Florida Environmental Funders: Facing Florida’s Challenges Together

by Cynthia Frisch, Pegasus Foundation

As we have all experienced from our affiliation with the Environmental Grantmakers Association, collaboration and networking among the funding community is an important tool for enhancing the quality and effectiveness of our work. Understanding how the Florida funding community could benefit from a smaller gathering of this nature among ourselves, the Pegasus Foundation launched the first meeting among Florida environmental grantmakers in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in November of 2002. The hope was that this first gathering would be so stimulating and the exchange so useful that it would spark interest into future meetings and conference calls together. That is exactly what happened. By the end of the first gathering, it was clear to everyone that we wanted to continue to meet. Since that time, with the Beldon Fund providing continuing coordination support, the Florida Environmental Funders Network has formed and continues to grow.

The foundations that are part of this network range dramatically in scope, size and structure––from smaller family foundations to national leaders in the environmental foundation community. Yet regardless of the size or years of experience, the exchange has been very important for everyone involved. “This has been one of the most fruitful conversations of like-minded funders I have ever participated in––and I am very pleased to be part of it,” said Rod Titcomb, managing director for the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation. “It’s fully recognized whatever the size of the foundation, everyone’s opinion is valuable, and we all bring to the table something of great importance.”

Our conversations and meetings have also clearly revealed that the coordination of Florida environmental grantmakers has been important not only for the grantmakers who have a major focus on Florida but also for the foundations that include Florida in a much broader grantmaking strategy. As expressed by Katie Distler Eckman, program officer for the Turner Foundation, “We have found these meetings to be very helpful, not only because we get updated on Florida issues from funders much ‘closer to the scene’ than we are, but also because we have gotten to know Florida funders who we will certainly turn to in the future when trying to make decisions on how our dollars should be allocated.”

The overall importance of gathering Florida funders can not be underestimated, as the challenge of protecting Florida’s environment is a daunting one. Pressures on ecosystems and wildlife continue to mount from the extraordinary development demands as the state population increases at an average of 900 people per day. Essentially, the beauty that draws people to Florida erodes with each new mall, gated community, and marina. Yet it’s clear at this point that the growth is inevitable. Therefore, how can we help to maintain Florida’s quality of life? How can our funding be most effective? What strategies have produced the best results among the organizations we are supporting? What collaborative initiatives might make the difference? These are the essential questions that we ask ourselves and have become the foundation of the conversations among the affiliated funders.

While these conversations take place in our periodic conference calls as each foundation provides updates and information about initiatives and grantees, our face-to-face meetings have given us more time for in-depth exploration into key issue areas, important environmental organizations, and potential new initiatives in the Florida environmental community. One of the initiatives highlighted at our first meeting with a follow-up at our second meeting this past April in Tallahassee was the Florida Conservation Alliance Institute (FCAI). FCAI is a newly developed organization with the charge of changing the context of environmental work in the state through strong capacity building for existing conservation organizations as well as through public education and citizen engagement on Florida environmental issues. As this organization is the state’s League of Conservation Voters affiliate, the Florida funder community is interested in following their work closely as they develop programmatically.

Another important area of interest for the Florida grantmakers has been how to more actively engage young people in the environmental movement. In both of our gatherings so far, we have been following the progress of “Green Behind the Ears”––a coalition of next-generation environmental leaders committed to preserving Florida’s environment through training, unified efforts, and a collective vision. We have also been learning about other programs––such as the “Incubator Internship Program” designed by the Wildlife Advocacy Project for college students to gain campaign experience by working on a major manatee campaign. It is clear to all of us that the future of Florida lies in the early training and involvement of its youth––and participants in our network will no doubt continue to explore and support ways to advance this goal.

The Florida funders are also taking advantage of the areas in which our meetings are held to deepen our understanding of the environmental challenges there. In our April Tallahasssee meeting, focus was given to understanding the urgent development issues facing Florida’s Panhandle––and to learn more about the funding strategy of the Jelks Family Foundation and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to protect this area. For our next gathering in January, we are arranging our meeting in conjunction with the annual Everglades Coalition Conference in Miami so that we can immerse ourselves as a group in this important issue.

With every conference call and meeting, we get to know more about each others work, find common areas of interest and collaboration, and discover ways to support each others initiatives. “I have gathered so many ‘pearls’ from these meetings together,” said Helen Jelks King of the Jelks Family Foundation. As Florida environmental funders tackle the environmental challenges that fill the landscape of the Sunshine State and at the same time deal with shifting economic landscapes as well, coming together as a network has become even more valuable. Peter Bender, executive director of the Pegasus Foundation, captures the essence of the network well: “The challenge for fellow grantmakers is to rapidly adapt and respond effectively to changing environmental and economic situations. The Florida Environmental Funders Network provides an opportunity to work smarter as we work together.” We invite any grantmaker who funds in Florida to engage in the collective wisdom of the Florida Environmental Funders Network and join us in helping to make a greater impact in protecting the natural beauty of Florida.

Current participants include: Aveda Corporation, Beldon Fund, Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation, Energy Foundation, Funders’ Network for Smart Growth & Livable Communities, Harder Foundation, Hawley Family Foundation, Jelks Family Foundation, Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Pegasus Foundation, and Turner Foundation.

If your foundation would like to be included in the Florida Environmental Funders Network conference calls or meetings, please contact Brian Sharbono at the Beldon Fund at 212-616-5600 or brian@beldon.org.