2020-2021 Restoration and Resilience COVID Recovery Fund Grant

The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is pleased to announce the awardees for the 2020-2021 Restoration and Resilience COVID Recovery Fund Grant. Thanks to major support from Toyota Motor North America, International Paper, and the Hilton Effect Foundation, NEEF is providing over $200,000 in grant funding to support 87 public lands sites impacted by increased use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID-19 has made a significant impact on our lives, and public lands are no exception,” said Meri-Margaret Deoudes, president and CEO of NEEF. “Federal and local agencies and organizations have struggled to maintain public lands due to reduced staff and volunteer resources, as well as a dramatic increase in visitation during this time of social distancing. With the Restoration & Resilience COVID Recovery Fund, we can help restore these special places by distributing resources and mobilizing volunteers as needed.”  

First established in 2018, NEEF’s Restoration & Resilience Grant has provided monetary support for improving public lands and developing strategies to make those lands more resilient to future disasters. To date, NEEF and its partners have given over $260,000 in additional Restoration & Resilience Grant funding to land trusts and foundations across America, providing them with necessary resources to mobilize community volunteers and educate participants about the importance of their actions and their relationship to the long-term sustainability of local public lands. 

With the 2020-21 Restoration and Resilience COVID Recovery Fund, NEEF is able to further refine its support for public lands directly affected by COVID-19. Standard eligibility restrictions were relaxed to reach as wide an audience as possible, including both public and private land to which the public or patrons have a reasonable expectation of relatively unrestricted access. Applicants were required to describe the impact of COVID-19 on the public land site and how their project would address this impact. 

The following groups (arranged by type of project) will receive up to $2,500 to fund improvement projects on America’s public lands: