Better Together Nature Positive Innovation Grant program

• Kitchen Table Advisors (South Bay and Central Coast)
• Sierra Foothill Conservancy (Central Valley)
• El Dorado Fire Safe Council (North Valley and Sierra)
• Canopy (Bay Area)
• Land Partners Through Stewardship / LandPaths (North Coast)

Kitchen Table Advisors

This project will support small-scale, socially disadvantaged regenerative farmers. It will help them adopt and implement conservation and climate- smart agricultural practices on their farmlands.

"As climate change accelerates, farmers and ranchers in California are increasingly on the frontlines, facing severe droughts, wildfires, and other extreme weather events—underscoring the vital importance of building a more livable and resilient climate. Kitchen Table Advisors is thrilled to be a recipient of PG&E's Better Together grant program, which supports our work with small-scale, underserved regenerative farmers in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. In collaboration with both counties' Resource Conservation Districts, this grant will enable farmers in the region to access climate-smart resources and practices to enhance their land stewardship and resilience to climate change. This effort is a step toward building a more sustainable and livable future for all." - Pei-Yee Woo, Co-Executive Director, Kitchen Table Advisors

Sierra Foothill Conservancy

The Mariposa Creek Parkway Resilience and Tribal Initiative Expansion Project will expand capacity for cultural prescribed burn facilitation, interpretive elements and public outreach, tribal placemaking, indigenous workforce development and increasing community resilience against natural disasters.

"The PG&E Better Together Nature Positive Innovation Grant award will provide valuable resources to Sierra Foothill Conservancy (SFC) and the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation (SSMN) to advance restoration, reduce wildfire risks and create outdoor spaces for people along the Mariposa Creek Parkway. This grant will be integral in supporting partnership development, community engagement and ensuring that the maximum benefit for natural and human communities can be achieved through inclusive ecological restoration. PG&E's support is helping realize essential triple bottom line benefits of a healthy environment, community and local economy." -  Bridget Fithian, Executive Director, Sierra Foothill Conservancy

El Dorado Fire Safe Council

The El Dorado County Fire Safe Council's Defensible Space Program will continue its commitment to providing financial assistance to help seniors, veterans, disabled individuals and low-income households make their homes more resilient to wildfires by performing defensible space work. The goal of this project is to reduce potential greenhouse gas emissions during wildfires by decreasing the potential for ignitions of structures that may be in the path of a wildfire.

"Creating good defensible space around individual homes is the single most important way that communities can make their neighborhoods more resistant to wildfire.  Yet for many people it's not easy - we know that the main barriers are lack of knowledge on what to do, inability to physically do the work themselves, and/or lack of money to pay someone else to do it.  This grant from PG&E will help the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council help 150 households to create defensible space around their homes and reduce wildfire risk for themselves and their neighbors.  We are thrilled to partner with PG&E on this project."  - Ken Pimlott, Chair, El Dorado County Fire Safe Council

Canopy

The Teen Urban Forester (TUF) Program will provide paid internship positions to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students who live or attend high school in East Palo Alto to support the expansion of the area’s canopy cover. TUF participants will be trained in urban forestry practices, environmental justice and community engagement, and leadership.

"Canopy is delighted to be selected as a recipient of PG&E's Better Together Nature Positive Innovation Grant in support of Canopy's Teen Urban Forester Program, (TUF). The funded project, "Building Community with Canopy and the TUF Program" provides dedicated support for 60 paid high school internships who through the expansive work around tree planting and care improves the air quality, biodiversity, community resilience and works to repair harm done by decades of environmental injustice.  We are grateful to PG&E for making this investment in the health and climate resiliency of our local communities." - Jean-Paul Renaud, Executive Director, Canopy

LandPaths

LandPaths' Forestry and Fire Equity program will support workforce development in forestry and fire management while building a sustainable forest management and prescribed burning program. LandPaths will also extend these training opportunities to youth (ages 16-20) from underserved communities through its Young Stewards Program.

"California is at a crossroads. We know we need to be doing a large amount of fire fuel reduction statewide, but we lack the trained workforce to meet that challenge." says Lee Hackeling, Executive Director of LandPaths "By supporting our Forestry and Fire Equity Program, PG&E is helping us build a climate resilience workforce that is skilled in fuel reduction, prescribed burning, and forestry in general. Our trainings will be held in English and Spanish to increase access for local residents."

• Farm Discovery at Live Earth (South Bay and Central Coast)
• Little Manila Foundation (Central Valley)
• Maidu Summit Consortium (North Valley and Sierra)
• Marine Science Institute (Bay Area)
• Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California (North Coast)

Farm Discovery at Live Earth

Through farm projects and community-based collaboration, Farm Discovery advocates for regenerative farming that supports biodiversity, conserves water, improves water quality, sequesters carbon and is socially-just. This project supported its goals, including increasing long-term, on-farm biodiversity and engaging students in Santa Cruz County.

"We are immensely grateful to The PG&E Corporation Foundation for investing in Farm Discovery's Farming for Soil Health and Regenerative Food Systems Program. Grant funding will be instrumental in enhancing the biodiversity of our organic fields through regenerative farming practices, on-farm education with local schools, and cultivation of native plants with volunteers. Our goal is to empower youth and families to steward their environment, learn to grow their own food and engage with their community. " - Jessica Ridgeway, Executive Director at Farm Discovery at Live Earth

Little Manila Foundation

The project engaged in planning, building and pilot implementation of the Skywatch program’s educational curriculum, "Community Roots." The overall planned outcome was creating citizen scientists in South Stockton to help demystify the science around pollution-impact on health and inspire them to create sustainable solutions for their community.

"Little Manila Rising is honored to express our heartfelt appreciation to the PG&E Foundation for their remarkable generosity in providing a $100,000 contribution, which will significantly impact our ongoing mission to promote awareness of local air quality improvement projects. The Better Together Nature Positive Innovation Grant represents a crucial step in empowering our organization to educate residents about pertinent air quality concerns and equipping them with mitigation tactics in an engaging and culturally sensitive manner, ultimately contributing to the protection of public health and the well-being of the South Stockton community. " - Dillon Delvo, Executive Director, Little Manilla Rising

Maidu Summit Consortium

The project focused on management of traditional gathering places through communication, outreach, and education of how to gather traditional basket weaving materials and learning about the gathering and management process. Maidu Summit Consortium promoted, preserved, and protected sacred plants through reciprocal gathering practices, Native seed collection, native plant care, etc. in Plumas County.

"Maidu Summit Consortium thanks PG&E for this grant to help highlight traditional knowledge holders and their insight into land management, nature plant care, Basketry weaving, and cultural burning." - Ben Cunningham, Maidu Summit Consortium Chairman.

Marine Science Institute

Marine Science Institute's team of science educators will place students in direct contact with the natural environment via the Discover Our Bay program. Students experienced and built perspectives on their local San Francisco Bay Area watershed’s connection to the ocean, and the possible changes to it from climate change.

"PG&E's Better Together Nature Positive Innovation Grant will allow Marine Science Institute to offer our thrilling hands-on marine science programs to thousands of underserved Bay Area students, increasing their knowledge about bay and ocean ecology, and the impact that humans have on these fragile ecosystems. Putting students in direct physical contact with their local bay environment will help cultivate their curiosity while deepening their understanding of science and fostering a sense of responsibility to protect the marine environment creating the stewards of tomorrow." - Marilou Seiff, Executive Director, Marine Science Institute

Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California

Middletown Rancheria developed and implemented a program to protect and reinvigorate the biodiversity of the habitat of plant and animal species within the ancestral territories of the tribe. An emphasis was placed on the territories' oak woodland and native oak species. Community engagement and education were included in this project, located in Lake County.

"Middletown Rancheria looks forward to bringing increased community engagement, cultural understanding, respect, and protection of its ancestral territories' native species and habitats, and providing local environmental stewardship, through the Tribe's Natural Biodiversity Project's goals of education, outreach, and promotion of cultural keystone species and habitats in the region. Tribal Ecological Knowledge sharing and outreach in our vulnerable communities can lead to a better understanding of the human effects on the natural landscape and its plants and animals. With the funding opportunity provided by The PG&E Corporation Foundation, the tribe will continue to work in support of a more comprehensive understanding of the region's biodiversity needs and struggles through this project." - Jose (Moke) Simon III, Tribal Chairman Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California.

• 4^th Second (North Valley and Sierra)
• Central Coast State Parks Association (South Bay and Central Coast)
• City of Fresno, Department of Transportation (Central Valley)
• Family Harvest Farm (Bay Area)
• Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Association (North Coast)

4^th Second

4^th Second seeded a mosaic of habitats in vacant lots throughout South Vallejo to create spaces that provide ecosystem services and healthy food access. The project also aimeds to develop pathways for economic opportunity.

"4th Second's Mosaic Project aims to create socio-ecological resilience in Vallejo through stewardship that supports thriving habitats, and pathways for economic opportunity and healthy food access. Led by marginalized community members, the project will transform 3.5 acres of vacant and blighted lots into a mosaic of community gardens and green spaces that will serve generations to come. We are grateful for PG&E's support to our community as we work to cultivate a more resilient and just future." - Richard Fisher, Executive Director, 4th Second

Central Coast State Parks Association

Central Coast State Parks Association increased exposure to coastal habitats to disadvantaged and underserved K-12 students by funding transportation costs for field trips.

"The grant will be monumental in providing free transportation for low-income school groups to visit three Central Coast State Park locations, where they will participate in guided educational programs led by State Park staff. The field trips cover topics like monarch butterflies, Northern Chumash education, the Morro Bay estuary, marine mammals, watersheds, and more. They provide hands-on experiences that students will remember for the rest of their lives. Our goal, in collaboration with California State Parks, is to inspire our next generation of environmental stewards. PG&E's grant gives us the opportunity to bring those future environmental stewards into our beautiful parks and deepen their connections with our precious land and water resources." - Kristin Howland, Executive Director, Central Coast State Parks Association

City of Fresno, Department of Transportation

The City of Fresno's Department of Transportation provided free bus rides to community college students. The goal was to reduce single occupant vehicle related air emissions.

"With PG&E's commitment to a cleaner environment, we thank them for supporting State Center Community College. We are so grateful that students at Fresno City and Clovis Community Colleges will have the opportunity to have free rides on FAX buses with their student ID cards." - Gregory Barfield, Interim Assistant City Manager and FAX Director.

Family Harvest Farm

Family Harvest Farm developed a regenerative urban farm in a food desert that will employ and train foster youth and provide youth workshops on outdoor education and farming. Results include leadership and skills training for youth, land cultivation and produce for the local community.

"John Muir Land Trust protects and cares for open space, ranches, farms, parkland, and shoreline in the East Bay. Family Harvest Farm is a thriving 3.5 acre regenerative, biodiverse, climate-friendly urban farming program of John Muir Land Trust. It is located in a U.S. Department of Agriculture-defined food desert neighborhood in Pittsburg, California. This grant will help Family Harvest Farm increase leadership skills and self-sufficiency for transition age foster youth by offering employment and training on natural resources within a local food system that encourages healthy living, reduces fire risk and feeds communities in need.” - Hannah Hodgson Katzman, Associate Director, Family Harvest Farm

Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Association

Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Association hosted hands-on workshops to train local property owners in watershed resource management, including traditional ecological knowledge.

"We appreciate The PG&E Corporation Foundation for recognizing our proposal to engage and work with property owners along the Cobb Area Watershed, which feeds directly into Clear Lake. This stewardship project targets watershed management practices in the Cobb Mountain community. It recruits local property owners to participate in hands-on workshops which interweave resource management training with direct actions to match site conditions and landowner concerns. In partnership with local tribal authorities, our project also acknowledges a history of limited access to traditional gathering areas that has undermined food sovereignty and cultural practices. Every workshop we hold, and every direct action we take during this project [and beyond] involves tribal knowledge holders and teachers, who will combine their expertise with that of other topical specialists." - Eliot Hurwitz, Executive Director, Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Association