American Forests

In Phoenix, a neighborhood with a Tree Equity Score of 92 (left) experienced surface temperatures nearly 5 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than a south Phoenix neighborhood with a score of 63 (right), according to American Forests’ heat disparity dataset, which uses Landsat surface temperatures to measure heat severity differences. Credit: Rick D'Elia / American Forests.

In Phoenix, a neighborhood with a Tree Equity Score of 92 (left) experienced surface temperatures nearly 5 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than a south Phoenix neighborhood with a score of 63 (right), according to American Forests’ heat disparity dataset, which uses Landsat surface temperatures to measure heat severity differences. Credit: Rick D'Elia / American Forests.

In April 2022, American Forests, City of Phoenix staff and community volunteers planted more than 250 trees in Phoenix's Cesar Chavez Park to create the city's first "cool corridor" in efforts to generate shaded, and safer, commuting paths. Credit: Michael Jennings / American Forests.

The Tree Equity Score tool provides data and insights on the impact of tree cover alongside demographic data, land use, poverty and other socioeconomic indicators to guide planning and investments to grow tree cover in the neighborhoods that need it most. Credit: Tom Koenig / American Forests

Tree Equity Score was created to help address damaging environmental inequities by prioritizing human-centered investment in areas with the greatest need.

Planting 500 million new trees would bring every neighborhood in every city to a Tree Equity Score of 100. Credit: Liz Putnam / American Forests

American Forests
2024 & 2025 - $25,000 Tree Equity Score Toolkit
2022 - $25,000 Cool Corridors
2021 - $20,000 Tree Equity
2019 - $20,000 Tree Equity Toolkit

Founded in 1875, American Forests is the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the United States and a leader in the movement to protect and restore forest ecosystems. For more than 150 years, the organization has advanced science-driven approaches to forestry, shaping many of the practices used in conservation today. Its mission is to create healthy and resilient forests, from cities to large natural landscapes, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water, and wildlife.

American Forests’ work centers on ensuring that forests remain powerful natural climate solutions, and it provides scientific tools, resources, and long-term planning needed to keep forests thriving. These resources enable partners nationwide to implement restoration and management practices that remain effective as climate conditions evolve.

A core pillar of American Forests’ work is climate-smart reforestation. Through its Resilient Forests program, the organization partners with federal and state agencies, Tribal Nations, local communities, and private landowners to restore forests in some of the country’s most ecologically vulnerable regions. American Forests develops and applies climate-informed reforestation strategies using tools such as its Reforestation Hub, which identifies low-cost, high-feasibility opportunities for restoring forest cover across the U.S. This work includes expanding native seed and nursery capacity, supporting climate-ready forestry jobs, and helping communities plan large-scale restoration across millions of acres.

Equally central to the organization’s mission is its Tree Equity program. Tree cover in the U.S. is distributed unequally: in many cities, low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have significantly fewer trees than wealthier areas. These disparities contribute to hotter temperatures, higher energy bills, poorer air quality, and increased health risks. To close these gaps, American Forests works with city leaders, community-based organizations, and residents to build urban forests that support health, resilience, and opportunity.

At the foundation of this work is the Tree Equity Score, a nationally recognized tool developed by American Forests to quantify and map the need for trees at the neighborhood level. The free, publicly available tool analyzes factors such as current tree canopy, surface temperature, income, race, age demographics, and health vulnerabilities to identify where trees will have the greatest benefit. Cities across the country use the Tree Equity Score to guide investment, set canopy goals, prioritize neighborhoods for greening, and engage residents in decision-making.

Policy leadership is another essential pillar of American Forests work. The organization collaborates with lawmakers, federal agencies, and national coalitions to expand funding for reforestation and urban forestry, modernize forest management, and integrate climate resilience and environmental justice into public policy. These efforts have helped secure historic federal investments, like the REPLANT Act, and have strengthened the systems needed to scale climate-smart forestry nationwide.

As climate challenges accelerate, American Forests continues to scale its work to meet national need: restoring forest landscapes across millions of acres, advancing Tree Equity in cities nationwide, and preparing the workforce needed to steward forests for generations to come. With its long history, scientific expertise, and commitment to community-centered solutions, American Forests is driving lasting change and ensuring that forests and the people who depend on them can thrive far into the future.

www.americanforests.org

Bronx River Alliance

Bronx River Alliance
2026 - $25,000 General Operating Support
2025 - $25,000 Cross Bronx Community Imagining
2024 - $25,000 Five Bridges Project

The Bronx River Alliance serves predominantly Hispanic and Black low-income communities along NYC’s only freshwater river. It engages, educates, and empowers local residents—especially those in under-resourced South Bronx neighborhoods— to restore the Bronx River corridor as a healthy ecological, recreational, educational, and community resource. In partnership with 100+ community organizations, 25+ schools, and public agencies, the Alliance delivers equitable, community-driven conservation and outdoor programs including paddling, habitat restoration, eznvironmental education, and cultural events. Each year, the Alliance connects 5,400 Bronx residents to nature, wellness, and stewardship, advancing environmental justice and equitable access to green space.

Widely regarded as a model for community-based waterfront development throughout the city and the nation, the Alliance pursues its goals through six interconnected program areas of Education, Ecology, Greenway, Recreation, Foodway, and Outreach.

The Greenway Program develops open spaces, restores existing parks, and integrates them into a series of continuous parks and trails along the river—the Bronx River Greenway. The Greenway program is also expanding its climate justice advocacy efforts, working with other local actors to promote climate resilience and improved infrastructure. For example, the Bronx River Alliance, working closely with a coalition of Bronx, city- and statewide allies is leading a campaign to halt a proposed highway expansion project along the Cross Bronx Expressway (CBE), and invest in the community’s vision instead.  The project, which goes by the moniker “5 Bridges”, is an unnecessary expansion that New York State has tied to a bridge repair project.  

The Education Program opens doors for youth from underrepresented communities who face disproportionate environmental health and safety hazards to authentically engage in science, environmental policy, education, and advocacy.

The Recreation Program helps the community discover an intimate experience with the river corridor. Operating hand-in-hand with other Bronx River Alliance programs, Recreation programs help visitors relax and connect with the river, and also integrate lessons, projects, and programs. Recreation staff take around 1,500 adults and children canoeing on the Bronx River each year, where they learn a fun, new skill while seeing the Bronx from a whole new perspective.

The Ecology Program protects, restores and manages the Bronx River through field work and policy leadership. Our Bronx River Conservation Crew has a full-time presence on the river, implementing and maintaining river and upland restoration projects.

The Foodway Program works to maintain and improve the Bronx River Foodway, an edible food forest located directly within Concrete Plant Park.

The Outreach Program works to connect the communities of the Bronx with the Bronx River through a wide range of public events designed to increase community knowledge and ownership of the river.

www.bronxriver.org

Brooklyn Greenway

Brooklyn Greenway
2025 & 2023 - $15,000 General Operating Support

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) is committed to the development, establishment, and long-term stewardship of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway - a 29-mile protected and landscaped route for pedestrians and cyclists of all ages and abilities. When complete, the Greenway will connect Brooklyn’s waterfront, parks, and open space, commercial and cultural corridors, and new tech and innovation hubs for 2.65 million Brooklyn residents, over 1.1 million people who work in Brooklyn, and 15 million annual visitors from across New York City and around the world.

Since its founding in 2004, BGI has channeled more than $218 million in public and private investment toward implementation of the Greenway, leveraged public and private investment of $2.38 million toward the creation of the Naval Cemetery Landscape (NCL) as a new park-like space and memorial meadow adjacent to the Greenway, and conceptualized or supported the development and stewardship of other open spaces and public amenities along the Greenway. BGI hosts numerous public events and programs designed to activate the Greenway and NCL, foster critical support and stewardship for this vital public infrastructure, and build awareness and engagement of BGI as the organization dedicated to their long-term care.

Approximately 21 miles of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway are currently complete, and expansion projects are underway. While progress is encouraging, planning gaps remain, and resources for the Greenway’s ongoing maintenance and stewardship are severely lacking. New York City’s pandemic bikeboom (in 2020, bicycle use on the Greenway soared 3-5 times from 2019 and pedestrian use doubled) and increasing extreme weather have made it abundantly clear that the Greenway is essential intersectional infrastructure for public health and wellbeing, active transportation, and resiliency against the changing climate.

Due to the work of BGI and their partners, there is strong momentum to advance greenways in Brooklyn and across New York City. To make progress on this work, BGI is focusing on the following programs in 2024.

New York City Greenways Coalition: In 2021, BGI formed the New York City Greenways Coalition, a group of greenway-aligned partners focused on completion and continual enhancement of an equitable greenway network in New York City. The coalition has successfully advocated for a citywide greenways plan, in addition to federally funded greenway corridor planning across New York City. In the fall of 2024, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative is building support to host their second NYC Greenways Summit - a convening of greenway-invested stakeholders across sectors to share expertise on the need for comprehensive planning, implementation, and upkeep of a fully developed greenway network in NYC. Attendees of the summit will receive a greater understanding of New York’s City transportation policy and clear next steps for influencing policymakers to support greenway infrastructure.

Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Advocacy, Community Engagement, and Stewardship: The Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway still has 8 miles to go to complete its 29 mile corridor from Greenpoint to East New York. In 2024, BGI will continue to build partnerships to advocate for completion and engage communities across Brooklyn in stewardship activities, bike rides, and other activities to increase awareness and use of greenways.

Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway User Study: To improve the greenway and advocate for completion, BGI needs to better understand who’s using it and how. In March 2023, BGI launched a 13-month study to measure use along 29 miles of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. With our project partners, BGI installed 32 computer sensors along the corridor to measure the volume of use and mode of use (pedestrian, bicycle, skateboard, etc.) for 24 hours each day. In 2024, BGI will publish a report of the user study’s findings, along with fieldwork data that will work to inform the forthcoming Greenways Master Plan and the community based planning efforts happening concurrently. In addition to usership, BGI will have data to demonstrate the environmental impacts of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway and on reduced vehicle trips and carbon emissions.

Naval Cemetery Landscape Public Space: This 1.7 acre public space, pollinator meadow, and historic site is a place for respite and community on the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. Fully operated and funded through BGI and their supporters, the landscape is open year round for visitors and hosts dozens of public programs every year. Located in a community that is lacking in greenspace, It is a unique natural area and peaceful spot that welcomed over 14,000 visitors in 2023. In 2024, BGI will continue to maintain an expanded schedule of stewardship events to engage community volunteers in greening projects. BGI will work to develop dynamic public programs, events, and engagement opportunities with community, nonprofit, and corporate partners to grow in-person public engagement, education, nature, art, and wellness programs at the Naval Cemetery Landscape and on the Greenway.

More information about Brooklyn Greenway Initiative is at: brooklyngreenway.org; and the NYC Greenway Coalition, created and maintained by BGI, is here: greenways.nyc.

brooklyngreenway.org

Climate Ride

Climate Ride
2024 & 2025 - $9,000 General Operating Support
2022 & 2023 - $8,000 General Operating Support
2019 to 2021 - $6,000 General Operating Support
2015 to 2018 - $3,000 General Operating Support

Founded in 2008, Climate Ride is nonprofit that transforms outdoor adventure into a powerful engine for environmental philanthropy. By organizing multi-day cycling, hiking, and running events, the organization empowers individuals to tackle personal challenges while raising critical funds for sustainability, active transportation, and climate justice.

Climate Ride addresses the historic underfunding of the environmental sector by bridging the gap between advocacy and sport. Participants engage their personal networks to amplify awareness, turning every mile traveled into a catalyst for community-based activism. This unique model allows participants to direct the funds they raise to a diverse roster of beneficiaries working on clean energy, public health, and sustainable infrastructure.

The impact of this movement is significant. Since its inception, more than 3,600 participants from 47 states and 12 countries have raised over $6.2 million for environmental causes. These grants have supported high-stakes legal battles for clean air, funded renewable energy projects in National Parks, and expanded safer pedestrian and cycling networks. Beyond the financial contributions, Climate Ride fosters long-term behavioral change; for many, a single event evolves into a lifetime of advocacy, as seen in supporters who have personally raised tens of thousands of dollars to safeguard the planet.

Even when faced with global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Climate Ride remained resilient by launching virtual initiatives like Climate Rise, which mobilized hundreds of new advocates. Through its Community Leaders awards and events like the Green Fondo, the organization continues to diversify the environmental movement, ensuring that the next generation of sustainability leaders has the resources and community support needed to drive lasting policy change.

climateride.org

Exploratorium

The Exploratorium is a LEED-Platinum rated building and the institution is working toward energy neutrality through systems like the solar panels on Pier 15. © Exploratorium, www.exploratorium.edu

The Exploratorium’s Pier 15 and 17 is centrally situated on San Francisco’s Embarcadero Waterfront, with access to public transit, and a working dock for visiting ships of all types.© Exploratorium, www.exploratorium.edu

The Exploratorium welcomes over 800,000 visitors every year, from field trip students to adult After Dark audiences to curious individuals from every walk of life. © Exploratorium, www.exploratorium.edu

The Fisher Bay Observatory is home to many of the incredible environmental programs of the Exploratorium. Among its many incredible exhibits and programs, it houses the Wired Pier-an array of sensitive instruments around the Exploratorium campus that measure and record conditions in the environment-the weather, Bay water, pollution, and more © Exploratorium, www.exploratorium.edu

The entire Exploratorium is a hub of environmental programming-our working dock welcomes NOAA research ships and other vessels, our buoy gathers information year-round, and the Fisher Bay Observatory convenes the leading minds in urban resilience and sustainability. © Exploratorium, www.exploratorium.edu

The Exploratorium’s Gallery 4 is dedicated to Living Systems and is one of the only informal learning institutions in the country with a working wet lab on site. © Exploratorium, www.exploratorium.edu

Exploratorium
2025 - $15,000 Sea Level Rise Public Education 
2021 & 2022 - $15,000 Urban Fellows Program
2019 - $10,000 Coastal Resiliency Collaboration
2019 - $10,000 General Operating Support
2016 & 2017 - $10,000 Habitat: Bay As It Is Symposium
2015 - $10,000 Center for Art and Inquiry
2014 to 2018 - $10,000 Urban Fellowship
2013 - $10,000 Jane Wolf, Bay Lexicon
2013 - $1,000 Living Innovation Zone
2011 - $10,000 Capital Campaign

Since 1969, the Exploratorium’s museum in San Francisco has been home to a renowned collection of 650+ exhibits that draw together science, art, and human perception, and that have changed the way science is taught. Our award-winning programs inspire visitors, empower teachers through our cutting-edge teacher development program, and influence a global movement where 80% of science centers across the globe contain Exploratorium exhibits. The exhibits on the floor are designed to enable experimentation with physical phenomena while simultaneously strengthening thinking and inquiry skills. This is true not only for our audiences of over 850,000 people a year in San Francisco, but for an estimated 250 million people who experience our exhibits at science centers around the world. As founder Frank Oppenheimer saw it: “A lot of people have given up trying to comprehend things, and when they give up with the physical world they give up with the social and political world as well. If we stop trying to understand things, I think we’re all sunk.” The Exploratorium continues to build on his foundational belief that citizens who are curious and empowered to learn about the world are more likely to take action and tackle problems in their communities.

The Exploratorium’s location on Piers 15 and 17, and in particular our investment in the Fisher Bay Observatory, has provided an unprecedented opportunity to engage the public with a wealth of data about the area’s natural and built environments and dynamic access to the researchers collecting it. Since our relocation from the Palace of Fine Arts in 2013, we have been continually evolving exhibits, programs, and partnerships to engage diverse audiences in understanding the complex ecologies that emerge through the interaction between social, cultural, and natural forces and systems. The facility serves as a new model for a combined research and learning space-an open laboratory for researchers, policy makers, and the public. We are educators who have learned that as we face global climate crises, our strategy must be expansive including the contributions of scientists, educators, artists, designers, historians and cultural workers, as well as practitioners in the realms of policy and advocacy. 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Exploratorium closed its doors on March 12, 2020. Our museum has always been a playground of discovery and hands-on learning, but as we remain closed, our educators, exhibit developers, scientists and other staff have gotten creative in sparking curiosity online. From helping teachers make science come alive in virtual classrooms, to engaging families all over the globe in tinkering projects, to illuminating timely science through online events like Covid Conversations and After Dark, the Exploratorium’s online content highlights what the Exploratorium does best: creating learning experiences that are engaging, interactive, inspiring, and trustworthy.

The digital programming and resources reach audiences from young kids to adults, and present a full range of topics from nearly all Exploratorium departments, from biology, to the environment, to Cinema Arts. In all, our digital resources are being used more than ever: traffic to our website, which serves 2M people annually, is up by nearly 300%. The Exploratorium is proud to continue sparking curiosity wherever people are, whether the kitchen table laboratory, the virtual classroom, the outdoors, or-eventually-back at Pier 15

Urban Fellowship
The Exploratorium's new Urban Fellow program will address issues related to climate change and rising sea levels.  This program situates an artist or urban practitioner in a residency within the Bay Observatory to explore the human relationship to the urban environment.  Fellows could explore concrete forms: such as architecture and infrastructure: as well as human forms: such as approaches to planning or individual practices within the city.  This investigation is both important and timely as urban areas globally explore the issue of climate change and coastal resiliency.

Jane Wolf, Bay Lexicon
Bay Lexicon is an illustrated field guide to San Francisco’s shoreline. Using methods and tools from landscape scholarship, design, and science education, Bay Lexicon aims to encourage observation and enquiry about the natural world and its relation to culture.

exploratorium.edu

Island Press

Rep. Jose Serrano reads from an Island Press op-ed in The Washington Post calling for a return to science-based decisionmaking at the Environmental Protection Agency

Solutions that Inspire Change: Recent Titles from Island Press

Carey Gillam, author of Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science (Island Press, 2017) testifies to the European Parliament about the dangers of glyphosate 

Steven Higashide, author of Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit (Island Press, 2019)

Book launch party for Transit Street Design Guide (Island Press, 2016)

Island Press
2025 - $20,000 Built Environment Portfolio
2021 to 2025 - $10,000 General Operating Support
2021 - $15,000 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work 
2020 - $15,000 Online Programming During COVID-19 Pandemic
2020 - $25,000 Founders’ Pot
2019 - $25,000 General Operating Support
2017 & 2018 - $5,000 Founders’ Pot for General Operating Support
2013 - $10,000 Sustainability Knowledge Network
2011 & 2014 to 2017- $5,000 General Operating Support

Island Press supports the environmental community in advancing their knowledge and practice which, ultimately, improves the natural systems on which humankind depends. A non-profit organization, its mission is to provide the best ideas and information to those seeking to understand and protect the environment and create solutions to its complex problems. 

From its growing network, Island Press identifies promising thinkers, inspiring stories, and game-changing ideas to publish some 30 books each year. Island Press’ publishing expertise delivers critical information that enhances the work of thousands of professionals striving to create healthier, more sustainable, and more just communities. Today, Island Press is one of the nation's leading providers of environmental ideas and solutions. 

Island Press’ goal is to spark lasting solutions to environmental problems. Its approach is two-fold: 

Identifying and Developing Ideas 

Island Press identifies and shapes the best ideas, methods, and approaches into accessible content. The most valuable lessons come from those who are doing the work-the scientists, activists, and professionals who are leading change every day. But these problem-solvers often need guidance on how to share their experience with others. Without the editorial and communications support Island Press provides, important new voices would be left unheard, and effective approaches unknown.

Promoting and Distributing Content

The field needs cutting-edge information and practical solutions to a wide range of problems. Island Press taps into a distribution network of environmental movement leaders, researchers, policymakers, professionals, and the public. The organization’s reach extends into many areas, ranging from transportation planning and food systems to affordable housing and green space.

Setting this work apart from for-profit publishers, Island Press is committed to providing reliable, science-based knowledge in digital formats-webinars, articles, opinion pieces, and online courses-most of them free. 

Island Press has developed a body of environmental literature that is considered by many to be the most comprehensive, rigorous, and innovative available. This work is shaping policies, establishing thought leaders, and advancing influential concepts that have had important real-world impacts.

Notable Accomplishments 

Creating Safer Streets for All: Publishing the Urban Street Design Guide guided billions of dollars in infrastructure spending for energy-saving, carbon-reducing public transit and pedestrian-friendly streets across the country. 

Reducing Toxic Chemicals: The award-winning Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science led to limits on the cancer-causing chemical glyphosate (the main ingredient in Roundup) in several countries, as well as on college campuses and public lands across the U.S. 

Regulating Overfishing: The Most Important Fish in the Sea led to the first-ever limits on menhaden fishing, which had reached unsustainable levels. The quota resulted in a 26% reduction in the menhaden catch-a huge victory for fishing communities and conservationists.

Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

As workplaces closed and events were canceled, Island Press moved quickly to create more online offerings for professionals and students who were now working from home. Island Press released a dozen e-books for free and nearly tripled its schedule of free webinars for professionals. As a result, attendance to online trainings more than doubled. This evolving approach helped the organization grow the number of people it serves, and has widened its geographic reach.

islandpress.org

New York League of Conservation Voters

New York League of Conservation Voters
$2025 - $15,000 Play Fair for Parks

Founded in 1993, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) is a 501c3 organization based in New York City dedicated to educating, engaging, and empowering New Yorkers to be effective advocates for the environment in their own communities. Their vision is for New York State to be a national leader in advancing and implementing bold climate and environmental policy. NYLCVEF’s role is to build a broad and diverse movement locally, engaging communities across our state on relevant issues and mobilizing for action. These issues include voting and democracy, zero-waste, renewable energy, offshore wind, parks and open space, clean air and water, and more.

Through multimedia campaigns, public programs, community outreach and engagement, publications and strategic partnerships, NYLCVEF reaches thousands of New Yorkers every year on issues impacting their communities. NYLCVEF has regional chapters where the bulk of work takes place. These include New York City, Westchester County, Long Island, Capital Region, and Central/Western New York.

A snapshot of NYLCVEF’s ongoing programs include efforts to advance electric school buses to protect children’s health, increase investment in and equitable access to NYC’s parks, empower residents to identify and remediate lead pipes in their homes, and address misinformation around renewable energy solutions like offshore wind and battery energy storage. Each year, the organization also conducts a statewide voter pledge program to create awareness about voting information, important dates and deadlines, and to get low propensity voters to the polls.

All of this work is supported by and coordinated with a robust network of local, state and national partners, including the Conservation Voter Movement, consisting of national LCV and 30 state affiliates. Together, the CVM stands at the intersection of environment, justice, and democracy, fighting for a future that sustains us all and working to build a movement that is strategic, resilient, and unstoppable.

www.nylcv.org

New Yorkers for Transportation Equity

New Yorkers for Transportation Equity
2025 - $20,000 General Operating Support

New Yorkers for Transportation Equity (NYFTE) organizes towards a transportation network for everyone in New York State that is accessible, dependable and sustainable. Their work elevates the voices and perspectives of those most directly impacted: Black and Brown folks, low-income people, immigrants, young people, seniors and people with disabilities. By building the power of walkers, riders and drivers, NYFTE aims to connect all New Yorkers across transit routes, regions and social class. The coalition is led by a Steering Committee of eleven grassroots organizations and 35 partner organizations all across the state.

NYFTE came together in 2023 as billions of dollars were being directed to New York State through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. As funds were overwhelmingly going to highway projects, NYFTE wanted to reform this “business as usual” approach and push New York to meet the demands of the state’s ambitious climate plan by diverting transportation spending away from wasteful highway projects and into safe, reliable, accessible, and interconnected public transit, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure for all who call New York State home. Transportation is the second largest source of carbon emissions in New York State, and highways disproportionately cause higher rates of air and noise pollution in Black and immigrant communities due to the racist history of highway expansion in New York. 

To address these issues holistically, NYFTE is currently fighting for fully funding non-MTA public transit systems in New York State, where wait times can be as long as one hour and buses run less often. Public transit is the most affordable way to get around, and investing in improving these systems would result in sustainable jobs and economic development. NYFTE is also advocating to stop highway expansions that will increase environmental and health risks to disadvantaged communities, and instead pass the Get Around NY Act, which will set targets to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) to meet New York’s climate laws and direct those funds to multimodal transportation instead. To have a safer, healthier and cleaner New York, NYFTE is fighting to not only block polluting infrastructure, but set long-term goals to build New York’s sustainable and public transportation networks instead. 
With roots in Buffalo, Rochester, the Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island, organizations are building grassroots power by aligning local transit and highway fights with statewide demands. Organizers are also engaged in narrative change work by sharing transit stories and shifting the discourse around transportation equity.

actionnetwork.org

Open Plans

The Building Blocks program guides neighborhoods through the process of envisioning, and then implementing, community-minded changes to their streets

Open Plans summer interns work with a mentor to complete a concentrated project at the end of their internship, culminating in a presentation to staff, fellow advocates and city officials

Director of Advocacy and Organizing Jackson Chabot gives Curbside Climate Award at Open Plans' first-annual Public Space Awards

Awardees and attendees cheer for 34th Avenue Open Street in Queens at Open Plans' first-annual Public Space Awards

Co-Executive Director Sara Lind speaks at rally for safe streets legislature

Emily Chingay and Sabina Unni connect with community at family event

Family music event on Manhattan's Upper West Side

StreetopiaUWS leads neighborhood walk with City Council candidates and local residents during a recent election cycle

Community engagement on Open Streets offer New Yorkers a chance to think creatively about their neighborhood

Open Plans' Emily Chingay shares School Streets toolkit at community event

Co-Executive Director Sara Lind leads Rally to Plan for People, Not Parking

The Building Blocks program guides neighborhoods through the process of envisioning, and then implementing, community-minded changes to their streets

Open Plans
2025- $20,000 General Operating / Filmmaking Support
2024- $20,000 Congestion Pricing
2024- $3,000 General Operating Support
2023- $15,000 General Operating Support

Founded in 1999 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to making New York City more livable, Open Plans works to foster a more connected relationship between New Yorkers, their streets, and their city government. In its early years, the organization focused on developing mapping tools as a way to analyze the issues that affect New Yorkers on a block-by-block basis. Using the information gathered, the organization began to not only map the issues but develop and propose solutions. Topics included public transportation; the use of streets as spaces for community gathering, neighborhood celebration, and events; public safety challenges caused by car dominance; lack of infrastructure for micromobility and pedestrians; and the desire for more equitable access to accessible, safe, public spaces.

In 2004, Open Plans launched Streetfilms, a project that produces and publishes short films highlighting best practices for transportation systems and public spaces around the world. These informative, playful, and inspiring films continue to fuel advocacy efforts today -- and garner huge wins the world over, including the launch and expansion of a robust protected bike lane network in New York City, bike access across the Queensboro and Brooklyn Bridges and complete redesigns of iconic areas such as the Meatpacking District in Lower Manhattan. 

In 2006, Open Plans launched Streetsblog, a daily news source providing deep dives and insider scoops, chronicling the transportation and livable streets scene in New York City and beyond. Inspiring offshoots in many of the major cities in the United States, Streetsblog has become a one-stop shop for all the news that’s fit to discuss regarding transportation, policy, planning, advocacy, budgets, and more. Its readership includes hobbyists, urbanism professionals, and city officials alike. From their annual Parking Madness awards to their recent coverage of the fight for safe and equitable public spaces for all, including the right to protest and the rights of delivery workers, Streetsblog is always on the cutting edge. 

In 2008 and 2009, Open Plans launched the New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign, in collaboration with Transportation Alternatives and Project for Public Spaces. This campaign challenged the auto-centric policies that create congested and unsafe, inhospitable streets. This work led to the first protected bike lanes in New York City, along 9th Avenue in Chelsea, along with years of streetscape changes on the Upper West Side. 

Between 2010 and 2015, Open Plans built on their success and merged their tech and advocacy foci, working with municipalities on tools for mapping and advocated for open source data tools for people to engage with their communities. The organization created maps allowing people to indicate issues in their neighborhoods, specifically around mobility and public space. Working with schools became a major focus; a new education and advocacy arm of the organization taught students how to identify safety issues on their commutes to school and empowered them to navigate their paths more safely. This work often led to students learning more about urban design and civics. Through drawings, petitions, and letters, students spoke at community boards and even engaging with elected officials, learning the power of civic engagement.

By late 2018, StreetopiaUWS was created to reinvest in Open Plans’ long-standing work in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan. Rooted in grassroots advocacy, Streetopia’s debut campaign was launched to educate people about public space management and start advocating for the city to care for public spaces, especially in residential areas. Today the place-based project works intimately with Upper West Side residents, decision makers, and other stakeholders to achieve safer bike routes and promote a people-centered mindset to placemaking and planning.

The Covid-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for New York City but ushered in a new era for Open Plans. As the city was forced to repurpose space for safe, outdoor public gatherings, many guiding principles of livability and people-centered space became commonplace. Suddenly, congested streets were transformed into car-free community space; curb lanes once relegated to parking were transformed into business-saving outdoor cafes. Open Plans seized on this spirit of innovation and gained momentum. The new Open Streets program offered a first-ever opportunity for communities to reprogram their streets for strolling, playing, dancing, and learning - and led to Open Plans’ campaign for a central Office of Public Space Management that would care for and invest in these burgeoning spaces as city services. The organization hired new policy expertise and pursued systemic change in city government while connecting directly with communities at the grassroots level.

This dual focus, with Streetsblog and Streetfilms creating compelling media, is a hallmark of Open Plans’ unique approach. Today, Open Plans continues to grow its nimble and focused staff. With a focus on advocacy, journalism, and inspiring film, Open Plans is illuminating new possibilities and creating meaningful change for every resident of New York City.

openplans.org

Regional Plan Association

Regional Plan Association
2026 - $20,000 General Operating Support
2025 - $20,000 Cross Bronx Expansion Report
2025 - $10,000 General Operating Support
2024 - $15,000 General Operating Support
2024 - $20,000 Brooklyn Queens Expressway Report
2023 & 2024 - $20,000 Congestion Pricing

Regional Plan Association is a non-profit organization that conducts research, advocacy and planning to improve quality of life for all residents in the New York City metropolitan area. RPA conducts groundbreaking research on issues such as land use, transportation, the environment, and economic development. It also leads advocacy campaigns to foster a thriving, diverse, and climate friendly region and partners with local government to help them grow in an inclusive and sustainable way.

For over 100 years, Regional Plan Association has been an indispensable source of ideas for policy makers and opinion shapers across the New York City metropolitan region. Some of the NYC region’s most significant public works, economic development initiatives, and open space projects have their roots in RPA ideas and initiatives. 

A cornerstone of RPA's work is the development of long-range plans and policies to guide the region’s growth. Since the 1920s, RPA has produced four landmark plans for the region. The most recent was released in November 2017.

One of the ideas RPA has been advocating is a tolling program for Manhattan's Central Business District, otherwise known as congestion pricing. For decades, RPA has been saying that the program is vital to managing traffic, raising revenue for public transit, and helping reduce pollution. RPA has coordinated a number of efforts over the years to build support for congestion pricing, and after a few failed attempts, was finally successfully in receiving New York State's authorization for the program in 2019. 

The program started in January 2025 and has been successful at reducing traffic, boosting transit ridership, improving traffic safety, and raising revenue for transit projects.  RPA has released a series of more technical documents to track the program's success and monitor its effectiveness and has also supported lawsuits against the USDOT to keep the program in place. 

RPA currently co-leads the Congestion Pricing Now coalition with a few partner organizations. Congestion pricing is officially called the Central Business District Tolling Program and is being managed by the MTA. 

In addition to congestion pricing, RPA has been supporting a number of local coalitions fighting highway projects that will increase traffic and harm local communities. In particular, RPA has supported the No Cross Bronx coalition, Coalition for BQE Transformation and the Rethink Route 17 coalition with design, traffic modeling, communications and external affairs support.

rpa.org

Riders Alliance

Flatbush Bus Bash this summer celebrating the first phase of the project beginning as we continue to organize riders and build their power for the rest of the corridor

Riders Alliance members and coalition partners filled the halls of the Capitol in Albany during state budget season to demand reduced wait times for trains and buses.

Riders Alliance
2025 - $20,000 General Operating Support
2024 - $15,000 General Operating Support
2024 - $20,000 Congestion Pricing

Riders Alliance is a grassroots organization made up of, and dedicated to, New York bus and subway riders fighting for better public transit to make our city more equitable and just.

Riders Alliance is a grassroots organization made up of, and dedicated to, New York bus and subway riders fighting for better public transit to make our city more equitable--especially in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn where transit is most delayed and disjointed.

Since its founding in 2012, Riders Alliance has organized thousands of riders to demand results from officials and to change the politics of New York transit. It has produced meaningful, tangible improvements that save riders time and money: half-priced MetroCards for low-income riders, the nation’s first congestion pricing program with revenues set to fund major accessibility and reliability improvements on the subway, and a first-in-a-generation increase to off-peak subway frequency, which particularly helps shift and service workers.

Riders Alliance’s theory of change is simple: elected officials and public agencies will prioritize transit riders’ needs only when riders are organized and prepared to hold our representatives accountable. Riders Alliance continually builds membership in the most impacted outer-borough neighborhoods, canvassing at bus stops and on subway platforms to engage riders in its work and identify new leaders to develop and support. It hosts regular trainings to equip members with skills to speak to the media, facilitate meetings, canvass, and lobby elected officials. Member-leaders organize in their communities to support fellow riders. Members are integral to campaign selection, strategy, and  implementation.

In 2024, Riders Alliance is focused on three areas of transit policy and service to improve the lives of everyday New Yorkers:

• Fairer fares for a fairer New York: In 2024, Riders Alliance’s priority for Fair Fares, New York City’s half-priced MetroCard program for low-income riders, is to increase the utilization and impact of the program by increasing eligibility to 200% of the Federal Poverty Line (or $29,160 for a one-person household). Riders have a chance to evolve this program to have the biggest impact and help the most New Yorkers.
• Congestion pricing’s premier year: In 2024, Riders Alliance’s priority for congestion pricing, the tolling program established for Manhattan’s Central Business District, is to keep leveraging rider power and strengthen the coalition to ensure the program successfully exits the political “valley of death” and goes live.
• Buses are the key to transit equity:  In 2024, Riders Alliance’s priority for better buses is to build unignorable bus rider power and test its case for an expanded theory of organizing and powerbuilding to finally deliver fast and reliable service to all of New York City. It will zero in on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn as a model of bus organizing and service for the future.

www.ridersalliance.org

Shared Use Mobility Center

Shared Use Mobility Center
2024 - 2026 - $20,000 General Operating Support

SUMC’s vision is that ALL people have access to equitable, safe, reliable, and affordable transportation options, even if they don’t own a car. (This is regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, sexual identity, education, national origin, or any other distinguishing characteristic or trait.)

SUMC’s mission is to connect and equip change leaders advancing people-centered shared mobility systems to fight climate change, advance equity, and strengthen communities.

Current transportation systems prioritize cars over people, creating systems that are unjust, unsafe, and unsustainable. Car-centric infrastructure contributes to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions and causes nearly 1.2 million deaths worldwide each year — disproportionately affecting people of color, older adults, and youth.

Across the country, mobility change leaders are working to build safer, more inclusive, and climate-resilient communities. But to scale their work and shift entire systems, these leaders often lack the capacity, resources, and connections they need.

This is where the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) comes in.

Founded in 2014, SUMC is a 501(c)(3) public-interest nonprofit and international thought leader in equitable transportation. The organization connects and empowers changemakers building people-centered mobility systems that reduce emissions, advance equity, and strengthen communities.

Through applied research, SUMC deepens the field’s collective understanding of how shared mobility can advance equity and sustainability and maintains several high-impact dissemination platforms to ensure these insights reach the sector.

As a capacity builder, SUMC delivers tools, training, technical assistance, and consulting services to help practitioners implement people-first transportation solutions. Pilots and projects supported by SUMC include innovative approaches to paratransit challenges; first/last-mile solutions; jobs access pilots; mobility hubs in affordable housing; EV carsharing in disadvantaged communities; and more.

As a trusted convener, SUMC brings together leaders from the public, private, nonprofit, philanthropic, and academic sectors to drive innovation and systems change.

Since its founding, SUMC has helped secure over $90 million for mobility innovation and served as a technical advisor on nearly 150 pilot projects nationwide. The organization has supported both public agencies and community-based organizations in transforming transportation from the ground up. Its body of work includes over 1,500 publicly available resources and tools aimed at empowering the sector.

SUMC is a long-term partner of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and has worked with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Transportation Research Board (TRB), and many public, private, and nonprofit clients.

SUMC’s vision is a future where everyone has access to safe, sustainable, reliable, and affordable transportation — even without owning a car.

sharedusemobilitycenter.org

Street Lab

Street Lab
2025 - $15,000 Open Street, Brownsville, Brooklyn

Street Lab transforms streets and public spaces across New York City into places that improve lives,
strengthen neighborhoods, and bring New Yorkers together. The organization uses a pop-up approach
to do this, relying on custom physical designs to create innovative places for reading, play, creativity,
and more. Every pop-up is by request and in partnership with community groups and city
government, and the organization prioritizes low-income, underserved areas. Its approach brings
immediate benefits to residents, while also laying the groundwork for long-term change.

Street Lab achieves its goals in three ways. First, it deploys its pop-up programs citywide, activating
public spaces and enabling people of all ages and abilities to gather, learn, and create right on the
street. Second, it helps community groups develop new cultural and community hubs using the city’s
Open Streets program. Third, it designs and builds pop-up infrastructure that brings new ideas to the
streets, used by our team, partners, and other cities around the world. The organization also offers
several youth education programs that involve young people in all aspects of its work.

Street Lab was founded in 2006. Early projects focused on vacant lots and storefronts. In 2011, the
organization shifted outdoor spaces like parks, plazas, and streets, launching a portable reading room
for New York City that still operates today. Since then, the range of programs and services Street Lab
offers has expanded and the organization has provided over 3040 days of programming in 501 NYC
public spaces, reaching more than 160,000 New Yorkers. Street Lab has also helped create more than
40 Open Streets and shipped its designs to more than 75 other cities.

www.streetlab.org

Transportation Alternatives

Transportation Alternatives
2026 - $20,000 General Operating Support
2025 - $20,000 Biking is Not a Crime
2024 - $20,000 Congestion Pricing
2023 - $20,000 20x20 Project
2022, 2024 & 2025 - $10,000 General Operating Support
2011 - $5,000 General Operating Support

Transportation Alternatives (TA) works to reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile and to advocate for better walking, biking, and public transit for all New Yorkers. Through grassroots organizing and strategic communication campaigns, TA advances infrastructure and policy improvements that prioritize people, create safer streets, and ultimately realize a more accessible, sustainable, and equitable city. TA engages thousands of stakeholders each year through its advocacy work, including community residents, peer nonprofit organizations, civic coalitions, business leaders, elected local and state officials, and government agencies. Their campaigns reshape streetscapes into safe places where people can walk, bike, meet, play, and participate in the variety of activities that make urban living healthy, vibrant, and dynamic.

In the past five decades, TA has made remarkable progress. Today, bike lanes ribbon up and down Manhattan avenues. Hundreds of thousands more ride a bike to work every day. The city is equipped with dedicated bus lanes, public bike share, and car-free park spaces that did not exist five decades ago. In just the last two decades, TA advocacy was responsible for the introduction of America’s first protected bike lanes and the world’s largest speed camera program.  TA lowered the citywide speed limit for the first time in 50 years, and introduced Vision Zero to New York City, an idea which then spread across the U.S. The same story is true of the federal Safe Routes to Schools and Safe Routes for Seniors programs.

The few who founded Transportation Alternatives recruited and multiplied, and now TA’s tent of supporters is packed with New Yorkers who regularly take action, make the case to public officials, and testify to the importance of TA’s mission. Each week, TA organizes local meetings, protests, rallies, petition drives, community gatherings and on-street actions to amplify voices. By the power of these people and a track record of transformative change, TA demands New York City’s most influential decision makers pay attention.

In that time, a remarkable subset of the organization was also born. Families for Safe Streets (FSS) is a coalition of people injured in traffic crashes, and the children, spouses, siblings, and parents whose loved ones have been killed. What began in 2014 as a small group of families in mourning has grown to a citywide force for change, and a national inspiration, with chapter organizations in 14 cities. Together, this powerful group of survivors tell their stories as an unignorable testament to the need for safe streets and refuse to give an inch in defense of the status quo.

From the creation of grand public spaces, like the pedestrianization of Times Square, to the construction of protected bike lanes and pedestrian plazas in all five boroughs, TA and FSS have paved the way for remarkable changes in New York City’s transportation infrastructure and transformed New Yorkers’ understanding of bicycling, walking and public transit.

transalt.org

Tri-State Transportation Campaign 

TSTC’s Summer Transportation and Environmental Justice Fellows tour the Second Avenue Subway and discuss the importance of congestion pricing funding for the project.

TSTC staff at the Congestion Pricing defense rally with Governor Hochul and advocates, 3/21/25.

Jaqi Cohen, Director of Climate and Equity Policy overjoyed at the Congestion Pricing defense rally with Governor Hochul, 3/21/25.

Photo by Jaqi Cohen

TSTC Board Chair Justin Balik speaks with Rocco Vertuccio on NY1 about Secretary Duffy’s made-up deadline for congestion pricing and why the MTA remains on solid legal footing.

TSTC Board Chair Justin Balik speaks with Rocco Vertuccio on NY1 about Secretary Duffy’s made-up deadline for congestion pricing and why the MTA remains on solid legal footing..

MTA’s promotional billboard for Congestion Pricing over the Astoria-Ditmars subway
station in Queens. Photo by Jaqi Cohen.

Elected officials, advocates, and supporters of congestion pricing gather on the one-year anniversary to celebrate the program and share new reports with the press.

Tri-State Transportation Campaign 
2025 - $20,000 Congestion Pricing and General Operating Support
2025 - $20,000 Clean Rides Network
2024 - $20,000 Congestion Pricing

Since its founding in 1993, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) has been the leading watchdog for the region’s transit network, fighting to reduce car dependency and ensure an equitable, climate-resilient future for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

The decade-long battle for congestion pricing—the first program of its kind in the U.S.—reached a fever pitch in late 2024. When New York’s Governor Hochul unexpectedly paused the plan just weeks before its launch, TSTC spearheaded a massive pressure campaign. This advocacy was decisive: on January 5, 2025, the program officially went into effect.

While the base fee was adjusted to $9, the program is already delivering on its promises. In its first year, Manhattan’s Central Business District saw 80,000 fewer daily vehicles, a 22% drop in air pollution, and billions in revenue secured for critical MTA upgrades. TSTC continues to defend these wins against federal opposition and regional litigation, using data-driven analysis and innovative media—including their latest public engagement video—to ensure these benefits remain permanent.

tstc.org

Trust for Public Land

Trust for Public Land
2025 - $20,000 QueensWay

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is dedicated to helping local communities with their conservation needs by raising funds, conducting research, designing and renovating parks, playgrounds, trails and gardens, as well as acquiring and protecting land. With over 30 offices across the nation, TPL works to provide access to nature for everyone and has completed over 5,000 conservation projects nationwide.

Locally, TPL is developing a plan to transform the 900 Innes Avenue property from an industrial brownfield into a vibrant community park featuring climate-smart infrastructure. Redeveloping the property is an important step in creating a more resilient shoreline that is adapted for sea level rise. 900 Innes will create green space and alternative transportation options for the under-served residents of Bayview/Hunters Point.

tpl.org