The City of Oakland, in collaboration with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and Friends of Lincoln Square Park, was awarded a $150,000 Partners for Places matching grant to support the co-creation of a 'Rooted and Resilient' Oakland Chinatown Plan. The California Endowment provided $75,000 in matching funds, bringing the total grant award to $225,000.
The Rooted and Resilient Oakland Chinatown project centers on developing the leadership of community members to advocate for local priorities that advance equitable climate and community resilience strategies. The project will include workshops where community members will create programming ideas that will be used when the Lincoln Square Recreation Center is converted into a resilience hub. The project will result in a Climate and Community Resilience Report that will share lessons learned with other communities. The grant will help ensure that critical services and social connections remain intact while the Lincoln Recreation Center is under construction by using alternative culturally relevant venues. This grant will also support the continuation of the Lincoln Summer Nights festival during construction.
Partners for Places projects 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.
About the City of Oakland's Sustainability and Resilience Division:
Oakland’s Sustainability and Resilience Division is a dedicated team within the City Administrator's Office tasked with the implementation of Oakland's Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP). Its mission includes developing strategies to combat climate change while prioritizing equity and resilience for residents of Oakland.
The Partners for Places grant funding builds upon a $9.25M California Department of Food and Agriculture grant for the Lincoln Community Resilience and Recreation Center received earlier this year, as well as an $8 million federal grant to plant, maintain and restore trees from the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. In addition, the City of Oakland is one of 119 cities worldwide on the 2023 CDP Carbon Disclosure Project Cities A List, securing top scores in both Climate Mitigation and Adaptation/Resilience categories.
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 creating equitable, resilient, and sustainable communities by advancing the field of local government sustainability and equipping practitioners to be catalysts of transformative change.
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