The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment focuses on supporting efforts to protect the environment and ensure justice for communities impacted by environmental harm. Through grantmaking, it aims to empower initiatives that advocate for environmental conservation and address issues of environmental justice, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
The grant program supports a wide range of activities and strategies aimed at conserving California’s wildlands, including grassroots organizing, capacity building, public education, legal advocacy, and scientific research. Specific activities funded include communications campaigns, strategic planning, advocacy-related travel, research, equipment purchase, training, and restoration efforts. The program prioritizes project-specific support, innovative strategies, projects driven by community interest and volunteer efforts, efforts to establish or combat critical precedents influencing future wildland protection, and initiatives engaging diverse constituencies and non-traditional stakeholders. The typical grant range is between $2,500 to $6,000, with a maximum of $7,500, encouraging smaller requests from organizations with annual incomes of $30,000 or less and allowing up to $7,500 for those with incomes between $50,000 to $150,000. The fund is inclined towards project-specific funding but may consider general support for well-aligned organizations and emphasizes the importance of environmental advocacy in educational programs.