FedEx and NFWF announce funding for environmental projects
FedEx Corp. and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) have announced the six local projects selected to receive funding and FedEx team member volunteer support in 2010 through a unique collaboration to address the most pressing urban environmental challenges in major US cities. Grants will be award to local nonprofits in Los Angeles, Memphis, New York City, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. that will maximize FedEx philanthropic and volunteer resources to improve air and water quality and enhance urban community spaces.
“As a global company, with a significant portion of our operations, people and facilities based in metropolitan centers, we highly value healthy urban spaces,” said Mitch Jackson, vice president, environmental affairs and sustainability, FedEx Corp. “Our work with NFWF offers a unique opportunity for our team members to work directly with local nonprofits to improve the urban spaces that we share with the communities where we live and work. We congratulate the six community groups that were selected to receive 2010 grants.”
“At the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation we believe that collaboration with innovative global leaders like FedEx Corp., as well as local grassroots conservation organizations, is key to tackling some of our nation’s most pressing conservation challenges,” said Jeff Trandahl, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s executive director.
During the next three weeks, FedEx team members will participate in a day of service with NFWF’s grant recipients to help clean the Los Angeles River, plant trees in Memphis and Pittsburgh, mentor youth while building a green roof on Randall’s Island in New York City, convert a condemned nursery into a LEED-certified facility in San Francisco, and develop an outdoor-living classroom in Washington, D.C.
“Urban conservation is vital to the health and well being of city inhabitants,” said Lynn Dwyer, northeast assistant director for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. “By developing green space and providing public access in densely populated areas, we are also helping to deliver a straightforward answer to modern day problems, such as pollution and energy usage.”
The FedEx contributions, ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 per project, will be implemented through NFWF’s Five Star Restoration Program and the Long Island Sound Futures Fund. Funds from FedEx and NFWF will be significantly leveraged by support from federal and state government agencies, including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as other private and non-profit partners, resulting in a four-to-one match.
The organisations selected to receive grants in 2010 are: Friends of the Los Angeles River; Living Lands and Waters; Western Pennsylvania Conservancy; GreenApple Corps; Golden Gates Parks Conservancy; and RiverSMart Schools.
