Oakland wins grant for community-led sustainability projects in Chinatown
A Partners for Places matching grant will connect community groups, place-based funders, and local government.
We are thrilled to announce that Oakland was awarded a $150,000 grant funded by Partners for Places, a project of The Funders Network (TFN) and a matching grant of $75,000 from the California Endowment. These grants will ensure one of the oldest Chinatowns in the country remains safe and vibrant for generations to come.
Photo credit: Jonathan Fong for Friends of Lincoln Square Park
Partners for Places
Partners for Places, a joint effort by The Funders Network (TFN) and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), aims to enhance local capacity to build equitable and sustainable communities in the United States and Canada.
Oakland is one of five U.S. communities who are collectively receiving more than $1.3 million in Partners for Places matching grants to support sustainability efforts that bring together local governments, place-based funders, and frontline community groups.
The five communities receiving this latest round of Partners for Places grants are: Boston, Mass.; Boulder, Colo.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Oakland, Calif.; and San Francisco, Calif.
Successful Partners for Places projects not only advance much-needed climate planning and sustainable solutions in communities both large and small. With the support of matching local funders, these projects also help build bridges between city officials and the communities that bear the brunt of environmental injustice but are often left out of decision-making processes.
Supporting Oakland’s Sustainability Efforts
In Oakland, the grant will support efforts to create thriving and climate-resilient urban area that provide cultural and social resources for Oakland Chinatown and their immigrant communities. Funded activities will support the co-creation of a neighborhood resilience plan. The project centers on developing the leadership of community members to advocate for local priorities that advance equitable climate and community resilience strategies. The grant will also help ensure that critical services and social connections remain intact while the Lincoln Rec Center is expanded into a community resilience hub.
Promoting Local Collaboration
The front line organizations receiving this grant are the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and Friends of Lincoln Square Park, in collaboration with the City of Oakland’s Public Works Department, Parks, Recreation and Youth Development Department, and Sustainability & Resilience Division. The California Endowment is supporting the project with local matching funds.
According to Shina Robinson, Resilience Hub Mnager for APEN, “ We are delighted at these resources for our communities to grow their leadership in our own neighborhoods. We’re looking forward to this collaboration of immigrant community leaders, grassroots organizations, and municipal partners to craft a community vision of holistic climate resilience that honors Oakland Chinatown’s legacy and meets the needs of its future.”
This collaborative effort exemplifies the Partners for Places matching grant program which seeks to advance equitable and sustainable communities through local partnerships. The fund does this by requiring local government leaders, place-based funders, and frontline community partnerships, and by pairing national and local philanthropic funding sources. These one-to-one matching awards support equitable, sustainable climate action and green stormwater infrastructure projects. National funders invest in local projects to promote a healthy environment, a strong economy, and the well-being of all residents.
Through these projects, Partners for Places fosters long- term relationships that make our communities more sustainable, prosperous, and just.Partners for Places’ general grant program is supported by The JPB Foundation, The Kendeda Fund, The Kresge Foundation, and the Pisces Foundation.
To date, Partners for Places has awarded $10.9 million across North America in this successful matching grant program, leading to more than $21.6 million in investments.
About Friends of Lincoln Square Park: Friends of Lincoln Square Park was founded by a multi-generational group of volunteers in 2016 to fundraise, advocate, and lead the visioning process for a new and larger Lincoln Recreation Center in Oakland Chinatown that better serves the community. We also sponsor park programming, such as the Lincoln Summer Nights, and support the Oakland Parks, Recreation and Youth Development department to ensure that the park continues to be a welcoming and thriving public park for everyone, now, and for generations to come. Friends of Lincoln Square Park is fiscally sponsored by the Wa Sung Community Service Club.
About APEN: Asian Pacific Environmental Network is an environmental justice organization with deep roots in California's Asian immigrant and refugee communities. Since 1993, they have built a membership base of Laotian refugees in Richmond and Chinese immigrants in Oakland.
About The California Endowment: The California Endowment’s mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians.
About Partners for Places: A joint project of The Funders Network and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, Partners for Places is a successful grant program that improves U.S. and Canadian communities by building partnerships between local government sustainability leaders, place-based funders, and frontline community groups. National funders invest in local projects developed through these partnerships to advance efforts to create communities that are sustainable, prosperous, and just. For more information on Partners for Places, including a Grantee Map and Idea Bank, visit fundersnetwork.org/partners-for-places/
About The Funders Network: The Funders Network (TFN) is a mission-driven network of grantmakers across North America that seeks to create impact at the intersection of environment, economy, and equity. TFN works to inspire, strengthen, and expand funding and philanthropic leadership that yields sustainable, prosperous, and just regions and communities.
About The Urban Sustainability Directors Network: The Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) a network of local government professionals across the United States and Canada dedicated to create equitable, resilient, and sustainable communities by advancing the field of local government sustainability and equipping practitioners to be catalysts of transformative change.