The goal is to advance community and economic development programs that work to secure – for the present and future, and within the means of nature – a just and equitable life for all species.

Sustainable food systems:

$50,000 to the BRENTWOOD AGRICULTURAL LAND TRUST, Brentwood, Ca., for the Brentwood Regional Marketing Project to implement a marketing campaign and develop a self-sustaining regional agricultural-marketing organization, which will help Contra Costa County farmers create sustainable futures for local agriculture by building a regional identity.

$25,000 to the CALIFORNIA COALITION FOR FOOD AND FARMING, Santa Cruz, Ca., to support the policy program and develop a strategic alliance with the Ecological Farming Association.

$150,000 over three years to CALIFORNIANS FOR GE-FREE AGRICULTURE, Occidental, Ca., for the development of the Genetic Engineering Policy Alliance and for public education and organizing about GE crops and their impact on sustainable food and farming systems. The Occidental Arts and Ecology Center is the sponsor.

$150,000 over three years to the CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY, Washington, D.C., for the Center’s work on the scientific, regulatory, and legal issues of genetically engineered crops and other issues emerging from industrial-agriculture practices.

$50,000 to the CHEZ PANISSE FOUNDATION, Berkeley, Ca., for the Nutrition Services Director of the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) to design and implement the School Lunch Initiative at Berkeley High School and throughout the BUSD to demonstrate the viability and benefits of serving locally produced, fresh, and healthful foods for school lunches and snacks.

$100,000 over two years to the CHEZ PANISSE FOUNDATION, Berkeley, Ca., for continued support of the School Lunch Initiative to create a sustainable-food system in the Berkeley School District.

$10,000 to ENVIRONMENTAL COMMONS, Gualala, Ca., for Building Local Control of Food and Agriculture – From Awareness to Action, a series of facts sheets for the public, activists, and policy makers that provide concise and easy-to-use information about the value and importance of local food systems, and what can be done to develop and protect them. The Redwood Coast Watershed Alliance is the sponsor.

$25,000 to the HUSBANDRY INSTITUTE, Emeryville, Ca., for Ask for Change, a public education campaign to create public understanding of: (1) the impact of meat and dairy production practices on animal welfare, human health, and the environment; and (2) the positive change consumers can support through educated choices about what they consume. The Tides Center is the sponsor.

$50,000 to NEXTCOURSE, San Francisco, Ca., for the Food from the Parks Initiative, a collaboration with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, The Parks Conservancy, and The Presidio Trust (collectively “the Park”) to (1) change the food service facilities within the Park so that they offer healthful, local, affordable, and sustainably produced food to park visitors; and (2) increase the percentage of the Park’s $7 to $10 million in annual food purchases that will go to local farmers. The Trust for Conservation Innovation is the sponsor.

$40,000 to the POLARIS INSTITUTE, Mill Valley, Ca., for a survey of best water conservation practices in sustainable agriculture, and the development of a sustainable agriculture advisory committee to develop a platform and action plan for a sustainable agriculture water agenda for California.

$1,000,000 over five years to the ROOTS OF CHANGE FUND, San Francisco, Ca., to strengthen the institutional and political base for, and commence the implementation of, a campaign to transition California food and farming systems to sustainability by the year 2030. The Trust for Conservation Innovation is the sponsor.

$100,000 over two years to the XERCES SOCIETY, Portland, Ore., for the Farming for Bees: Pollinator Conservation in Agricultural Landscapes program to help expand natural habitat that supports native bees that pollinate crops, and help growers develop sustainable practices that reduce the effects of their management on pollinators.

Sustainable economies:

$125,000 over two years to the BUSINESS ALLIANCE FOR LOCAL LIVING ECONOMIES, San Francisco, Ca., to develop and connect membership networks in California to support the development and success of locally owned, sustainable businesses.

$25,000 to the INTERRA PROJECT, San Francisco, Ca., for a planning grant to assess the viability of establishing a Bay Area Community Change program that will utilize payment cards to market local businesses and generate funding for community-based sustainability nonprofits as a result of increased consumer purchasing from these businesses. The Natural Capital Institute is the sponsor.

Intellectual and policy frameworks for sustainability:

$150,000 over three years to the PRODUCT POLICY INSTITUTE, Athens, Ga., for the California Community Extended Producer Responsibility Campaign to help California communities get out of the business of managing hazardous-product discards and start the shift to producer-managed product-recovery systems, an approach that places life-cycle responsibility for products on the parties who design, market, and profit from them.