EWEB awards $50,000 Greenpower Grant to Friends of Trees
This year's Greenpower Grant was officially awarded on Earth Day, April 22, to local nonprofit Friends of Trees Eugene Metro. This decision was voted on by subscribers of EWEB's voluntary Greenpower program, which funds the grant.
Any EWEB customer can participate in the Greenpower program. In addition to purchasing clean renewable energy and funding the Greenpower Grant, customers also help fund local solar installations and K-12 educational events.
The grant is open to tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, schools and academic institutions or government and other public agencies. This year, in addition to Friends of Trees, submissions came from the Bethel School District, Greenhill Humane Society, McKenzie Fire & Rescue, Shift Community Cycles, The Village School and Westminster Presbyterian Church. Applications included proposals for backup battery systems, solar electric panels, electrification of inefficient technology and renewable transportation education.
This is the third award for Friends of Trees, which won the grant in 2018 to fund a large-scale volunteer tree planting event in west Eugene and again in 2021 to fund another tree planting effort with a focus on urban areas and communities historically excluded from the benefits of green space. The new grant will fund the expansion of their Neighborhood Tree program to all areas on Eugene with low tree equity scores. Friends of Trees use shade equity tools, such as ArcGIS, American Forests tree equity map, Tree Plotter and other, to prioritize outreach and communication to areas in the city where there is low canopy cover, low income and high racial diversity. You can read their full program proposal here.
“Friends of Trees is thrilled and honored to be a part of a pool of remarkable applicants for this year’s Greenpower Grant,” says Erik Burke, Eugene-Springfield Director at Friends of Trees. “We are grateful to EWEB and Greenpower voters for their support of Friends of Trees.”
Burke adds, “This grant will provide essential funding for Friends of Trees community tree equity programs. By supporting residents in planting and caring for their trees, we grow a more self-sustainable community urban forest.”
On Earth Day, Friends of Trees hosted a tree planting event where 23 trees were planted throughout Eugene. At Fairfield Elementary, 9 trees were planted by a crew of 6 volunteers. This is one of the final planting events of the season before Friends of Trees moves on to their watering cycle for the year. Planting will pick back up in the fall. If you are interested in getting involved with Friends of Trees, check out their event page to see upcoming opportunities.
EWEB was also excited to announce on Earth Day that the application period for the second annual Electric Mobility Community Grant is now open.
The Electric Mobility Community Grant provides funding to five non-profits, academic institutions, or public organizations to cover costs associated with their electric mobility projects. We will be awarding up to $25,000 to cover up to 100% of project expenses. You can learn more about the grant and eligibility criteria here.
Related Programs
Greenpower
Pay a little more in your monthly bill to support local projects, rooftop solar and renewable energy.
Options for climate innovators
EWEB’s Lead Green programs can help you put your money where your values are. Customer investments are used to finance projects that benefit the environment.
Community grants
We're pleased to offer grant funding to help increase awareness, access, infrastructure, and adoption of electric mobility in EWEB service territory.
