance its policy advocacy and enact programs that will help India’s most impoverished citizens gain rights to community land. The foundation is also committed to preserving the wildlife, flora and natural resources that India’s common land has to offer.

"For more than 300 million of India’s rural poor, the commons act as a critical safety net—contributing income, water, and everyday nutrition when they are needed most," said Dr. Amrita Patel, Chair of FES’s Board of Governors.

Approximately 30 percent of India’s rural poor depend on the community land – known as the commons – for their livelihood, but very few enjoy legal rights to it. FES is India’s largest organization dedicated to helping secure access to the commons for the working poor.

With the funding from Omidyar Network, Patel said FES will be able to "reach thousands of additional rural communities with programs that enable them to access, share and conserve their common lands."

FES was founded in 2001, inspired by a speech given by India’s prime minister decrying the poor condition of more than one-third of the nation’s land. This land, the prime minister stated, was inextricably linked with the livelihoods of the people who lived and worked on it. FES’s mission is to protect and, where necessary, restore India’s vast landscape so that citizens of the country can enjoy better lives.

For its part, Omidyar Network is dedicated to raising awareness about the fundamental role property rights play in alleviating poverty worldwide. Jayant Sinha, managing director of Omidyar Network India Advisors, said that the philanthropic organization was "proud to support FES’s goal to materially improve the lives of millions and believe their work demonstrates the potential of property rights to unleash economic growth for lasting impact."

With the BP Oil disaster still fresh in the minds of many, donations to environmental agencies have seen a dramatic upswing over the past few months. Most recently, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has awarded a grant worth $3.1 million to three separate environmental agencies: Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council and The Wilderness Society.

The three organizations all promote wildlife-friendly and environmentally responsible renewable energy development. With the grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, which will be given over three years, the organizations will work together to influence administrative and legislative processes related to renewable energy siting.

"The ultimate objective should be a uniform, predictable and proactive approach to renewable energy siting and to land conservation that protects wildlife and wild lands while allowing renewable energy production to ramp up quickly," said Andrew Bowman, director of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Scholar at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Jim Lyons will lead the project as a senior director. According to Lyons, the grant will allow them to represent nature in the development of national policies for renewable energy.

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has made it the organization’s goal to enhance people’s lives through grants that support all aspects of society, such as performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child maltreatment.

Another environmental agency that received a major donation in June was the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Foundation Center reports the environmental agency is using $2.5 million received from BP Oil to develop wetland habitat for migratory birds that are affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill. The NFWF will acquire private lands from local farms to construct the new homes for the birds.

Supporters of sustainable energy have scored a touchdown with a new system photovoltaic energy system that is being installed in the 1.3-million square-foot Patriot Place. The complex, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, encompasses Gillette Stadium as well as dozens of dining and shopping locations.

Home to the three-time Super Bowl Champions New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium uses more than 1,500 kilowatts of electricity. The new solar panel arrangement will generate approximately 525 kilowatts of power, reducing the amount of electricity used by the stadium and surrounding establishments by more than 33 percent.

This is possible thanks to the Evergreen Solar panels used for the project. The panels are constructed using with a "string ribbon" process, Solar Novus explains. The technology, developed at the nearby Massachusetts Technical Institute, reduces the cost of manufacturing the solar panels, providing businesses with environmental alternatives to conventional power sources.

The panels are also coated with an anti-reflective glass, which delivers 2 to 3 percent more electricity compared to panels with standard glass. Additionally, the panels have a 4 percent higher output under sweltering conditions.

Constellation Energy, the company installing the system, estimates that the arrangement will generate more than 12 million kilowatt hours of electricity during the next 20 years. Further, Constellation claims that the atmosphere will be spared from more than 8,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of sidelining more than 1,600 passenger vehicles for a year.

Constellation scores an extra point for its commitment to sustainable construction practices. The company is using tools that emit low amounts of carbon. Constellation is also utilizing a wastewater reuse system, which can save millions of gallons of water annually.

Mayo Shattuck, CEO of Constellation Energy, is a known philanthropist. In 2006, Constellation Energy gave approximately $10 million to various nonprofit programs. Shattuck supports philanthropy through volunteering as well encouraging corporate and employee donations, according to his website. Mayo Shattuck is naturally a big supporter of clean and renewable energy.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced $84 million in grants for 199 nonprofit organizations around the world.

The foundation has six major areas of grantmaking: global development, the environment, education, performing arts, philanthropy and population.

In an effort to help promote global literacy, the foundation made two grants totaling $7.5 million to Pratham USA, the U.S. affiliate of an Indian nonprofit that works to improve reading and math skills for elementary school children there. The new grants will work to extend the program’s reach into higher grade levels and support the organizations annual survey of math and reading skills.

Among the 47 organizations that received education grants was the Health Effects Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, which is conducting research on the continued health effects of air pollution.

The foundation’s education program awarded $6.7 million in 28 grants for education programs. One of the grant recipients was the Alliance for Excellent Education. It works to develop policies and teacher training programs that help bring deeper learning skills – like critical thinking and problem solving – into more schools nationwide.

The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir was one of many performing arts organizations that received funding. The choir received a $90,000 general operations grant from the foundation to help promote equality in one of the country’s most culturally diverse regions.

The remainder of the grants went to dozens of organizations working in philanthropy and healthcare programs.

The foundation also makes select grants to special projects in areas such as the political realm. It made a special grant of $750,000 to the Washington D.C.-based State of the USA, a bipartisan group that works to create a set of common measurements to find a true measure of the country’s progress.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has made grants to organizations working on social and environmental problems since 1967. Last year, the foundation gave out nearly 600 grants and gifts totaling more than $345 million.

Among the most popular causes in recent years has been green technologies. Despite the higher visibility, one of the most influential eco-friendly philanthropists is virtually unknown to the public.

Since 2002, David Gelbaum has poured almost $1 billion into environmental causes while staying almost completely under the radar, according to an article in the New York Times. Gelbaum, who amassed his fortune through his management of hedge funds, is a firm believer in progressing the green cause.

"I still don’t know which technology will end up winning, but I believe we’re on the cusp of a revolution in how energy is generated and distributed," Gelbaum told the Times.

Gelbaum has given $500 million to nearly 40 clean tech companies through his Quercus Trust. He has also given $200 million to the Sierra Club as well as $250 million to the Wildlands Conservancy (which preserves 1,200 square miles in California), reports the Times.

"He’s got this big heart that’s coupled with such a keen intellect," Peter Corsell, the chief executive of GridPoint – a smart-grid software startup largely funded by Gelbaum – said in an interview with the newspaper.

Environmental philanthropy has become a major cause for many looking to have a positive environmental impact. Earlier this month seven corporations, including New Belgium Brewing and Patagonia, donated money to help sustain the imperiled Colorado River.

"We are proud to bring this dedicated group of environmental philanthropists together," said Kim Jordan, CEO of New Belgium Brewing.

There has been a steady decline in the amount of water the Colorado River provides. The river usually provides nearly 5 trillion gallons of water, however in the past 10 years, dams, diversions, and a rising population (now close to 30 million people) have all drained resources from the once mighty Colorado, so that the supply no longer reaches the Gulf of California.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced grants to 10 universities in eight countries to help establish master’s degree programs in development practice.

The foundation says these programs will use classes in science and management to help graduates work to solve problems in global climate change, poverty and sustainable development.

"Today’s global development challenges – from human rights to extreme poverty and climate change – are interconnected," said Barry Lowenkron, MacArthur’s vice president for Global Security and Sustainability. "Sustainable development leaders must be able to draw on our best knowledge across multiple fields."

One of the universities receiving a grant is the University of California at Berkeley, whose MDP curriculum will involve faculty from business, public policy, and engineering.

The school will also make its curriculum available to other universities around the world, and it will partner with other schools in Costa Rica, Russia, the Philippines and more.

Costa Rica’s Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center will also receive a grant to assist its work with sustainable development, the conservation of natural resources and tropical agriculture. Their MDP program will have several partners worldwide, including the University of Minnesota.

This year’s grants are part of a three-year, $16 million investment by the foundation in these development practice programs.

The schools were chosen based on a variety of factors, including their academic programs, exceptional faculty and university leadership.

Together, the foundation says the universities expect to produce 400 graduates over the next three years.

The MDP programs were one of the recommendations put forward in a 2008 report by the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice.

The commission said that potential graduates could find work as program managers or policy advisers with the United Nations, foundations, financial institutions, and other companies which are working in the developing world.

Bank of America has donated $500,000 to YouthBuild USA to help support career development and green job training in low-income areas.

The YouthBuild program puts young people, ages 16-24, to work full time, helping them gain valuable career skills while also working toward their high school degree or GED® credential.

"Education and workforce development are essential components to revitalizing our communities and stimulating and sustaining local economies," said Robert E. Gallery, Massachusetts president for Bank of America.

Since 1994, almost 100,000 YouthBuild students have worked to build 19,000 affordable environmentally conscious homes for people in their communities.

The organization’s focus on energy efficiency ensures that the job training provided will continue to be relevant in the coming years.

The U.S. Department of Labor says that "green construction" is becoming increasingly popular, and job prospects are expected to remain strong.

Dorothy Stoneman, president and founder of YouthBuild USA, says, "There is no greater predictor of future professional and financial success than education and training."

Much of the funding will also go to many of YouthBuild’s 273 local affliliates, located across the country in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands.

One in particular, YouthBuild Boston, is working to construct a green, outdoor classroom for a low-income area school in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.

This year’s grant continues a partnership between the two organizations that first started in 2005, and previously provided more than $600,000 in grants for the organization.

Last year, Bank of America laid out a 10-year goal to donate $2 billion dollars to nonprofit organizations focused on making tangible improvements to their neighborhoods.

Bank employees also volunteered more than 800,000 hours last year to help their communities, and aim to surpass one million hours in 2010.

The Chicago-based Joyce Foundation has awarded nearly $10 million to 49 Great Lakes organizations.

"Our goal is to support organizations and oppotunities that can make a real difference in the lives of Great Lakes residents," says Ellen S. Alberding, the foundation’s president.

The foundation’s investments this spring will be invested in six different program areas: education, employment, the environment, culture, gun violence, and money and politics.

With the national unemployment rate still hovering around 10 percent, and the U.S. Labor Bureau reporting even worse numbers in Illinois, a large portion of the money will be invested into employment.

The Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human rights will get $300,000 to help give a start to people who have the most difficulty succeeding at work.

More than $4 million of this spring’s grants will go also toward programs in education, such as the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which helps support advocacy organizations working to improve their local schools.

The foundation’s other education programs are aimed at improving teacher quality, expanding access to early childhood education, and supporting innovations.

The Ohio Environmental Council, which is working to create energy efficiency programs, is one of nine organizations receiving funding to help protect the environment.

Various area cultural centers, such as Chicago’s National Museum of Mexican Art, will receive a total of more than $500,000 during this round of grants.

The Center of Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay College has also been awarded a grant of $80,000 to support its work on preventing gun crimes.

The foundation was started in 1948 with the estate of the Joyce family, whose wealth originally came from the lumber industry.

Since then, the foundation has given $600 million in grants to worthy organizations throughout the region.

The Carnegie Corporation recently announced grants totaling $6.35 million to improve practices in state government and school districts to develop and retain effective teachers and principals.

The foundation says it is focusing the four grants on nonprofits dedicated to implementing systems that are aimed at cultivating the skills and quality of K-12 teachers. The nonprofits will place teachers into positions for which they are best suited and sustain their commitment over time, gauging performance with relevant metrics, says Carnegie.

The organization says the grants are a follow-up on human-capital work initiated in 2007.

The National Council on Teacher Quality will receive $850,000 to reform state policy, addressing provisions in district-union contracts, that allow promotion and prevent termination for poor performance.

The largest grant – $3 million – was given to The New Teacher Project, which works with districts and states to improve teacher evaluation to help retain the most effective educators and improve average workers. The project will develop human-capital management systems for determining which teachers should advance in the profession.

Vartan Gregorian, New York president of the Carnegie Corporation, says that without bringing in quality educators through savvy, strategic management, schools cannot expect to be successful.

"Education relies on the talent, skill and commitment of teachers and school system leaders," says Gregorian. "For students, no school factor is more important to learning than the quality of their teachers. The foundation is focusing on transforming policies and advancing innovations aimed at increasing the skills and quality of the K-12 workforce."

The foundation also awarded a $1 million grant to Uncommon Schools, which is piloting a system of teacher evaluation tools that are data-based and rely on student-focused inquiry.

While Carnegie is aiding K-12 education, another foundation recently donated to remedial education for degree-seeking students. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently donated $110 million in grants to improve remedial programs at community colleges.