The City of Bend, in partnership with The Environmental Center (TEC) and The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF), submitted a proposal to Partners for Places in July 2017 for a project to engage diverse voices in creating a community climate action plan that balances equity, efficiency, economic development and meaningful climate benefits.
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“We are honored to receive support from Partners for Places for this project and look forward to working with the community to create a climate action plan that fits Bend,” said Bend City Manager Eric King.
This project stems from a September 2016 Bend City Council Climate Action Resolution that established goals to reduce community-wide fossil fuel use by 40 percent by 2030 and 70 percent by 2050. Partners for Places will provide a $50,000 grant, pending success in raising a matching $50,000 from OCF Advised Funds, a program that allows OCF donors to identify causes that matter to them and recommend OCF grant support in collaboration with other donors. 

“The good news is we are more than half-way to securing the local matching funds,” said Mike Riley, executive director of The Environmental Center, the nonprofit organization designated to receive the matching grant funds. “We have already received $27,500 for the project from OCF donor advised funds.”

This project is planned to unfold over a two year period at a cost of $175,000 per year.
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Project funding for the first year will come from Partners for Places, OCF Advised Funds, funds raised by TEC from the community and the City’s budget. The funds will allow the City to hire a new staff person to manage the project, conduct baseline studies including a community-scale greenhouse gas emissions inventory, form a Council-appointed volunteer.

Climate Action Steering Committee, and contract outside support for a community planning process that will identify how to achieve fossil fuel reduction goals in the 2016 Bend City Council Climate Action Resolution. 
The City plans to apply for additional funding for the second year to support community prioritization of climate actions, to develop targets and metrics for measuring progress and to develop an implementation plan.

In addition to Bend, Partners for Places has committed to matching grant awards to teams from Cary, NC; Cincinnati, OH; Grand Rapids, MI; Lancaster, PA; Las Cruces, NM; Los Angeles, CA; New Orleans, LA; Philadelphia, PA, Salt Lake City, UT; and St. Louis, MO.

About Partners for Places
A joint project of the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities and the Urban Sustainability Network, supported by five investor foundations (The JPB Foundation, The Kendeda Fund, The New York Community Trust, The Summit Foundation, and Surdna Foundation), Partners for Places is a successful matching grant program that improves U.S. and Canadian communities by building partnerships between local government sustainability leaders and place-based foundations. National funders invest in local projects developed through these partnerships to promote a healthy environment, a strong economy and well-being for all residents. Through these investments, Partners for Places fosters long-term relationships that make our communities more prosperous, livable and vibrant.

About the Oregon Community Foundation
The mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve lives for all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create charitable funds — more than 2,000 of them — that support the community causes they care about. These funds support the critical work that nonprofits are doing across Oregon. Through these funds, OCF awarded more than $108 million in grants and scholarships in 2016. Learn more athttp://www.oregoncf.org/

About The Environmental Center
The Environmental Center’s mission is to embed sustainability into daily life in Central Oregon. TEC translates sustainability into practical, local action to create a healthy future for people and the planet. TEC programs incorporate education and advocacy to advance a vision of a sustainable community. TEC is focused on building community, educating kids, revolutionizing energy, rethinking waste and advocating for change. Learn more at www.envirocenter.org or by visiting 16 NW Kansas Ave. in downtown Bend, Oregon. 

Anne Aurand | Communications Director
541-388-5573