Durham, NC – The Laughing Gull Foundation (LGF) is pleased to announce the launch of its Climate & Environment Program with $450,000 in grants awarded to seven organizations focused on climate and environment work in the U.S. South.
The Climate and Environment Program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the South through equitable solutions that can be implemented at the speed and scale needed to avert the worst climate change impacts. LGF centers racial equity and low-income communities, acknowledging the history of racial injustice in the South, and the disproportionate impact of climate change on those who have been historically oppressed.
”We are so excited to make inaugural grants to climate and environmental justice organizations led by people of color in the South; and to include heirs property as a land conservation priority. This is the right time to acknowledge past injustices and move philanthropic resources – existing and new – to the most negatively impacted communities. We will continue to hold racial equity at the core of our Climate & Environment portfolio moving forward,”
Meg Baesmith
LGF Board PresidentRegional emissions across the South make up ~18% of U.S. emissions. Without making significant reductions in the South, there is little chance the United States can meet its national targets, or get on the global trajectory needed to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. In the wake of the energy utility infrastructure failure in Texas – and associated utility infrastructure failures in Alabama and Mississippi – frontline communities in the region are demanding renewable, sustainable, economically accessible yet less destructive energy sources for the region.
“Our Climate & Energy grants focus on organizations that support the most impacted communities to lead on advancing equitable solutions. We support work that is grounded in community-led advocacy, including civic engagement, issue education, and outreach on climate and energy equity-focused solutions that will benefit all people in the South. We are thrilled to be able to partner with other regional and national philanthropy to invest in these seven grantees with multi-year, general operating support,”
Cynthia Renfro
LGF’s Senior Program ConsultantLGF’s 2021 Climate & Environment grants include:
Building Equity and Alignment for Environmental Justice Fund, Calabasas, CA
Center for Heirs Property Preservation, Charleston, SC
Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund, Atlanta, GA
Land Loss Prevention Project, Durham, NC
North Carolina Climate Justice Collective, Durham NC
Partnership for Southern Equity, Atlanta, GA
Southeast Climate and Energy Network, Sunrise, FL
For more information, visit www.laughinggull.org.
