New England Grassroots Environment Fund

Funder/Activist Collaborative: The NEGEF Model

The New England Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF) is governed collaboratively by its funding partners, (private foundations, community foundations, and individuals) and grassroots activist representatives at both the board and grantmaking committee levels (click here to see 2009 Board and Committee members). The grantmaking decisions are driven by a volunteer grantmaking committee populated by both funding partners and grassroots activists from each of the 6 New England states.

What makes NEGEF unique is not just its collaborative governance structure, but the also the service it provides to its constituency. NEGEF helps the most locally-oriented, often informal, grassroots groups, those too new to qualify for support from the private and community foundations. NEGEF, a 501(c)(3) public charity, makes grants directly to these groups. By applying the rules of expenditure responsibility to its grantmaking, NEGEF does not require a grantee to be incorporated, have a 501(c)(3) designation or a fiscal sponsor. In effect, NEGEF is the fiscal sponsor of the groups it funds. While NEGEF shares many community and private foundation values and priorities, what sets NEGEF apart is its unique interest and its commitment to the newly engaged community groups to do their work for the environment.