Virginia Organizing, Inc.

Health and Environmental Funders Network, a project of Virginia Organizing, connects and provides assistance to funders who share an understanding that the health of humans, communities, ecosystems, and animals are interconnected. The network works with 200 grantmakers to (1) recruit funding partners for environmental health issues and increase investments and (2) position investments strategically. Their specific areas of focus include chemical policy reform, environmental health and justice, and women’s environmental health. With the Foundation’s support, the network would engage new funders and increase funding by hosting webinars and funder meetings and by serving as a contact between funders, advocates, researchers, and policymakers.

We recommend a grant for the Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN), a working group of the Consultative Group on Biological Diversity (CGBD). HEFN seeks to provide critical support to strengthen the fast-growing field of environmental health philanthropy and the strategic philanthropic base of the environmental health movement. HEFN will support supporting strategic collaboration among HEFN funders through its working groups, especially in CA. This will include strengthening the capacity of the California environmental health and environmental justice community to have an effective state policy presence. HEFN’s national program will augment information available to California funders and help connect California with national environmental health and environmental justice funders. HEFN is building on 3 years of successfully growing the network and the backing of the parent CGBD.

The Health and Environmental Funders Network, a project of Virginia Organizing, works to increase funding aimed at environment and health issues. The Network works with 125 foundations that awarded about $70 million in environmental health and justice grants in 2011. The Hewlett Foundation is a member of the network because of its interest in working with public health groups that support policies to reduce global warming pollution.