HomeMy WebLinkAboutApplications_One Cool Earth DEI 2022 ApplicationDiversity, Equity and Inclusion
2022-2023 GRANT FUNDING FOR HIGH IMPACT DE&I PROJECTS
Pl e ase provi de al l re que ste d i nformati on be f ore submi tti ng your appl i cati on. Please be as spe cific as possible !
I f accommoda on or assistance is n eed ed in co mple ng this A pplica on, or if a paper ve rsion is prefe rre d, ple ase
contact (805) 781-7100 or D EI@slocity.org
Organization Name :*
Y e ar Establishe d:*
Fiscal Age nt, if diffe re nt than abov e :*
Tax ID #:*
Docume nt Ce rtifying Fe de ral Tax-Exe mpt status, if applicable
Name of Exe cutiv e Dire ctor (or highe st le ade rship position)
Approximate Annual Budge t:
M ajor Source s of Funding:
M ission State me nt:
Numbe r of paid staff (full- or part-time ):
Numbe r of v olunte e rs:
Name of Board Pre side nt or Chair:
Organizational Le ade rship Chart *
Name of Pe rson comple ting this Application:
PART 1: APPLICANT INFORMATION
One Cool Earth
2001
n/a
341939404
OCE Letter of Determination (6).pdf 398.96KB
Katharine Rondthaler
550,000
SLO Co. School Districts - $200,000; Foundations - $150,000; Gov't Grants - $150,000; Private Donations
- $50,000;
We create school garden programs that grow healthy, happy, smart youth.
18
150
Maria Kelly
OCE Org Chart.pdf 6.75MB
Greg Ellis
Organization M ailing Addre ss:*
Phone :*
E-mail:*
Brie fly de scribe your organization’s mission, primary activ itie s, and ope rating structure s.
City
San Luis Obispo
State / Province / Region
CA
Postal / Zip Code
93406
Country
USA
Street Address
PO Box 150
Address Line 2
760-382-5164
grege@onecoolearth.org
De scribe the community(ie s) your organization supports.
We believe every child deserves a place to grow. Since 2001, we've built school gardens and hired
talented, passionate educators to teach youth about nutrition, science and environmental subjects in 29
schools, reaching over 11,000 students per year. Studies show that programs like ours increase student
fruit and vegetable consumption by 3x, improve standardized science test scores, and improve student
mood, attitude, and connection with their campus.
Our program provides a thriving school garden and a trained garden educator to each public school where
we work. The educator works directly with students each week throughout the school year, teaching a
series of rigorous, evidence-based and standards-aligned nutrition lessons. Each student in the program
participates in an average of seven lessons per year. The core of our lesson sequence involves planting,
tending, harvesting, preparing and eating fruits and vegetables, and our schedule produces four harvests
per year at a school site. Harvested produce is used in cooking lessons and tastings available to the entire
school. Excess produce is provided to student families via after-school farmer’s market giveaways, and/or
given to the school’s food services department to be included in school lunches. We host volunteer
workdays twice per year at each school garden to involve the community and maintain gardens. After
school, we provide Family Cooking Nights that gather families for a community cooking night that uses
culturally appropriate recipes.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors oversees fiduciary and legal responsibilities of maintaining the nonprofit, as well as
works with staff to develop and achieve the organization vision, mission and goals.
Maria Kelly, MA - President, Atascadero, CA, MA in Leadership/Community Relations
Mark Monday - Treasurer, San Luis Obispo, CA, Technology/Leadership
Shawna Whitfield, MA - Secretary, Arroyo Grande, CA, Teacher/MA in Education
Victoria Carranza - Director, Atascadero, CA, Nonprofit Consulting/Doula
Tony Pastore - Director, Morro Bay, CA, Manager of Energy Business Development at Central Coast
Community Energy
Leadership Team
The Leadership Team carries out day-to-day work to operate the organization and implement the vision,
mission and goals.
Katharine Krieg, MA - Executive Director - develops partnerships, program content and evaluations
McKenna Lenhart - Director of Programs - coordinates educational programming, supporting educators
with training, materials, and quality control.
Evie Kinkade - Director of Operations and Communications - implements marketing, outreach and
communications plan as well as manages office, insurance, payroll and bookkeeping.
Natalie Perez - Program Manager - supports special projects, school site communications, and lesson
delivery
Educators
Eleven part-time Educators teach lessons and conduct project-based learning with students at 29
elementary schools, working one day per week at each school to teach an average of 3 lessons per day
as well as maintain outdoor classrooms, provide extension activities to teachers that build off of lessons,
support lunch-time Green Team student clubs and manage composting. Lead educators with multiple
years of teaching experience provide extra support to key projects such as waste audits, field trips,
teacher trainings and garden builds as well as mentor and support new educators.
Support Staff
Part-time support staff include two farm co-managers (for Atascadero School District’s Farm), a
maintenance lead (conducts routine maintenance and new construction for outdoor classrooms at all
schools) and a grant-writer. In addition, nine unpaid interns and numerous one-time volunteers support
organizational tasks, maintenance, improvements and lesson delivery.
Please be specif ic in the population and geographic area.
We operate school gardens at 29 schools in SLO County, from San Miguel to Nipomo, including the
following SLO City elementary schools: CL Smith, Hawthorne, Pacheco, and Los Ranchos. We track our
student demographics using school reporting. In the coming year (2022-2023) our public school students
represent: 50% non-white, predominantly Latinx; 22% qualify as English Language Learners; 49% come
from low-income families; 17% have a health risk related to diet and exercise.
Name of DE&I Proje ct *
Est. numbe r of pe ople se rv e d through this proje ct:*
Est. numbe r of SLO CITY RESIDENTS se rv e d through this proje ct *
Total Proje ct Cost:*
AM OUNT OF CITY FUNDING REQUESTED:*
De scribe your propose d proje ct or program.
PART 2: PROJECT INFORMATION
School Garden Program
11000
1750
550,000
15,000
De scribe the community the proje ct will support.
De scribe the e quity gaps and community ne e ds this proje ct will addre ss.
Specify w hat the requested f unds w ill be used f or, the need for this project, the number of people impacted. Include a project plan, if available.
Our funding request has two parts:
1. $7,500 - Fund a thorough DEI-focused review and revision of our organization's structure, systems,
practices. Through this process we will produce a report that will be useful to guide other small nonprofits
in their own alignment with DEI practices and principles.
As an organization whose mission is focused on rectifying deep inequities in health and education through
the public school system, we have implemented a number of DEI best-practices in our organization, such
as providing our curriculum bilingually, using trauma-informed care practices, and celebrating diversity in
our staff. However, we recognize that we could do more. We request funding to undertake a review and
implement DEI best-practices in our organization. This review & revision will include:
+ hiring practices to ensure that our positions are open and available to the most diverse set of applicants,
and that pay-determination is fair and equitable;
+ that our organizational structure (including board and staff) includes appropriate representation of our
client demographic;
+ that DEI is included in our staff trainings;
+ that our program delivery (besides curriculum) is culturally competent--we would especially like to hire
local Latinx and Chumash consultants to integrate history and cultural practices related to agriculture and
the environment into our curriculum, passing on these practices to thousands of students;
+ that our curriculum is not only linguistically relevant, but also takes opportunities include culturally
relevant content to better connect to our audience as well as promote DEI values;
Major outcomes and deliverables will be:
+ revised organizational policies that will lead to a more diverse board and staff;
+ revised curriculum that will include locally-relevant cultural content;
+ we will share our policies and curriculum freely, as well as provide documentation to help other small,
local nonprofits incorporate these best practices into their organizations;
+ 1750 SLO City students and over 11,000 county students will benefit from the updated programming
delivery and curriculum;
2. $7,500 - Support critical programming to address health and education inequities in high-need SLO
elementary schools.
We currently offer garden-based education at four San Luis Obispo schools, including three of the most
disadvantaged schools in the district (CL Smith, Hawthorne and Pacheco). While in most school districts
where we work we receive support from the district, San Luis Coastal Unified School District is currently
unable to support the program due to the Diablo Canyon power plant closure. We must find all funding
from grants and private donors to continue programming at these sites. Our programming addresses
critical DEI-rooted issues producing measurable improvements in student health and educational
attainment. This funding will pay for our staff time, providing over 300 health & science-focused lessons at
these three high-need school sites, reaching over 1300 students (780 of whom are non-white and 728 are
low-income) with approximately 7 lessons per student.
Notably, non-white and low-income populations have much higher rates of diet-related health issues and
lower academic performance, hence our focus on these populations.
Specify the population, location of services provided, and any other identif iers your proposed project w ill support.
Our DEI implementation will benefit all schools in SLO City: CL Smith, Hawthorne, Pacheco, and Los
Ranchos. However, we are requesting funding for our garden-education programming at only the highest-
need (based on income, health risk and students of color) of these three: CL Smith, Pacheco and
Hawthorne. These schools represent students from kindergarten to 5th grade (approximately ages 6 to
12).
At these high-need sites, 60% of students are non-white, predominantly Latinx; 32% qualify as English
Language Learners; 56% come from low-income families; 24% have a health risk related to diet and
exercise. School gardens are proven to support student health and academic success especially in
science and language acquisition. The gardens also provide a safe space on campus where students can
find peace, solace, and happiness in connection with the natural world.
In the table below briefly list 2-3 methods of evaluation and indicators of success or
measurable outcomes.
M e thods of Ev aluation Indicators of Succe ss / M e asurable Outcome s
In the chart below, identify any partnerships/collaborations that are supporting this
project, and their roles.
Name of Partne r Activ ity/Se rv ice The y Prov ide for This Proje ct
Prov ide the time line for this propose d proje ct.
De scribe your plan for sustainability be yond the City’s one -ye ar award funding, if applicable .
Example : # of BIPOC serving on public boards, committees
Organizational diversity (looking at board and staff
composition)
Example: 10% increase by end of 2021
Organization composition represents regional
demographics
Example : # of BIPOC serving on public boards, committees
Number of curriculum lessons revised to better
include cultural content and delivery
Example: 10% increase by end of 2021
24
Example : # of BIPOC serving on public boards, committees
Number of garden-based nutrition & science
lessons taught
Example: 10% increase by end of 2021
300
Example: ABC Business
CL Smith, Pacheco, Hawthorne Elementary
Schools
Example: Free Use of Space f or Weekend Classes
Collaborate to host garden spaces and have
students
Example: ABC Business
School Garden Support Organization
Example: Free Use of Space f or Weekend Classes
Resources to incorporate DEI practices into
programming and org. structure
Example: ABC Business
Alan Salazar
Example: Free Use of Space f or Weekend Classes
Chumash Consultant - we will contract with him to
provide curriculum updates related to Chumash
and Latinx culture
Sept. 2022
Host focus group with diverse partners and stakeholders to gather feedback on our organization structure
and content--include teachers, parents, administrators and students as well as local diversity
organizations, especially focusing on content from local cultural consultants.
Sept. 2022 - June 2023
Review curriculum and add cultural content.
Review org. structure, program delivery and hiring practices, modifying them to be in-line with DEI best
practices, using the School Garden Support Organization's materials and manuals to guide our process.
Garden educators teach ~300 lessons at 3 SLO City high-needs schools.
March 2023
Hold a second focus group with stakeholders to review materials and practices before finalizing them in
June.
June 2023
Summarize organizational DEI transformation and resources and share with local peer organizations.
Using the table below, please provide a broadly-itemized budget for your project,
including the source of any matching funds.
Ite m De scription *Total Cost *Amount Prov ide d by
City Funds *
Amount of Othe r
Funds and Source of
Funding *
1
2
3
*During application review , you may be asked for f urther f inancial information or f or proof of any matching f unds
De scribe the plan for promoting this proje ct within the City of San Luis Obispo.
How will you highlight the City's support of your proje ct?
By signi ng thi s applicaon, I ce rfy that the i nformaon containe d w i thin is true and corre ct to the be st of my
know l e dge . I agre e to comply w i th the re quire me nts of the Ci ty of the San Lui s Obispo.
Name of Pe rson comple ting this Application:*
Signature *
Title :*
Once DEI best practices are incorporated into our organization, we will have them as part of our regular
operations. We will conduct an annual review of our DEI practices, monitoring their affects and adjusting as
needed. We don't anticipate this to create a significant cost burden.
Our school garden program will be continued at the SLO City school sites as we fund it with grants and
donations.
PART 3: PROJECT COST / BUDGET
Organizational DEI best
practices implementation -
staffing
10,000.00$4,000.00$6,000.00$
Organizational DEI best
practices implementation -
Cultural consultants to help
update curriculum content
5,500.00$3,500.00$2,000.00$
School Garden Programming
- Garden educator staffing
60,000.00$7,500.00$52,500.00$
PART 4: AWARENESS AND VISIBILITY
Once we have completed our implementation of best practices, we will promote the best-practices report to
local nonprofits through the KCBX executive director's list, through SPOKES for Nonprofits, and by directly
reaching out to peer nonprofits to whom we believe our content to be relevant. We will also do a press
release to local media as well as promote the project online on our website and social media.
We will represent the city on all materials created or modified with the grant funding, including: our
curriculum and in the final report we produce about our DEI best-practices. We will also include recognition
for the city on our website, social media, enewsletter and mention the city in all media interviews and press
releases related to the project.
PART 5: CERTIFICATION
Greg Ellis
Grant Manager
Date :*
8/20/2022
AUSD Farm
Managers
Irrigation
Specialist
& AUSD Farm
Director
Executive
Director
Director of
Grants
Director of
Programs
Program
Manager
Director of
Communications
and Operations
Garden Educators
Regional
Coordinators
curriculum
coordinator
The Board Of Directors
One Cool Earth
organizational Chart
Regional Coordinators assist
a cohort of Garden
Educators with garden
maintenance , events, &
lesson support
ONe Cool Earth
Roles and Responsibilities
The Board Of Directors
Advises and supports the Executive Director in making executive decisions, strategic planning and financial accountability.
Involved in fundraising and community building.
Executive
Director
Does Strategic Planning
for the Organization
Leads decision making
within the Organization
Communicates with the
Board of Directors
Builds relationships with
key partners and
foundations
Director of
Comms &
Operations
Manages Contracts
Creates and executes
communication strategy
Manages online presence
Plans and executes
annual fundraisers
Administrative Lead
Grants Writer
Director of
Grants
Writes and submits
grants to secure funding
for programing
Communicates with staff
about grant requirements
Submits necessary
reports
Assists with budgeting
and program evaluation
Program
Manager
Manages Garden Educators
Supports with garden maintenance and
projects
Materials procurement
Supports Educators with events,
curriculum and lesson delivery
Director of
Programs
Manages and maintains partnerships
Manages curriculum and performs
program quality control
Hires, trains and evaluates Education
Team
Leads program evaluation
Ensures that grant requirements are
met
Regional
Coordinators
Supports a small cohort of
educators with garden
maintenance projects, events,
lesson support, and more
Garden Educators
Responsible for implementation
of our Garden Education
Program
Provide quality lessons and
care for our gardens
Coordinate with teachers
Host community events
AUSD Farm Staff
Supports all farm needs
including growing and
harvesting food for AUSD,
education, and
infrastructure projects
Irrigation
Specialist
Assist with garden build
projects and garden
infrastructure
maintenance
Education Team
Leaderdship team
Curriculum
Coordinator
Collects feedback and assists
with development of new
curriculum
Assures curriculum meets NGSS
standards