FedEx Corp. and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) have identified the six 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 U.S. cities. Grants will be awarded to local nonprofits in New York City, Memphis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco to improve air and water quality and enhance urban community spaces.

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 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as other private and non-profit partners, resulting in a four-to-one match.

Across a period of three weeks, April 23 through May 12, 2010, FedEx team members will participate in a day of service with NFWF's grant recipients to mentor youth while building a green roof on Randall's Island in New York City, plant trees in Memphis and Pittsburgh, help clean the Los Angeles River, develop an outdoor-living classroom in Washington, D.C., and convert a condemned nursery into a LEED-certified facility in San Francisco.

In 2011, FedEx will expand the collaboration with NFWF to include the cities of Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Seattle.

Read the press release announcing our collaboration.

The organizations selected to receive grants in 2010 are:

New York City
Grantee: GreenApple Corps
Project Date: April 23, 2010
Project Description: The project will expand a "green roof" of shrubs, trees, grasses and rain barrels on Randall's Island to keep storm water from running off into the sewer system, to provide habitat for birds, and for educational purposes.

*Pictures from Greenroof credit Brian Aucoin and Daniella Zanin-Pereira, Million Trees Training Program & GreenApple Corps, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

Memphis
Grantee: Living Lands and Waters (LL&W)
Project Date: April 26 and 27, 2010
Project Description: Volunteers will work with LL&W and Shelby Farms Park to plant, water, and mulch trees in containers to be replanted along the shorelines and islands of major waterways, as well as within towns and cities across as part of the Million Trees initiative.

 

Los Angeles
Grantee: Friends of the Los Angeles River (FOLAR)
Project Date: April 30, 2010
Project Description: Volunteers will participate in a river cleanup and support educational activities for River School Day, which provides hands-on educational experiences for 4th - 12th grade students along the banks of the Los Angeles River.

 

Pittsburgh
Grantee: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Project Date: May 7, 2010
Project Description: Efforts in conjunction with TreeVitalize Pittsburgh will help beautify a portion of the public Riverfront Trail along the Ohio River by planting trees.

 

Washington, D.C.
Grantee: RiverSmart Schools
Project Date: May 11, 2010
Project Description: Volunteers will participate in an "outdoor-living classroom" program that will help to teach gardening, build community service skills, provide wildlife habitat and put students and teachers in touch with the natural environment.

San Francisco
Grantee: Golden Gates Parks Conservancy
Project Date: May 12, 2010
Project Description: The project will replace a condemned nursery building with a new LEED certified facility, the first element of a larger plan for a new Stewardship Center designed to enhance public use and enjoyment of the historic Presidio of San Francisco as a national park.

The grants programs are as follows:

Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants Program

Eligible Community: Washington, D.C.

This program provides grants to organizations and local governments working on a local level to protect and improve watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay basin, while building citizen-based resource stewardship. Its purpose is to support protection and restoration actions that contribute to ensuring healthy waters, habitat and living resources of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The Small Watershed Grants Program has been designed to encourage the development and sharing of innovative ideas among the many organizations wishing to be involved in watershed protection activities.

Next Application Deadline:  5/17/2010

Five Star Restoration Grant Program

Eligible Communities: Boston, Dallas, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco

This program provides modest financial assistance on a competitive basis to support community-based wetland, riparian and coastal habitat restoration projects that build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach and training activities.

Next Application Deadline: 02/11/2010

Long Island Sound Futures Fund

Eligible Community: New York City

The purpose of the Sound Futures Fund is to support projects that restore and protect the health and living resources of Long Island Sound. A key component of the program is the Bronx River Watershed Initiative, which has $2.4 million available for stormwater retrofit projects, including Low Impact Development initiatives, to address the root causes of pollution from stormwater outfalls to improve water quality and river ecology along the Bronx River.

Next Application Deadline: 02/15/2010

Community Salmon Fund Partnerships

Eligible Community: Seattle

Local partnerships throughout Washington State have been established through the Community Salmon Fund program to engage landowners, community groups, tribes and businesses in stimulating smaller-scale, community-oriented habitat restoration and protection projects to aid in salmon recovery. Currently there are three Community Salmon Fund partnership programs, one with the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board to administer a statewide Community Salmon Fund, and two separate programs with King and Pierce Counties.

Next Application Deadline: Program has multiple deadlines; please check web site for current information.

“Sustain Our Great Lakes” Program

Eligible Community: Chicago

The “Sustain Our Great Lakes” program is designed to support the implementation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, an outcomes-focused strategy to protect, maintain and restore the chemical, biological and physical integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The program supports habitat restoration, protection and enhancement projects, invasive species control, water quality improvements, and watershed planning and management within the Great Lakes basin. The program is public–private partnership among ArcelorMittal, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service.

Next Application Deadline: 10/01/2010

For more information about FedEx, please visit about.fedex.com.