Grantmaking Program

In the 2023 grant round, the Midpen board of directors awarded funding to the following applicants: 

• Canopy - Two-year program comprised of 12 outdoor events focusing on environmental education and stewardship. The paid internship program will offer 140 internships for high school students in underserved communities - $49,972
• Grassroots Ecology - Two-year pilot project, expanding their prior work through the “Right Relations” Program, to increase access of Native American communities to District lands. The project will include outreach, community events, volunteer opportunities, honorariums, and visits to District land - $49,850 
• Saved by Nature - Field trips led by Naturalist Richard Tejeda to Midpen preserves for up to 350 students from Tile I Elementary and Jr. High schools - $49,946 
• Tamien Nation - Provide community workshops and training sessions to enhance climate education, build partnerships, and support understanding of indigenous land stewardship through knowledge-sharing and capacity building - $50,000 
• TOGETHER Bay Area - Nine-month program consisting of three cohorts that engage Native organizations in relationship and capacity building for climate resilience and equity through online workshops, six field trips, seven round table discussions, and various sessions focused on action planning - $50,000 

In the 2021 grant round, the Midpen board of directors awarded funding to the following applicants: 

• Coastside Land Trust Outdoor education and stewardship program for students in Cabrillo Unified School District in coastal San Mateo County - $25,000 
• Creekside Science Two years of grassland surveys of Midpen lands in which the environmental and management drivers of native species will be rigorously documented - $50,000 
• Dominican University of California Undergraduate-led wildfire ecological monitoring project to assess wildfire-induced changes on terrestrial salamander populations - $25,000 
• Peninsula Open Space Trust A planning effort to close gaps on the California Coastal Trail in San Mateo County through the California Coastal Trail Feasibility Study - $25,000 
• Pie Ranch Outdoor engagement and nature-based learning experiences with a focus on reaching youth from traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities to increase environmental and food literacy - $50,000 
• San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory Outdoor experiences for underserved communities, virtual nature talks, and the development of a high school education module focused on the Motus radio telemetry tower network in the Bay Area and how scientists use the network data to study and conserve birds - $24,980 
• San Jose State University Opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in environmental restoration projects on Midpen lands and apply techniques for managing natural areas - $49,964 
• Saved by Nature Field trips to Midpen preserves for students from Davis Jr High, Stipe Elementary, and Edenvale Elementary led by naturalist Richard Tejeda - $24,783 
• UC Elkus Ranch Hands-on educational activities at a working ranch for underserved, urban youth - $17,250 
• Vida Verde Nature Education Equitable access to immersive, multi-day experiences in nature for students from low-income communities and their families - $50,000

In July 2019 the Midpen board of directors awarded funding to the first round of grantees:

• Environmental Volunteers
  Collaborative Interpretation Project between Cooley Landing and Lucy Evans Nature Center - $25,000
• Groundswell Coastal Ecology
  Teaching Design Thinking for Coastal Resilience - $49,025
• San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
  ​Outreach Education Expansion - $25,000
• San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
  ​Restoring Transitional Habitat with Bird Nests - $24,704
• Thrive Alliance
  ​Environmental and Sustainability Thrive Action Group - $25,000
• University of California, Santa Cruz
  ​Does French broom invasion limit the success of native forbs in annual grasslands? - $49,375
• Vida Verde Education Center
  Multi-day Environmental Education Experiences for Students from Low-Income, Bay Area Schools - $50,000