11th Hour Racing Provides Support to Nonprofit Organizations in Coastal Communities

Initiatives advance equitable youth education opportunities, composting, and ecosystem restoration

11th Hour Racing announced its support of nine new U.S. grant recipients as part of its ongoing philanthropic efforts funded by the Schmidt Family Foundation. These nonprofit organizations are leading initiatives at the crossroads of education and the environment in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico. 

Reinforcing its mission to support local programs that model best practices of sustainability, restore coastal ecosystems, and advance ocean stewardship, 11th Hour Racing also renewed grants with 25 nonprofit organizations and supported 11 community nonprofits in Rhode Island, bringing total funding to $4 million in grant giving in 2023.

“11th Hour Racing’s strategy centers on improving ocean health with an array of solutions that start on land,” said Michelle Carnevale, president of 11th Hour Racing. “Community composting is a strong focus this year – because it transforms food waste into nutrient-rich soil that helps nature sequester more carbon. We’ve also broadened our support of diverse organizations that are leading policy research, testing out advances in ecosystem restoration, and teaching traditional ecological knowledge.”

These nine new grantees join 11th Hour Racing’s current 48-strong cohort of grantees creating systemic change to restore ocean health. The following are the new grantees and work supported by 11th Hour Racing.

• Compost Power (New York City, N.Y.) hosts weekly workshops and trains young adults from public housing communities on composting practices and leadership. It processes residential food waste and distributes finished compost to city residents and community gardens.
• Franklin’s Promise Coalition (Apalachicola, Fla.) leads experiential youth leadership programs, including BoriCorps in Puerto Rico and OysterCorps in Florida, focused on workforce development in restoring mangroves, salt marshes, oyster habitats, and living shorelines to advance coastal resilience in historically marginalized communities.
  
• Institute for Local Self-Reliance (Washington, D.C.) will advance BIPOC-centered composting programs in the northeast United States through a small grants initiative.
  
• Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (Mashpee, Mass.) is implementing a four-week Preserving Our Homelands Youth in Science summer program that combines traditional ecological knowledge with Western science and supports operations of this region’s only native-owned and operated shellfish farm.
  
• Novak Lab (Boston, Mass.) reduces the climate vulnerability of New England eelgrass meadows on Cape Cod by transplanting eelgrass shoots from regional locations with higher average water temperatures and supports restoration efforts of vital eelgrass habitat on Nantucket.
• Rhode Island Food Policy Council (Providence, R.I.) supports a just and resilient food system in Rhode Island, including advancing municipal composting initiatives, building a network of compost leaders, and advocating for sustainable food policy.
• Rhode Island Schools Recycling Project (Providence, R.I.) is expanding its food waste and healthy food capture and diversion program into five additional schools, training students to lead their fellow students in lunchroom composting, diverting healthy edible food, and recycling. The program is also conducting a case study on cost-saving benefits for schools that switch to lunchroom food waste sorting stations.
• Stone Living Lab (Boston, Mass.) improves biodiversity and water quality by installing Living Seawalls, eco-engineered habitat-mimicking concrete structures that will help create more viable Boston Harbor ecosystems while conducting educational events for key municipal and climate resilience professionals.
• Urban Ocean Lab (Boston, Mass.) cultivates rigorous, creative, equitable, and practical climate and ocean policy for the future of coastal cities. To advance the use of nature-based solutions in coastal cities nationwide, Urban Ocean Lab is partnering with Stone Living Lab to document, translate, and disseminate lessons learned from the City of Boston’s use of nature-based solutions as an adaptation measure.

11th Hour Racing’s additional contributions to Rhode Island-based nonprofit organizations reflect its mission to support those working to forge a sustainable and inclusive coastal community, foster resilience, and tackle local environmental challenges.

Donation recipients include Bike Newport, Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County, Conexión Latina Newport, Eating with the Ecosystem, EcoRI News, FabNewport, International Tennis Hall of Fame’s TeamFAME Program, Newport Festivals Foundation, Portsmouth AgInnovation Farm, Sankofa Community Connection, and Zero Waste Providence.

11th Hour Racing is now accepting grant applications through March 31, 2024, and welcomes national and international organizations to apply. To learn more, visit 11thhourracing.org.