Sarah Forslund Fund
The Sarah Forslund Fund for Environmental Leadership
Mission
The Sarah Forslund Fund for Environmental Leadership betters the world through furthering the values by which Sarah Forslund lived her life: developing effective environmental leadership, supporting strong communities, and preserving our natural resources. The Fund does this by investing in organizations and campaigns engaged in bringing about critical environmental change.
History
Sarah Forslund was a founding board member of The Sierra Fund, and she was an inspired and inspiring advocate for conservation and community. When Sarah died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2002, The Sierra Fund created The Sarah Forslund Fund for Environmental Leadership as a way of ensuring the legacy of her remarkable life.
The Fund allows those who knew and loved Sarah to continue her life’s work on behalf of the environment. It was originally established as a vehicle to receive memorial donations on Sarah’s behalf. Contributions were used to make grants to environmental organizations working to create the kind of change Sarah wanted to see happen in the world.
Sarah’s family later adopted the goal of making the Fund permanent. An annual appeal to friends, family and colleagues has raised additional funds, and in 2005 a generous grant brought closer to reality the goal of creating a lasting legacy to Sarah. The family established an Advisory Board and created a formal mission statement to guide the Fund’s future.In its first five years of existence, the Fund has awarded $50,000 to important environmental efforts around the United States.
Awards Granted
2008
Green Corps $6,000 -- Our annual gift to the organization that has trained hundreds of young leaders in the skills of organizing and advocacy.
Ebbetts Pass Forest Watch $2,000 -- To protect, promote and restore healthy forests and watersheds to maintain quality of life in the Sierra Nevada.
Maine Conservation Voters Education Fund $2,000 -- To protect Maine's environment by increasing non-partisian citizen participation in public policy discussions and the democratic process.
2007
Green Corps $6,000 -- Our annual gift to the organization that has trained hundreds of young leaders in the skills of organizing and advocacy. (It’s also how Sarah and Tom met.)Friends of Spenceville, $1,000 -- Working to protect critical open space in the Sierra Nevada foothills from a massive development proposal that the Sacramento Bee says “violates just about every principle of modern planning.”
The Gulf Restoration Network, $1,000 -- Based in New Orleans, where Green Corps alum Aaron Viles works to protect and restore the valuable resources of the Gulf of Mexico.
2006
Green Corps, $6,000 -- To train new organizers in the strategies and skills they need to solve tomorrow’s environmental problems, while providing critical field support for today’s environmental battles.
HEAL Utah, $1,000 -- To protect Utah and its residents from nuclear and toxic waste, stopping Utah from becoming the nation’s nuclear dumping ground and fighting to prevent the resumption of nuclear testing.
SRVA: Alliance for Smart Growth, $1,000 -- To help fight an irresponsible development proposal on Mt. Whitney, protecting the vista of sage flats and sculptured granite boulders at the base of the tallest mountain in the continental United States.
2005
Green Corps, $6,000 -- To train new organizers in the strategies and skills they need to solve tomorrow’s environmental problems, while providing critical field support for today’s environmental battles.
Environmental Defense Project of Sierra County, $1,000 -- To stop irresponsible development in the Sierra Valley, ensuring appropriate planning and protection of the natural resources and scenic beauty of this extraordinary intermountain valley in the Feather River Watershed.
Gifford Pinchot Task Force, $1,000 -- To help end logging of ancient forests in southwest Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest, protecting the region’s drinking water and wildlife habitat and creating a model of restored forest ecosystems.
2004
GreenCorps, $10,000 -- To train new organizers in the strategies and skills they need to solve tomorrow's environmental problems, while providing critical field support for today's environmental battles.
Dogwood Alliance, $1,000 -- To help protect the hardwood forests and communities of the Southern United States, by working to end unsustainable industrial forest practices.
Mountain Meadows Conservancy, $1,000 -- To help fight inappropriate development that threatens the Mountain Meadows Basin of the Sierra Nevada, securing lasting protection for this unspoiled, high mountain meadow north of Plumas National Forest.
2003
GreenCorps, $10,000 -- To train new organizers in the strategies and skills they need to solve tomorrow's environmental problems, while providing critical field support for today's environmental battles.
Northern Forest Alliance, $2,000 -- To create an outreach internship program that would attract new support and build this coalition's capacity to achieve a sustainable future for New England forests.
South Yuba River Citizen's League, $2,000 -- To support the River Teachers program, which helps students deepen their connection to the Yuba River Watershed and develop their role as stewards of the watershed and its salmon population.