Overview
As climate change, food access, and green jobs become commonplace issues across the United States, the Mitchell Kapor Foundation is committed to working with organizations that create meaningful opportunities for low-income communities of color to identify and enact solutions to these problems.
Low-income communities of color bear a disproportionate burden of the impact of climate change, are more likely than other communities to live in food deserts, and are concentrated in employment that provides little chance for upward mobility while facing high rates of exposure to toxins. Our Green Access program speaks to the urgent need to create opportunities for low-income communities of color to share in the work and discussions on issues ranging from carbon emissions to the local organic food movement; discussions which these communities have largely been locked out of up until now. Green Access differs slightly from traditionally-defined “environmental justice”; we seek to ensure that our target communities benefit from the growing “green economy.”
The bulk of our grant funds will support key partner organizations that are:
- Building a link between changing situations and changing systems:
Our partners should address the pressing needs of low-income communities of color while also identifying opportunities for these communities actively implement solutions to these challenges – direct service plus advocacy.
- Engaging in partnerships, coalitions, and collaborations for Green Access:
We are clear that the change we would like to see in low-income communities of color cannot be accomplished by a single organization and believe that organic partnerships across issues and sectors create a powerful platform for our communities.
- Placing racial equity at the forefront of a green jobs, climate change, and food justice agenda:
As an organization whose mission it is to ensure fairness and equity particularly for low-income communities of color, we are committed to supporting organizations whose agenda is informed a racial justice framework.
As the San Francisco Bay Area is one of several hotspots in the nation for green economy work, we will continue to focus on Bay Area-based organizations.
We will also provide limited support of one-time special opportunities and efforts, namely convenings and tech-related work.
