TreePeople Receives $1.9 Million Inaugural Grant from the Bezos Earth Fund for Urban Greening

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — July 17, 2023: TreePeople today announced that we received a $1.9 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund to support urban greening in the Los Angeles region. The Greening America’s Cities initiative is a new $400 million commitment to create more equitable access to urban greening in underserved U.S. communities.

“The Bezos Earth Fund’s support will be transformational in helping provide crucial shade to a city and globe currently experiencing record heat and extreme climate events,” said Cindy Montañez, CEO of TreePeople. “This is a critical step toward transformative change, holistically advancing both the greening of urban neighborhoods and the lives of those who live there, through increased urban tree canopy, community organizing, workforce development, and actionable policy to combat the climate crisis.”

This grant will support TreePeople’s work in establishing environmental equity in urban regions facing the harshest effects of climate change due to historical neglect and redlining – through the grassroots implementation of nature-based solutions, community engagement, education, and employment.

"Green spaces are critical for people and the planet. The Bezos Earth Fund is proud to partner with local communities and government to expand urban green spaces," said Andrew Steer, President & CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund. "In partnership, this new initiative will support historically underserved communities, supporting their health and well-being."

There is clear evidence that "greening" U.S. cities with more — and better — parks, trees, and community gardens can improve physical and mental health, increase local resilience to climate impacts like extreme heat and reduce energy consumption. Health benefits come from improved air quality, more physical activity, reduced heat, the stress reduction effect of green spaces, and the opportunities green spaces create for social interaction. 

Historic systems of segregation, exclusion, and land dispossession have led to many communities living in nature-deprived areas. Consequently, these communities often do not benefit from nature’s benefits, like air and water purification, climate mitigation, or biodiversity.

The Earth Fund’s Greening America’s Cities initiative starts with community projects in five cities: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Wilmington, Delaware. It will extend through 2030 and expand to new communities, building on its earlier $300 million in funding to climate and environmental justice groups in the U.S. For more information, visit: www.BezosEarthFund.org. 

About TreePeople
​TreePeople unites the power of trees, people, and nature-based solutions to grow a more climate-ready Southern California. The organization inspires, engages and supports people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, facilitates collaboration among government agencies, and promotes leadership in grassroots volunteers, students and communities. In this way, TreePeople seeks to build a powerful and diverse coalition to grow a greener, healthier and more water-secure Southern California for present and future generations. For more information, visit treepeople.org.