Fresno Metro Ministry

Fresno Metro Ministry’s Environmental Health Program seeks to reduce smog-forming and global-warming pollution from land use, transportation, and agricultural sources in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Their new approach for environmental health is based on building stronger cross-sector relationships and cross-cultural understanding, drawing attention to disadvantaged rural communities, and transportation needs in the Valley. Fresno Metro Ministry will apply these sets of tools to the effective implementation of the Sustainable Community Strategy and Transportation Plans, which have the potential to reduce carbon pollution by 10 percent in Fresno County by 2035.

Fresno Metro Ministry is in a period of transition initiated by the expected arrival of their new executive director in February 2014. The change in leadership prompted them to engage in an organizational assessment as a preliminary effort to develop a new strategic plan. The assessment revealed two aspects of organizational capacity needs that will be addressed under this grant. Fresno Metro Ministry will (1) engage in an evaluation of their financial systems and implement improvements; and (2) assess and refresh their staff evaluation system and human resources policies and procedures. With increased capacity in these areas, Fresno Metro Ministry will leverage this time of transition in order to increase the effectiveness of their organization to better serve their constituents and community.

Fresno Metro Ministry’s Environmental Health Program seeks to reduce smog-forming and global-warming pollution from land use, transportation, and agricultural sources in California’s San Joaquin Valley. In 2014, it will launch a new program to broaden the effective land use and transportation planning work it has done for many years. This will include recruiting a diverse array of influential advocates for more ambitious emission reduction goals for Fresno County’s Sustainable Community Strategy and Regional Transportation Plan.