Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation Awards 3 Organizations Grant Funding

Friends of Des Moines Parks, University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Center for Energy & Environmental Education, and The Nature Conservancy in Iowa received grants for tree planting and regenerative agriculture projects across Iowa.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (November 12, 2024) – Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation (“WFSI”) is pleased to award grants totaling $162,376 to three organizations: Friends of Des Moines Parks, UNI Center for Energy & Environmental Education, and The Nature Conservancy in Iowa.

Friends of Des Moines Parks received a $50,243 grant to plant 150-250 trees to address the decline of mature trees in the city’s public golf courses and cemeteries. The proposed project seeks to offset the effects of Burr Oak Blight, Emerald Ash Borer, age and wind events with a 12-year reforestation plan.

“The 2024 grant award from the Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation took on new significance after an EF1 tornado hit Glendale Cemetery and Waveland Golf Course, uprooting or damaging over 180 mature trees,” said Friends of Des Moines Parks Executive Director Sarah Lohmeier. “We are especially thankful for our partnership with WFSI, as this project has evolved beyond reforestation, it will also aim to restore these treasured community spaces.”

The UNI Center for Energy & Environmental Education (CEEE) was awarded $62,133 to plant 3,000 trees in urban and rural communities impacted by climate disasters throughout Iowa with the goal of strengthening the state’s tree canopy focusing on neighborhoods that lack tree diversity and tree equity in public and right-of-way spaces.

“We are thankful for the Wright Foundation funding and the positive impact it will yield for our Iowa communities,” stated Ashley Coffin, project director and CEEE assistant director. “The tree loss our state has experienced in recent years has been significant and this support is a tangible way to build back Iowa’s tree canopy and all the benefits that come with it.”

A $50,000 grant to The Nature Conservancy in Iowa will target two lakesheds in Northwest Iowa with a multifaceted partnership approach by improving the adoption of conservation agronomy practices through the formation of a farmer-led peer learning network, providing local technical support via a dedicated conservation agronomist, and restoration efforts.

The Nature Conservancy in Iowa Associate Director of Development Geof Fischer commented, “We are grateful to the Wright Foundation for seeing the value in investing in innovative approaches to conservation agriculture in Iowa. Beyond the direct impacts to soil health and water quality in these target lakesheds, the learnings from this project will help inform how we continue to expand regenerative agriculture practice adoption across Iowa and, beyond.”

WFSI has a vision to facilitate positive action toward sustainable and innovative solutions in agricultural and environmental sectors that reduce carbon footprints and minimize risk for our communities.

“We’re excited to support these projects and organizations,” says Scott Packard, WFSI chairman. “The work they are doing not only helps move WFSI’s priorities forward but will make for a better tomorrow in the communities they are serving.” Since the Foundation’s inception in Fall 2020, $687,376 has been awarded to seven organizations that further WFSI’s mission through their projects and initiatives.

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About Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation
Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation (“WFSI") is a nonprofit organization focused on fostering innovative solutions in renewable agriculture, tree planting and environmental sectors to reduce environmental risk for our communities and the planet at large. Through fundraising and grant-making, WFSI empowers sustainability projects that reduce carbon footprints and promote carbon positive practices. WFSI is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa. Visit wrightfortomorrow.org to learn more.