The work of 1% for the Planet doesn't start and end with planting more trees, cleaning our oceans, protecting wildlife, curbing carbon emissions or banning plastic straws.
The climate crisis is much more complex and intertwined with many injustices and social inequities. From food insecurity and hazardous pollution to crippling natural disasters, the negative impacts of the environmental crisis affect people of color at much higher rates than other communities.
At 1% for the Planet, we state our purpose plainly: We exist to ensure that our planet and future generations thrive. However, achieving this goal requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses both environmental and social justice.
We've outlined a list of nonprofit organizations that work at the pivotal intersection of race and the environment. These organizations work on a range of issues from food insecurity and urban agriculture, to representation in the outdoors and leadership in climate advocacy.
We're committed to using our platform to amplify the voices and grassroots organizations addressing injustices. While the list of supported nonprofits in our network continues to grow, we encourage you to refer any organization that works on social and environmental justice to join our network.
We recognize that we cannot solve the climate crisis without recognizing the disproportionate impact of environmental issues. Justice does not work unless it works for everyone. The nonprofit organizations outlined below work at a pivotal intersection: social and environmental justice.
Updated January 2024.
Environmental partners focused on advocacy and communities
League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
National, Washington D.C, USA
LCVEF plays a major role in the environmental movement’s effort to make progress in the climate fight, as well as fighting for land and water rights. The nonprofit strives to put environmental issues at the forefront of political action, and is inspiring communities to speak out against environmental injustices.
Louisiana Bucket Brigade
Local, Louisiana, USA
Louisiana Bucket Brigade uses grassroots action to hold the petrochemical industry and the government accountable for the true costs of pollution and bring light to the communities being impacted the most. By taking action, Louisiana Bucket Brigade fights to free neighborhoods from industrial pollution and hasten the transition from fossil fuels.
Environmental Justice Foundation
International, London, UK
The Environmental Justice Foundation believes that environmental security is a human right. They’re working with those on the frontlines of environmental destruction to investigate, document and expose environmental and human rights abuses.
Global Greengrants Fund
International, Boulder, CO
Global Greengrants Fund is mobilizing resources for communities worldwide to protect our shared planet and work toward a more equitable world. The nonprofit puts environmental justice in the hands of those most affected by empowering frontline communities to take charge and resist the development of fossil fuels.
RAVEN Trust
National, British Columbia, Canada
RAVEN (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs) raises legal defense funds to assist Indigenous Peoples who enforce their rights and title to protect their traditional territories. RAVEN hosts public education programs to collaborate with Indigenous communities and work toward eliminating environmental racism and foster a greater understanding of indigenous rights and governance.
New Communities Land Trust
Regional, Southeast Georgia, USA
New Communities is a grassroots organization that has worked for more than 40 years to empower African American families in Southwest Georgia and advocate for social justice. New Communities Inc. is long recognized as the first land trust organization in the US, is continuing to initiate the discussions around race equality, economic disparities and opportunities for small farmers.
Rural Coalition
International, Washington D.C, USA
Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural has served as a voice of African-American, American Indian, Asian-American, Euro-American and Latino farmers, farmworkers, and rural communities in the US, as well as indigenous and campesino groups in Mexico and beyond for 40 years.
Front and Centered
Regional, Washington, USA
Communities of color, people with lower incomes, and indigenous people are on the frontlines of climate and environmental change—hit first by extraction, pollution, and climate change, which makes existing health and economic disparities worse. Front and Centered ensures these communities are included in the transition to a healthy, resilient and sustainable future.
Center for Diversity and the Environment
National, Portland, OR
The Center for Diversity and the Environment harnesses the power of racial and ethnic diversity to transform the US environmental movement by developing leaders, catalyzing change within institutions, and building alliances.
Intersectional Environmentalist
International, Spring, TX
IE is a community and resource hub empowering people to dismantle systems of oppression in the environmental movement by amplifying BIPOC through educational content, events and resources.
Urban Ocean Lab
National, Brooklyn, New York
Urban Ocean Lab cultivates rigorous, creative and practical climate and ocean policy, for the future of coastal cities.
OPAL Environmental Justice
Local, Portland, OR
OPAL stands for “Organizing People, Activating Leaders". Founded in 2006 by and for people of color and low income, OPAL is a grassroots-driven hub fighting for Environmental Justice for all. OPAL builds power for environmental justice and civil rights by creating meaningful opportunities for their members to be directly involved in the decisions impacting their communities.
Communities for a Better Environment
Regional, California, USA
Communities for a Better Environment is fighting to achieve environmental health and justice by building grassroots power in and with communities of color and working-class communities. CBE provides residents in highly polluted areas in California with organizing skills, leadership training, and a foundation in activism and advocacy.
The Honnold Foundation
International, Utah, USA
1% for the Planet member Alex Honnold started the Honnold Foundation to advance and increase the accessibility of solar energy. The foundation provides grants to organizations advancing solar energy and secures solar energy in communities around the world.
Thin Green Line Foundation UK
International, Weybridge, UK
Protecting Nature’s Protectors - Thin Green Line Foundation Protects Nature’s Protectors by providing vital support to rangers, their families and communities who are the front-line of conservation. We work predominantly in developing nations and conflict zones, and with Indigenous park rangers.
Karrkad Kanjdji Trust
Local, Melbourne, Australia
The Karrkad Kanjdji Trust (KKT) works with Indigenous Ranger groups in one of the most culturally rich and biodiverse regions of Australia, West and Central Arnhem Land. KKT brings together ranger groups, communities and philanthropists to address some of the nation’s most pressing issues, including environmental conservation, education and employment.
Remote Energy
International, Tacoma, WA
Remote Energy uses solar energy as an enabling technology to help improve the lives of people in often overlooked communities worldwide. Their educational programs and training opportunities help empower our local partners with the knowledge and technical skills to address issues relating to climate change, healthcare, education, jobs, gender equality and poverty.
Environmental partners improving food systems
Urban Sprouts
Local, San Francisco, CA
Urban Sprouts is building healthy and thriving neighborhoods through community and garden-based education in San Francisco. The nonprofit is using food and food gardens to connect communities to nature in urban settings. Food gardens are used to provide school programming, nutritional education, job readiness programs, and more.
Harlem Grown
Local, Harlem, NY
Located in the heart of Harlem, Harlem Grown is inspiring youth to lead healthy lives by providing mentorship, education and hands-on experiences in urban farming. Harlem Grown operates with the goal of increasing access to and knowledge of healthy food for Harlem residents while providing engaging and educational garden-based development programs to youth.
The Ron Finley Project
Local, Los Angeles, CA
Ron Finley, “the Gangsta Gardner”, grew up in South Central Los Angeles, where fresh food was hard to find. In 2010, he decided to address the problem by planting food along L.A. parkways. The city pushed back, but Ron pushed harder for his community to have the right to fresh food. Today, through the Ron Finley Project empowers others to not just plant fresh food for their communities, but to enjoy it, and make food and nutrition a community backbone.
Urban Harvest STL
Local, St. Louis, MO
Urban Harvest STL empowers communities to cultivate equitable access to healthy, sustainably grown food and enhance biodiversity in cities. The organization grows produce in seven urban farms in the heart of St. Louis and donates the majority of the harvest to nonprofits and communities with limited or no access to fresh food.
Just Food
Local, New York City, NY
Just Food supports community leaders to advocate for and increase access to healthy and locally-grown food in underserved NYC neighborhoods. Each year, nearly a quarter million New Yorkers access fresh food in their neighborhood through Just Food’s network of community food projects.
City Slicker Farms
Regional, Washington D.C, USA
City Slicker Farms is at the forefront of sustainable urban farming and food justice, gaining national recognition as a leader in supporting low-income communities of color to grow food in the city. To date, City Slicker Farms has built over 400 backyard and community gardens, producing about 300,000 pounds of nutritious food while offering education to thousands of community members.
Teens for Food Justice
Regional, New York City, NY
Teens for Food Justice is a youth-led movement working to end food insecurity and break the cycle of diet-related illness that impacts low-income communities, particularly those of color. TFFJ trains youth in hydroponic farming and growing and distributing fresh produce to food desert communities.
Project New Village
Local, San Diego, CA
Project New Village is committed to improving fresh food access in Southeastern San Diego and paving the way for healthy neighborhoods centered around social equity. To do this, PNV implements resident-led, community-rooted experiences that build stronger neighborhoods, improve the neighborhood food supply chain, and stimulate collective investment in better health and maximize the impact of investment to address social inequities.
Just Roots Chicago
Regional, Chicago, IL
Just Roots empowers communities to develop access to local, sustainably grown food. This organization achieves their mission through education, sustainable farming and community-building.
Family Agriculture Resource Management Services
National, Southern USA
Family Agriculture Resource Management Services (F.A.R.M.S.) is a national nonprofit dedicated to reversing small farm land loss to ensure generational wealth and reducing hunger in rural low-income communities. The nonprofit assists farmers with retail market expansion to ensure future farm revenue and ensures quality service for participants.
Farms to Grow
Regional, Oakland, CA
Farms to Grow is a nonprofit organization dedicated to working with Black farmers and underserved sustainable farmers around the country. Farms to Grow is committed to sustainable farming and innovative agriculture practices which preserve cultural and biological diversity, the agro-ecological balance of the local environment.
Planting Justice
Regional, Bay Area California, USA
The education program at Planting Justice activates people impacted by poverty and food injustice to create a more local and sustainable food system. By developing skills in ecological design, nutrition education, and multimedia arts, communities use urban gardens to connect with local and international struggles and movements for social justice.
Urban Growers Collective
Local, Southside Chicago, IL
The Urban Growers Collective operates eight urban farms on 11 acres of land in Chicago’s South Side and works with more than 33 partner organizations to create economic opportunity and boost healthy food access. Each farm uses organic methods and integrates education, leadership training and food production.
Acres of Ancestry
Regional, Black Belt, Southern USA
The Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund is a multidisciplinary, cooperative nonprofit ecosystem rooted in Black eco-cultural traditions and textile arts to regenerate custodial landownership, ecological stewardship and food and fiber economies in the South.
Whitelock Community Farm
Local, Baltimore, MD
Whitelock Community Farm is a vibrant open space that grows food and activates community to promote social equity in the neighborhood. They work to promote dialogue about food access, neighborhood development and environmental justice.
Community to Community
National, Washington, USA
Community to Community works to empower underrepresented peoples to have an equal voice in decision making processes, develop cross-cultural awareness, restore justice to food, land and cultural practices, promote community relationships toward self-reliance, work in solidarity with those that strive toward human rights for all and rescue the value of feminine intellect and leadership.
Got Green Seattle
Regional, Seattle, WA
Got Green organizes for environmental, racial and economic justice as a South Seattle-based grassroots organization led by people of color. The organization cultivates multi-generational community leaders to be central voices in the green movement in order to ensure that the movement's benefits (green jobs, healthy food, energy efficient & healthy homes, public transit) reach low income communities and communities of color.
Rid-All Institute
Local, Cleveland, OH
Rid-All Institute turned an empty and forgotten piece of land in Cleveland’s Kinsman Neighborhood into an urban farm where they grow produce to bring healthy, local food to area institutions and citizens and train others on this work.
HEAL Food Alliance
National, Washington D.C, USA
HEAL’s mission is to build collective power to create food and farm systems that are healthy, accessible and affordable for all communities and fair to the hard-working people who grow, distribute, prepare and serve our food — while protecting the air, water and land we all depend on.
Soul Fire Farm
Local, New York, USA
Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm committed to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system. They raise and distribute life-giving food as a means to end food apartheid, with food sovereignty programs reaching over 160,000 people each year.
Jubilee Justice
National, Alexandria, LA
Jubilee Justice supports Black farming communities through new models of regenerative farming, cooperative ownership and access to new markets. In conjunction with their supporting organization, Potlikker Capital, they supply reparative capital and legal services. Jubilee Justice's Journeys Program convenes transformative gatherings and centers discussions around the defining issues of America on Land, Race, Money and Spirit.
Urban Community Agrinomics
Local, Durham, NC
Urban Community AgriNomics’ (UCAN) mission is to improve the health and wellness of their community. The nonprofit provides education and training on healthy lifestyles, seed-to-table food preparation and preservation and hands on STEAM and agriculture. They empower families and individuals with access to resources to grow their own healthy food using sustainable practices in a supportive environment.
SUSU commUNITY Farm
Local, Brattleboro, Vermont
The SUSU commUNITY Farm is a Afro Indigenous stewarded farm and land based healing center in Southern Vermont that elevates Vermont’s land and foodways. The nonprofit creates health equity by offering culturally relevant spaces centering earth-based and afro-indigenous health and healing traditions as well as reclaiming and centering the wisdom, stories and legacies of their ancestors.
Vermont Releaf Collective
Local, Colchester, VT
Vermont Releaf Collective is growing and supporting a network of BIPOC Vermonters involved in food systems, agriculture, land, & environmental initiatives by amplifying voices and experiences, sharing a platform to develop their community and advocating for opportunities and success in Vermont and beyond.
Gather New Haven
Local, New Haven, CT
Gather New Haven promotes health, equity and justice for people and the environment by cultivating connections with each other and local lands and waters. Their innovative programs center on the intersections of urban agriculture, public health, community development, education and environmental stewardship.
National Black Farmers Association
National, Virginia, USA
The National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) represents African American farmers and their families in the United States. NBFA's education and advocacy efforts focus on civil rights, land retention, access to public and private loans, education and agricultural training and rural economic development for Black and other small farmers.
Environmental partners focused on youth engagement
City Blossoms
Regional, New York City, NY
City Blossoms provides bilingual affordable after-school, in-school, and summer programming to predominantly Latino and African-American youth ranging from ages two through teens. City Blossoms serves neighborhoods in which children and youth may not otherwise have access to green space. Since 2009, the nonprofit has worked on 42 sites in Washington DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.
Earth Guardians
International, Colorado, USA
Earth Guardians is empowering and training diverse youth to be effective leaders in the environmental, climate and social justice movements. To do this, they utilize the power of art, music, storytelling, civic engagement, and legal action. In learning these key skills, youth are able to step forward to dream up and implement solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues, starting in their own communities.
Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment
Regional, Oakland, CA
The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment fights for a future where nature is protected, environmental justice is prioritized, and the people’s rights are ensured. The nonprofit amplifies the voices of youth leaders in low-income communities and communities of color in Oakland, CA, so that they can become fierce advocates for the health of their communities.
Greening Youth Foundation
Regional, Georgia, USA
The Greening Youth Foundation’s (GYF) mission is to engage under-represented youth and young adults, while connecting them to the outdoors and careers in conservation. GYF’s cultural based environmental education programing engages children from local communities and exposes them to healthy lifestyle choices in order to create an overall healthy community.
The Service Board
Local, King County, WA
The Service Board (tSB) mentors teens to conquer personal and cultural challenges through outdoor adventure, environmental and social justice education, and public service.
Sierra Club ICO
National, Multiple locations, USA
The Inspiring Connections Outdoors program is helping create the next generation of environmental justice and social justice leaders through building community and increasing exposure to outdoor recreation, advocacy, and leadership training. The Sierra Club brings 14,000 youth on 9,000 outings per year, helping participants develop a relationship with nature while enjoying the outdoors.
The Wanda Project
Local, Berkeley, CA
The Wanda Project is a multi-platform educational project to build resilient communities through urban agriculture. With community events, hands-on activities, video series, garden talk shows and classes, urban farmer and food justice activist Wanda Stewart will uplift the wisdom of local elders and community leaders to teach the practice of growing one's own food and medicine.
One Girl
International, Melbourne, Australia
At One Girl, we break down the barriers that girls face in accessing an education. We do this by running girl-led programs in Sierra Leone and Uganda to drive positive change for girls and their communities.
Mboni ya Vijana
Regional, Tanzania
Mboni ya Vijana (The Eyes of the Youth) is a grassroots community nonprofit taking action for a better tomorrow.They believe everyone has the right to life’s basics: a roof, enough food to eat, clean water to drink, and education to build a brighter future. To address poverty, food insecurity and environmental degradation they work on projects that support rural communities that changes people's lives in Kigoma, Tanzania.
Future Scientist
International, Panama
Future Scientist was started in 2009 by UC Berkeley and UCSF students with the goal of improving the world through science education. Their approach is based on teaching design methods and hands-on science lessons (health, engineering, agriculture, ecology, etc.) to empower communities to identify and sustainably solve their own problems.
Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project
Regional, AZ, CA, CO, NM, TX, United States
Rooted in their unique Frontera (border) experiences and values, Nuestra Tierra’s PEOPLE-FOCUSED mission is to ensure that marginalized communities have access to the outdoors — and that their history, values and people are authentically reflected in public lands management. They do this through impactful education, advocacy and empowerment.
Educate2Envision International
National, Honduras
Educate2Envision brings secondary school and leadership training to rural poor communities across Honduras, investing specifically in underserved rural communities off the radar of most NGOs and with little to no government financing to support secondary school-aged youth.
Equitable Giving Circle
Local, Portland OR, United States
Equitable Giving Circle was formed to address glaring inequities created by years of institutional bias, discriminatory policy and systematic divestment from BIPOC communities. They work to inspire and create economic empowerment through authentic engagement and action within their community, and strive to create a future with accessible opportunities for equity-building throughout Portland’s BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities.
Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E Initiative
National, United States
The Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E Initiative (Fund for Underrepresented, Tribal, Urban, & Rural Equity) is dedicated to expanding access to nature and the outdoors to communities across the country. They are a coalition of racially and ethnically diverse organizations working to create meaningful, sustainable access to the outdoors by advocating for the creation of a national equity fund that ensures long-term investments in community-led nature-based programs for underserved youth.
The Bike Project
National, United Kingdom
The Bike Project's mission is to get refugees cycling, by matching refugees and asylum seekers without the means or money to travel with the thousands of unwanted and abandoned bikes in the UK.
Children's Ground
National, Australia
Children's ground works to end complex intergenerational economic, political and social injustice experienced by First Nations Australians by evidencing a new 25-year approach led by First Nations people. This prevention approach celebrates First Nations knowledge, creating equity and access to high quality education, health and economy in community for the next generation of children.
Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network
National, Australia
Seed has a unique focus on training, organizing and empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and Indigenous communities throughout Australia. Through their volunteer training and mentoring programs, they provide lifelong skills in leadership, social change, communication, project management and advocacy that are transferable across a wide range of social issues faced by Indigenous communities.
Eagle Eye Institute
Local, MA, United States
Eagle Eye Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering urban people from underserved communities, especially youth of color, to play an active role in caring for the environment. They aspire to help create a world in which all people, regardless of race, class, or gender are at peace with themselves, others, and nature.
Soul Trak Outdoors
National, Washington D.C
Soul Trak Outdoors is a D.C. based nonprofit organization that connects communities of color to outdoor spaces while also building a coalition of diverse outdoor leaders. They run a variety of programming to serve hands-on, experiential programming.
Black Girls Hike UK C.I.C
National, United Kingdom
Black Girls Hike works to develop services and projects to increase the participation and development of Black women in the outdoors, and opportunities to engage. The nonprofit is working with the wider outdoor industry to meet the needs of our community, tackling the lack of inclusion and representation.
Feminist Bird Club
International, Canada, Netherlands, United States
The Feminist Bird Club is dedicated to promoting inclusivity in birding while fundraising and providing a safe opportunity for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, BIPOC, and women to connect with the natural world.
Outdoor Afro
National, Oakland, CA
Outdoor Afro celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. With 80 outdoor leaders in 30 states, the nonprofit is changing the face of conservation while connecting thousands of people with the outdoors each year. Last year, Outdoor Afro brought together the first ever all Black expedition team to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Nature for All
Regional, Los Angeles, CA
Nature for All aims to ensure that everyone in the Los Angeles area has equitable access to the wide range of benefits which nature provides. This organization builds support to protect, create access to our forests, rivers, and parks and developing a new diverse generation of environmental leaders and stewards who connect to and care for our public lands.
BLACK GIRLS DO BIKE
International, PA, United States
BLACK GIRLS DO BIKE is growing and supporting a community of women of color who share a passion for cycling. They champion efforts to introduce the joy of cycling to all women, but especially, women and girls of color. They are establishing a comfortable place where lady cyclists can support, advise, organize rides and promote skill-sharing, while demystifying cycling and acting as a liaison to help usher new riders past barriers to entry and into the larger cycling community.
WeGotNext
National, Bay Area, CA
WeGotNext uses storytelling to inspire individuals and remove barriers from outdoor spaces to empower environmental advocates. The nonprofit passes the mic to historically underrepresented communities in outdoor and environmental spaces to share their stories of activism and outdoor adventure. These stories help others see themselves in nature and inspire more advocacy, activism, and adventure.
Hike Clerb Inc.
International, Los Angeles, CA
Hike Clerb is an LA based intersectional women’s hike club and 501c(3) founded in 2017 by changemaker, Evelynn Escobar-Thomas. Inspired to take action by the lack of representation of people of color in the outdoors, Hike Clerb was born as a radical solution to this issue and more. They are equipping Black, Indigenous, women of color with the tools, resources and experiences they need to collectively heal in nature from Los Angeles and beyond.
Black Outside
Regional, Texas, USA
With the knowledge that only 1% of Texas state park participants identify as Black/African-American, Black Outside, Inc was founded with the mission of reconnecting Black/African-American youth to the outdoors. They craft programming that not only connects students with the powerful history in the outdoors but inspires a new generation of outdoor participants..
City Kids Wilderness Project
Local, Washington D.C, USA
The City Kids Wilderness Project, Inc. (City Kids) provides out-of-the-classroom education to underserved and at-risk youth in D.C.. Programs aim to prepare youth for adulthood, getting off on the right foot and ensuring that participants are ready to be active and connected community members.
Blue Sky Fund
Local, Richmond, Virginia
Blue Sky Fund is bringing youth living in urban areas to the outdoors through nature programming offered to students from elementary to high school. Programming is meant to engage students in a way that will help them succeed academically with a focus on science. Blue Sky Fund develops leadership and confidence with team activities, a strong support network, and exciting outdoor adventures.
Outdoorist Oath
National, New Mexico
Founded by Teresa Baker, José González, and Pattie Gonia, the Outdoorist Oath is here to support a different and healthier outdoors. This Oath itself is a commitment to action any outdoorist can take to support our planet, inclusion, and adventure. It is designed as a way for any outdoorist or outdoor community to think about the intersections of planet, inclusion, and adventure through their outdoor experiences and identify how they can uniquely show up for all three.
“Environmental justice is the intersection of both social justice and environmentalism, where the inequity in environmental degradation is also considered.” —Leah Thomas
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