Grantmaking Program

New grantmaking program funding opportunity

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is pleased to announce $300,000 in funding is available through the 2025 Grantmaking Program grant round. Organizations are invited to submit pre-proposals for projects that further scientific understanding of our natural world, build capacity in the conservation field, or support nature-focused access, interpretation, and/or education for the public.

Para obtener ayuda con el RFP puede contactarnos en Español a: grants@openspace.org o por teléfono: (650) 691-1200

Announced September 9, 2025, organizations are invited to submit pre-proposals by Friday, October 31, 2025 for three funding priorities:

Access, Interpretation, and Education - educating and promoting open space protection.
Applied Science - advancing scientific understanding of natural processes and/or promoting environmental stewardship.
Network and Partnership Support - cultivating, sustaining and growing conservation networks.

Based on pre-proposals received by the October 31st deadline, select applicants will be invited to submit full proposals. Full proposals will be due Friday, January 30, 2026 by 5:00 PM.

Grants will be awarded in two tiers: tier 1 is for projects up to $30,000 and tier 2 will fund projects between $30,001 and $60,000. For more information, access the request for proposals and Frequently Asked Questions below.

Key dates

September 9, 2025 - Solicitation announcement

October 9, 2025 - Optional Public workshop

October 31, 2025 - Pre-proposals due

December 12, 2025 - Invitations to submit full proposals

January 30, 2026 - Full proposals due

May 2026 - Award notification

Grantmaking Program Application Webinar

An optional application webinar was held at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 9, 2025. This webinar was recorded and can be viewed below.

Questions? Send an email to grants@openspace.org. Para obtener ayuda con el RFP puede contactarnos en Español a: grants@openspace.org o por teléfono: (650) 691-1200.

Funding Priorities and Eligibility

Midpen’s grant making program is guided by its purpose and an intended impact.

Purpose: The purposes of Midpen’s grant making program are to:

Support projects that further Midpen’s mission

Build the capacity of academic and nonprofit institutions in order to sustain and grow the conservation field; and

Facilitate Midpen’s mission and work by building and strengthening partnerships.

Impact: Midpen seeks to invest in opportunities where a modest grant can be most impactful and has identified two areas most likely to have such results: 1) grassroots organizations, and 2) early-stage initiatives. These are defined in the RFP.

Eligible applicants must be one of the following: a public agency; affiliated with a K-12 school or academic institution; a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; or an organization with a fiscal sponsor. Applicants from prior Grantmaking Program grant rounds are eligible to apply. Projects funded through this program must be complete and funds spent no later than two years after grant agreements are signed (May2026).

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

Two members of Creekside Science work on a grassland survey

A Grant for Grassland Research

Creekside Science, a Los Gatos-based restoration organization focused on solution-based conservation, was selected as a Midpen grantee in 2021.

"Thanks to the Midpen grant program, we had the privilege of exploring a small sample of Midpen’s grasslands, from sunny Windy Hill to foggy La Honda Creek,” explained the organization’s Chief Scientist Stu Weiss. “Each field day was a voyage of discovery, as we searched for native grassland sites across north and south slopes, from dry ridge tops to swales, across fence lines between grazed and ungrazed areas.”

See how a Midpen grant got them outdoors

Midpen Grants Connect Local Children to Nature - OpenRoad 2023

Follow along as a group of middle school students from San Jose experience nature and ocean views in a Midpen preserve, some for the first time. Grant partnerships like this one between Midpen and the local nonprofit organization Saved by Nature, are helping connect Bay Area youth with the physical, emotional and mental benefits of time spent in nature.

Check Out the Video Here!

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Grantmaking Program