At the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, we know that the people most impacted by environmental injustice are also the most powerful architects of change. This knowledge is at the foundation of everything we do. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we're proud to share something that has been years in the making: our Strategic Plan.
Thirty Years, One Evergreen Framework
Three decades of community-led environmental justice work have inspired the work that has gone into the content of this plan. It is the result of years of collaboration and participatory input gathered through each of our programs, shaped by community participation from all across New England. Published in the spring of 2026, this evergreen plan marks both a celebration of how far we've come and a commitment to where we're headed.
And it's not a document we'll file away. Our Strategic Plan is designed to evolve, shaped by ongoing community feedback and the shifting realities on the ground. We call this approach Participatinkering: a practice of collective tinkering with real intention around who participates and how we remove barriers to doing so. This is why we call it an Evergreen Strategic plan, because, like many of our New England forests it remains strong, steady and adaptable through changing seasons.
Who We Are
At the heart of this plan are two statements that guide everything we do.
Our mission:
To energize and nurture community-led resilience efforts that prioritize and center those most impacted by environmental injustice and systemic oppression.
Our vision:
We envision a future where the leadership, power, and visions of people most impacted, particularly in disinvested communities including Black, Indigenous and People of the Global Majority, rural, immigrants and New Americans, queer and trans, youth and elders, poor, blue collar, and people with disabilities, are resourced and respected in shaping local and regional transformation through participatory decision making processes.
These are the living commitments that shape how we grant, convene, learn, govern, and engage with the broader world of philanthropy. As a part of this plan we have included end notes where we explain why we use the terms we do and our committment to data ethics.
What We're Committed To
Our strategy is organized around five core areas:
Grantmaking that removes barriers for newly formed, unincorporated, and under-resourced groups who are too often shut out of conventional philanthropy. Convening and Community Building that creates joyful, accessible spaces for connection and solidarity across New England's diverse communities. Shared Reflection and Learning that treats growth not as a byproduct but as a central pillar of our work. Governance rooted in equity and community accountability, where decision-making is transparent and inclusive. And Engaging Philanthropy, because we're not just securing resources, we're working to transform how philanthropy operates and whose leadership it uplifts.
Looking Ahead
As systems continue to fail communities find ways to prevail. We've seen it time and again over thirty years. Grassroots groups across New England are doing extraordinary work, often with limited resources, little institutional support, and the odds stacked against them. This strategic plan is our commitment to stand with them more effectively, more accountably, and with deeper solidarity than ever before.
We're grateful to everyone who has shaped this plan through their participation, feedback, and trust over the years. This is your document as much as ours, and as we step into our next thirty years, we can't wait to build on it together.