named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Funding Futures: We Decide
A two-phase program engaging six Hudson Valley communities in civic dialogue and capacity building, culminating in grants up to $25,000 for groups to develop action plans around ecological and community resilience priorities.
H.E.R.E. (Hudson Estuary Resilience Effort)
An initiative serving as the umbrella for Regional Resilience Grants, focused on fostering social and ecological resilience across ten Hudson Valley counties.
Regional Resilience Grants
A $4,000,000 grant program funding 60-70 local nonprofit projects across the Hudson Valley in the areas of culture, ecology, food/farming, and shelter, with awards ranging from $10,000 to $200,000.
activities · 9 groups
What they do
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Flexible Grants to Grassroots Organizations 4 activities
- Awarding Regional Resilience Grants for community initiativesDistributes grants ranging from $10,000 to $200,000 through the Regional Resilience Grants program, with plans to award 60–70 grants to support initiatives in Culture, Ecology, Food/Farming, and Shelter in the Hudson Valley.
- Convening regional funders for place-based philanthropyConvenes regional funders to create a place-based philanthropic fund that supports regional resilience and community-driven priorities in the Hudson Valley.
- Funding community-led projects through non-reimbursement grantsProvides non-reimbursement grants of up to $25,000 to support planning, technical assistance, community events, and administrative staffing for community-led projects in the Hudson Valley.
- Funding local nonprofit projects in the Hudson ValleyProvides grant funding to support local nonprofit projects in the Hudson Valley, with a focus on culture, ecology, food/farming, and shelter. Launched a $4,000,000 grant opportunity and has deployed over $10 million in funding since 2020.
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Ecological Habitat Restoration 2 activities
- Restoring forest landscapes in New York StateImplements ecological restoration initiatives focused on restoring forest landscapes, including addressing white-tailed deer overpopulation as a driver of ecological imbalance.
- Supporting pollinator health through region-specific resourcesOffers region-specific resources for home gardeners, farmers, landscapers, and educators to support pollinators in the Hudson Valley, including launching the largest pollinator program in the region.
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Community Capacity Building & Leadership Networks 1 activity
- Building municipal sustainability capacity through cohort programsProvides training, funding, and technical assistance to municipalities through cohort-based programs to advance local sustainability efforts.
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Neighborhood Civic Engagement 1 activity
- Engaging communities in environmental planning and democracyConducts community engagement campaigns across Hudson Valley communities using direct outreach and democratic events to gather input on shared environmental priorities.
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Lake Stewardship Education & Outreach 1 activity
- Hosting educational webinars on regional ecology and land useHosts virtual webinar series on topics including regional ecology, invasive plants, and community forests, to deepen public understanding of ecological challenges and solutions.
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Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 1 activity
- Operating community fridges and civic access initiativesFounded and manages the Taghkanic Community Fridge and partners with local libraries and civic/religious spaces to expand access to tools and knowledge.
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Nonprofit Investigative & Community Journalism 1 activity
- Producing educational content on Hudson Valley ecology and communitiesProduces a print magazine featuring in-depth stories and original photography about the ecology and communities of the Hudson Valley, as well as case studies on biodiversity and pollinator health.
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Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 1 activity
- Providing native garden design and planting resourcesCreates and distributes printable native garden design templates and maintains an online resource hub with native plant lists, ecological landscaper directories, and step-by-step guidance for site preparation, planting, and maintenance.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Supporting local sustainability through expert collaborationOrganizes and collaborates with local expert cohorts (Guilds) to identify on-the-ground needs and regional funding priorities in the Hudson Valley.
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financials · form 990 · fy2021
revenue
Total revenue$280K
Contributions & grants$280K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$75K
Program expenses100%
Admin / overhead0%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$205K
Cash$70K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$205K
Liquid reserves11.2 mo
1 years on record · 2021–2021
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2021
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| BENJAMIN WILLIAMS III | COFOUNDER &pres | 5 | $101K |
board members · 3
- ALEEM AHMED — BOARD MEMBER
- DANNY THIEMANN — BOARD MEMBER
- UMAR ASHFAQ — COFOUNDER
relationships · 33
Who they work with
- Columbia County Climate Smart Task Force Partner — Participates in the Columbia County Climate Smart Task Force through town representation.
- Columbia Land Conservancy Partner — Collaborates on a webinar discussing the formation and significance of the Taghkanic Community Forest.
- Columbia Land Conservancy Partner — Collaborates with the Columbia Land Conservancy on public lands management and community forest initiatives.
- Cornell Cooperative Extension Partner — Partners with Cornell Cooperative Extension through Master Gardener, Master Naturalist, and Master Forest Owner Volunteer programs.
- Cornell University Partner — Collaborates with Cornell University's Ecology and Management of Invasive Plants Program for expert-led webinars on invasive species.
- Ecological Citizens Project Partner — Advisory board member organization contributing expertise to The Understory’s strategic direction.
- Environmental Voter Project Partner — Advisory board member organization collaborating on environmental engagement strategies.
- For the Many Partner — Advisory board member organization providing leadership and strategic guidance.
- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh Partner — Collaborates with The Understory through advisory board membership.
- Highlands: Together We Decide Partner — Community initiative in Highlands supported through the Funding Futures program.
- Hudson Valley Government — Geographic focus area for grantmaking and resilience initiatives.
- Hudson Valley Network — Primary region of ecological and community programming focus.
- Hudson Valley Partner — Implements pollinator support and ecological resilience programs in partnership with local communities in the Hudson Valley.
- Millbrook Listens Partner — Community initiative in Millbrook supported through the Funding Futures program.
- NYDEC: Office of Environmental Justice Government — Advisory board member from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
- New World Foundation Government — Fiscal sponsor for The Understory's Funding Futures grants, responsible for receiving the final grant report.
- New York Community Trust Funder — Provided funding for the development of the native garden design templates.
- New York Pollinator Conservation Fund Funder — Provided funding for the development of the native garden design templates.
- New York Power Authority Government — Advisory board representation from a state energy agency official.
- Office of the New York State Attorney General Funder — Provided funding for the development of the native garden design templates.
- PCA Partner — Co-hosts or collaborates with PCA, with Avalon Bunge moderating webinar sessions.
- Partners for Climate Action Partner — Collaborated with PCA to create new native garden design templates as part of the PollinateHV program.
- PollinateHV Partner — Collaborates on the creation and distribution of free native garden templates.
- PollinateHV Partner — Collaborates with PollinateHV to support threatened pollinators and native habitats, including promoting free native garden templates.
- Regional funders in the Hudson Valley Partner — Collaborates with regional funders to create a place-based philanthropic fund.
- Rooted in Rochester Partner — Community initiative in Rochester supported through the Funding Futures program.
- Stewarding Claverack and Philmont's Environment (SCAPE) Partner — Community initiative in Claverack and Philmont supported through the Funding Futures program.
- Studio Hopeland Partner — Co-created the new native garden design templates for PollinateHV.
- Taghkanic Climate Smart Task Force Partner — Engages with the Taghkanic Climate Smart Task Force on local climate resilience and sustainability efforts.
- The New World Foundation Government — Fiscal sponsor that awards grants on behalf of The Understory.
+ 3 more
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community-Driven Grantmaking with Local Expertisemethodology: community_driven_grantmakingBy convening local subject-matter experts into guilds to shape funding priorities and review grants, we produce more effective and contextually relevant conservation outcomes because decision-making is informed by on-the-ground knowledge and trusted networks.
- Community-Led Resilience Buildingmethodology: community_led_resilienceBy empowering local leaders and communities with resources, funding, and decision-making authority, we produce social and ecological resilience because locally rooted action is more adaptive, trusted, and sustainable. This includes using community-led grantmaking, narrative storytelling, and consensus-building to ensure relevance and ownership.
- Ecological Metaphor for Organizational Identity and Changemethodology: ecological_metaphorBy using the forest understory as a metaphor for nurturing emerging, diverse initiatives, we produce a framework for understanding community resilience because it emphasizes the importance of supporting unseen, foundational growth in both ecosystems and social movements.
- Ecological Systems Thinking as Diagnostic Frameworkmethodology: ecological_systems_thinkingBy treating invasive species and other ecological disruptions as indicators of systemic stressors (e.g., deer overpopulation, soil degradation), we produce more holistic and sustainable land management outcomes because this approach shifts focus from symptom treatment to root-cause intervention.
- Place-Based Ecological Stewardshipmethodology: place_based_stewardshipBy supporting land management and conservation efforts that are specific to the Hudson Valley’s ecological and social systems, we produce more effective and enduring outcomes because place-based approaches honor local interconnections and foster deeper community-land relationships.