Laughing Gull Foundation Announces $1.9 Million in Funding for Climate and Environmental Organizations in the U.S. South
Grants will support partners as they build power, lead community-led advocacy and civic engagement, promote sustainable climate and energy solutions, and advance land conservation efforts.
Durham, NC – The Laughing Gull Foundation (LGF) is pleased to announce the approval of $1,975,000 in grants awarded to 28 Climate & Environment organizations in the U.S. South. The grants will fortify the work of organizations that are making progress in a region that is leading the way towards a more just, equitable, sustainable future.
“It’s time to reshape our conversations around climate change and focus more of our attention on inequality. These aren’t separate issues; they’re interconnected crises. Instead of getting lost in scientific jargon, let’s keep our focus on the human toll of climate change. We must address poverty, housing insecurity, health disparities, and the growing divide between the rich and poor. True progress means intertwining climate action with justice for all, especially those often overlooked or harmed by those in power. At Laughing Gull Foundation, we are working to create a future where a sustainable climate and equity go hand in hand, particularly for marginalized communities across the South.”
– Dr. LaTonya Penny, LGF Chief Executive
This year marks the fourth year of Climate and Environment grantmaking for LGF, advancing the organization’s mission to leverage its resources to transform systems, institutions, and relationships for the benefit of people and the planet. Climate and Environment grants help to amplify broad public support that exists for regional climate action in the U.S. South, increase land conservation efforts, and advance equitable solutions that can be implemented at the speed and scale needed to avert the worst climate change impacts. In its grantmaking strategy, LGF prioritizes community engagement, capacity-building, advocacy support, and equity-first approaches .
“Across the South, communities are facing the harsh realities of environmental injustice. From the degredation of wetlands due to oil pipeline construction to the alarming rates of cancer in ‘cancer alley,’ these issues are not just local but have global implications. It’s encouraging to see a growing focus, in our government and with other funders, on deep-seated systems of environmental racism that underpin these challenges. Our collective efforts to create equitable and sustainable solutions to the climate crisis must include acknowledging and addressing the immediate health and safety concerns of communities like those living alongside industrial sites, oil facilities, or animal feeding operations. Rather than taking to the streets to talk about icebergs or temperature levels, these communities, while living under stress, are organizing and demanding that every community has a clean and healthy environment.”
– Cynthia Renfro, LGF Senior Portfolio and Partnerships Director
Alongside providing direct, multi-year, general operating support to the following 28 grantees, LGF collaborates with other funders and funding networks to leverage resources and more robustly align and mobilize support for climate and environment organizations that advance change.
LGF’s Board of Directors awarded Climate & Environment Program grants to the following organizations in 2024:
Appalachian Voices – Boone, NC
Black Family Land Trust – Durham, NC
Center for Heirs Property Preservation – Charleston, SC
City Dibbs – Baltimore, MD
Climate Advocacy Lab – Washington, DC
*Community Climate Collaborative – Charlottesville, VA
*The Descendants Project – Vacherie, LA
Federation of Southern Cooperatives – East Point, GA
Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund – Atlanta, GA
Gulf South for a Green New Deal – New Orleans, LA
Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor – Beaufort, SC
Justice40 Accelerator – Atlanta, GA
Land Loss Prevention Project – Durham, NC
*Louisiana Bucket Brigade – Baton Rouge, LA
Neighborhood Funders Group Amplify Fund – Oakland, CA
New Virginia Majority Education Fund – Richmond, VA
North Carolina Climate Justice Collective – Durham NC
North Carolina Environmental Justice Network – Raleigh, NC
Partnership for Southern Equity – Atlanta, GA
Power Coalition for Equity & Justice – New Orleans, LA
RedTailed Hawk Collective – Pembroke, NC
The Roanoke Center (TRC) – Rich Square, NC
Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help – Warsaw, NC
Rural Investment to Protect our Environment (RIPE) – Washington, DC
Southeast Climate and Energy Network – Sunrise, FL
SOWEGA Rising Coalition – Albany, GA
*The Vessel Project – Lake Charles, LA
Virginia Organizing – Charlottesville, VA
* denotes new grantees
For more information on LGF’s Climate & Environment strategies, approaches, priorities, and impact, please click below.
