SAMO Fund and VCCF Environmental Initiative

Environmental Workforce Collaborative Awarded $1M Grant to Combat Climate Risks

In a bid to bolster environmental resilience and combat escalating climate risks, the Ventura County Community Foundation's (VCCF) Environmental Workforce Collaborative has secured a significant boost. Edison International recently awarded the collaborative a substantial grant of $1,000,000. Santa Monica Mountains Fund is one of the recipient partners!

This funding injection will help fortify the ongoing partnership between VCCF, CREW, Safe Passage Youth Foundation, Santa Monica Mountains Fund (SAMO Fund), Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council, and Los Padres ForestWatch. Notably, SAMO Fund has been earmarked to receive a portion of this grant, in particular to support restoration initiatives.

The Environmental Workforce Collaborative is committed to a multi-interventional approach through direct actions to mitigate and adapt to the climate risks facing Ventura County's communities and ecosystems. With wildfires, floods, and heightened heat risks rising, the imperative for intervention has never been clearer.

Each partner within the Collaborative brings a distinctive skill set to the table, contributing to a comprehensive strategy designed to target regions hardest hit by recent environmental crises. Habitat and riparian restoration, conservation employment and training, home and environmental fortification, as well as multicultural education, form the pillars of this proactive endeavor.

As Ventura County braces for future environmental challenges, initiatives like the Environmental Workforce Collaborative serve as beacons of hope, paving the way for a more resilient and sustainable future.

This Collaborative was made possible by funding from Edison International