Forsythia Foundation is pleased to report on its grant-making activities in 2017. The foundation awarded a total of $865,000 in grants to 15 organizations that address pressing issues in environmental health and green chemistry, including those advocating for chemical policy change and fostering innovation in green chemistry. More broadly, as of the end of 2017, Forsythia had $8.8 million (35 percent) of its corpus in blended-value investments, which have positive social and environmental impacts and provide financial returns.
The foundation continues to pursue its long-term objective of improving human health by reducing harmful chemicals in our lives. The foundation works toward this goal by engaging in three areas of activity:
- Strengthening the field’s ability to effectively reduce toxic exposures by building organizations’ internal capacities
- Driving the demand for safer products and living environments by supporting organizations that excel at translating science for decision makers, and at leading public awareness and action campaigns for consumers, manufacturers, and retailers
- Striving to make green chemistry the standard operating procedure, so that materials are benign by design
Forsythia Foundation awarded the following grants in 2017:
Breast Cancer Prevention Partners
San Francisco, CA
Support for BCPP’s policy advocacy focused on strengthening the oversight and regulation of consumer products and chemical management
$50,000
Clean Production Action
Somerville, MA
General operating support for CPA’s Chemical Footprint Project and GreenScreen®
$50,000
Commonweal
Bolinas, CA
General operating support for the Collaborative on Health and the Environment
$30,000
Earthjustice
Washington, DC
General operating support for its environmental health department
$75,000
Environmental Health Strategy Center
Portland, ME
Support for EHSC’s work in reducing toxics in food products and packaging
$40,000
Environmental Working Group
Washington, DC
Support for TSCA implementation
$50,000
Environmental Working Group
Washington, DC
Support for a coordinated communications collaborative
$75,000
George Washington University
Washington, DC
Planning grant to Milken Institute School of Public Health to host a summit for advancing the food and toxics regulation agenda in partnership with Forsythia Foundation
$50,000
Green Science Policy Institute
Berkeley, CA
Research and dissemination of information on fluorinated chemicals
$50,000
Health Care Without Harm
Reston, VA
General operating support
$50,000
Healthy Building Network
Washington, DC
Support for the Data Commons
$50,000
Safer Chemicals Healthy Families
Washington, DC
Support for the expansion of Mind the Store’s retailer coverage
$50,000
Toxic-Free Future
Seattle, WA
Support for Safer States’ launch of a multi-partner municipal government procurement initiative
$50,000
UCSF Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Five-year commitment of $500,000 to create an endowed chair for the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment
$100,000 (first of five installments)
University of Massachusetts Foundation
Lowell, MA
Support for new models for collaborative green chemistry innovation for the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3)
$25,000
Virginia Organizing Inc.
Charlottesville, VA
General operating support for Environmental Health Sciences and Science Communication Network
$70,000