WASHINGTON FOUNDATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Supporting environmental education and innovative projects focused on environmental awareness.

 

About WFFE
 

The Washington Foundation for the Environment (WFFE) is a nonprofit Washington corporation, founded in 1979 for the purpose of undertaking and assisting educational projects preserving and enhancing Washington's natural and environmental heritage. WFFE seeks out and supports individuals and groups working on the cutting edge of environmental concerns in Washington state.

The Washington Foundation for the Environment (WFFE) is dedicated to environmental education and awareness, supporting educational programs in both formal and informal settings. We provide small grants to environmental nonprofits operating in Washington state for well-focused local programs. We also fill a niche by encouraging high school students to engage in environmental projects through stewardship awards. WFFE also organizes conferences and roundtables to discuss critical issues and to foster dialogue between state level leaders and the environmental community.

For almost 30 years the Washington Foundation for the Environment (WFFE) has been identifying and supporting individuals and groups who are active on the cutting edge of environmental issues in Washington state. Our efforts have been channeled through monetary grants, roundtables and conferences.

Monetary Grants
Monetary grants between $200 and $2,000, towards small, well-focused local environmental projects, often in areas not traditionally funded by the region?s bigger environmental foundations, such as marine science camp scholarships and tree inventories. Examples of a few recent grant recipients include the Kittitas Environmental Education Network for its Get Intimate with the Shrub Steppe education program, the Spokane Parks & Recreation Department for a tree inventory as part of its Reforest Spokane program, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center for low-income scholarships for its Marine Science Summer Camp, and Seattle Audubon for its Finding Urban Nature program.

Our grants committee provides initial review of all grant applications. This is followed by an assessment and appraisal by the board as a whole, with additional research into the applicant's project as a result of any new questions being raised. Successful applicants receive grant money and are asked to provide a report of how they expended their funds, helping us to continually evaluate our own impact and effectiveness as a grantmaking organization. This grassroots grant program has been the heart and soul of WFFE for the past twenty years.

One of our more recent highlights has been the establishment of a Stewardship Grants program for middle and high school students engaged in stewardship projects. Our goal is to bring young people into the environmental movement through work with educators and support of students' interest in environmental issues typically exhibited through their service learning projects. As an example, in 2006, Olympia High student Luca Provenzano received a grant to spearhead a student project to remove invasive species from the campus glacial retention pond and reintroduce native species. The $500 grant was used to buy native species. As the Northwest Environmental Education Council points out on its website, there is a great need for youth environmental education project assistance. WFFE is one of the few organizations with a granting program dedicated to building the next generation of environmental leaders.

Conferences and Roundtables
WFFE organizes conferences and roundtables on crucial issues of environmental concern. WFFE has focused on Puget Sound issues in its roundtable discussions over the last two years. Most recently, we hosted a standing room only discussion of the stormwater issues facing the Sound. WFFE brought together two of the leading scientists researching stormwater and solutions to the pollution of the Sound: Drs. Derek Booth and Nat Scholz. WFFE had members of the media in attendance, as well as the chair of the Puget Sound Partnership, Bill Ruckelshaus, ensuring that the lessons and ideas raised by these two scientists and the crowd of one hundred plus people are carried to the decisionmakers.

Prior to this Seattle roundtable, we hosted discussions with Ecology Director Jay Manning and tribal representatives in Shelton, and government and NGO representatives in Tacoma, all seeking new approaches and answers in the thorny dilemma of how best to turn around the health of Puget Sound. As Puget Sound recovery is one of the leading environmental issues facing the state, our upcoming roundtables will also focus on this subject.

Through such efforts WFFE plays a unique and vital role in Washington's environmental community, providing forums for the discussion of current issues and raising money to support the innovative works of others. It is our mission to educate and inform, to help ensure that Washington?s environmental heritage is sustained for generations to come.

Organizational Proficiency
WFFE has a working board of fifteen individuals. Our board is comprised of people with a broad base of experience and expertise in environmental issues. This ranges from experience leading nonprofit organizations and overseeing environmental education programs to involvement in the policies guiding use of our region's natural resources.

The board of directors is responsible for the functioning of the Foundation. We have intentionally chosen to work with a very low overhead without staff or a permanent office. The board members serve on committees that work between board meetings on key program components.

	WFFE is supported by Earth Share of Washington.

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