Tree Equity Network’s Granting Program Funds Five Local Organizations
By Yordanos Tesfazion
Over the past year, Tree Equity Network has made tremendous progress with their community engagement, education, and collaboration efforts. Their reach is only getting stronger as time passes, and their latest milestone speaks to the thought and consideration behind the group’s long-term goals.
After months of planning, Program Manager of Urban Climate Resilience Projects Celeste Staples shared a new funding opportunity with the Tree Equity Network: the Tree Canopy for Climate Resilience (TCCR) Grant. Made possible by an anonymous donation and facilitated by Seattle Parks Foundation, this pilot program gives Tree Equity Network the opportunity to fund tree canopy and environmental youth engagement projects in King County through $5,000-$10,000 grants.
In August Tree Equity Network members were invited to nominate organizations leading projects in South King County and unincorporated King County, areas known to have a lower percentage of tree canopy. In addition to their site location, nominated organizations had to be working to increase that percentage through efforts like planting, youth workforce development, habitat restoration, soil testing, and more.
The Grantees
A review committee consisting of Seattle Parks Foundation staff, Tree Equity Network members, and community members reached out to nominated organizations and notified them about the opportunity to apply before the mid-October deadline. Unsurprisingly, the applicant pool was extremely competitive. After a thorough assessment of nine applications, the review committee selected the following five organizations to receive funding for their projects:
Dirt Corps: Outdoor Innovators
Food Forest Collective: Beacon Food Forest
Outreach & Transform Lives: Rooted Futures: Youth-Led Tree Stewardship for Climate Resilience
Partner in Employment: PIE Restoration Training Crew
Serve Ethiopians Washington: Nurturing Nature, Growing Community
Congratulations!
The Projects
Dirt Corps: Outdoor Innovators
With a mission to make green careers more accessible for all people, Dirt Corps works towards creating a healthy environment, engaged communities, and a sustainable economy throughout the Puget Sound region. Their Outdoor Innovators program serves as an after-school program, coordinating with science teachers at Innovation Heights Academy (IHA), and exposing students to the principles of urban forestry and ecological restoration. In the program, IHA students learn about horticulture, restoration techniques, urban forestry basics, tree planning and care, community engagement, job opportunities in the environmental sector, and the skills they require.
You can support Dirt Corps’ work with the Outdoor Innovators program here. Make sure to note your gift is for the Outdoor Innovators program!
Food Forest Collective: Beacon Food Forest
Through a volunteer-powered urban food ecosystem in Beacon Hill, a diverse community with Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrant, and low-income residents disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice, food insecurity, and lack of green space, Food Forest Collective aims to build equitable, community-led food systems that care for people and the planet. Their flagship project, the Beacon Food Forest, fills critical gaps by offering free access to organic produce, public green space, and opportunities for stewardship, education, and community care.
You can support Food Forest Collective’s work with the Beacon Food Forest project here.
Outreach & Transform Lives: Rooted Futures: Youth-Led Tree Stewardship for Climate Resilience
Culturally rooted education, mentorship, and community-led initiatives are the main pillars of Outreach & Transform Lives (OTL), a Black and immigrant-led nonprofit based in Federal Way. Through the Rooted Futures project, OTL serves 10-15 African and Black immigrant youth (ages 16-24) who live in areas that have a low percentage of tree cover and are more vulnerable to urban heat. They will have the opportunity to receive hands-on training and participate in certification programs that teach youth about tree species, planting techniques, soil health, composting, and climate resilience, building foundational skills for future green careers.
You can support Outreach & Transform Lives’ work with the Rooted Futures project here. Make sure to note your gift is for the Rooted Futures project!
Partner in Employment: PIE Restoration Training Crew
Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrant, and refugees are underrepresented in environmental and climate justice movement, and Partner in Employment (PIE) seeks to address that historical underrepresentation with their Restoration Training Crew. The program increases education and awareness about urban forestry and stewardship through hands-on restoration projects and paid trainings that introduce participants to green career pathways.
You can support Partner in Employment’s work with the Restoration Training Crew program here. Make sure to note your gift is for the Restoration Training Crew program!
Serve Ethiopians Washington: Nurturing Nature, Growing Community
During the pandemic, East African refugee and immigrant leaders formed Serve Ethiopians Washington (SEW) in response to the unique challenges their communities face. Located in South King County, SEW’s Nurturing Nature, Growing Community project empowers the community to steward Angle Lake Park. They conduct invasive species removal and trash clean-up efforts to restore and improve the health of the park’s ecosystem while also creating opportunities for educational awareness and youth workforce development.
You can support Serve Ethiopians Washington’s work with the Nurturing Nature, Growing Community project here.
The Review Committee
The TCCR Grant review committee for this inaugural round of funding consisted of Tree Equity Network members and Seattle Parks Foundation staff:
Michelle Benetua (she/her), Seattle Parks Foundation’s Director of Strategic Partnerships
Michelle works with groups championing public space projects throughout Seattle, focusing on leadership development, planning, and strategy so that our public spaces are designed by, for, and with the people most impacted by environmental injustices. She has spent her career facilitating cross-cultural and community-based leadership to enhance civic engagement, promote food justice, and improve access to safe places to play.
Lois Martin, Trees and People Coalition
Lois is a lifelong Seattle resident and the Executive Director of Community Day Center for Children. With more than 30 years’ experience in early learning, she centers her work on family stability, community well-being, and culturally rooted neighborhoods. Outside her professional role, she is a committed civic advocate for anti-displacement strategies that protect Black homeowners and long-standing Central District residents. Her advocacy ensures that development, planning, and environmental policies honor legacy communities and safeguard Seattle’s urban forest and cultural heritage.
Elizabeth McDaniel, community member
Elizabeth has nonprofit experience focusing on aging adults, arts and culture, children and youth, community engagement, disaster relief, education, environment, food access and more. She proudly serves communities in several states.
Joshua Morris, Birds Connect Seattle’s Conservation Director
Josh has worked to understand, preserve and protect our natural world for all of his career and continues to do so now in more ways than one. He served as a commissioner and eventually as the Co-Chair of Seattle’s Urban Forestry Commission for six years and he helps to lead the Tree Equity Network with his deep knowledge of tree policy and conservation. In his role at Birds Connect Seattle, he works to protect urban habitats, reduce hazards to birds, and engage people in conservation right where they live.
Sarah Olivo, Seattle Parks Foundation’s Annual Giving Manager
Sarah has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2010. In her role, she manages the Evergreen Team, Seattle Park Foundation’s recurring donor program, workplace giving, and annual campaigns for Seattle Parks Foundation operations and community partners’ fundraising efforts.
Celeste Staples, Seattle Parks Foundation’s Program Manager of Urban Climate Resilience Projects
Celeste has spent her career building cross-sector partnerships, impactful programs, and supporting efforts that matter most to her neighbors. Through strategy, imaginative problem-solving, and community engagement she works to bring new initiatives to life. For Seattle Parks Foundation, she manages and supports critical regional efforts like the Tree Equity Network, Green Schoolyards, and now the Tree Canopy for Climate Resilience Grant Program. She also works with a number of the foundation’s fiscal partners to support their vital programs and projects. Celeste supported the TCCR Grant program from start to finish and is excited to head into the next round of funding.
The First of Many
A first for the Tree Equity Network, this pilot round of the TCCR Grant program is a major milestone, and plans for another round of the grant program are already in motion! Since the review committee received so many phenomenal applications, those who did not receive a grant during this round will automatically be considered for the next round of the TCCR Grant program, and in the years to come.
We are thankful for Celeste and Michelle’s leadership in this granting process, Tree Equity Network members who nominated applicants, the review committee for their thoughtful consideration, all the applicants for their incredible work, the Seattle Parks Foundation Communications and Finance teams who worked to make this program a reality, and of course, the generous donor whose meaningful contribution made all of this possible.
Congratulations once again to the TCCR Grant recipients!
Learn more about Tree Equity Network and stay up to date on the TCCR Grant program here.