2024 Annual Report

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To our community of supporters,

At Environmental Initiative, we know that building a just and thriving world demands meaningful engagement and a deep willingness to work across differences. In 2024, that work brought us face to face with complexity and discomfort. It also brought us closer to the kind of change we are committed to making.

One powerful example came through our collaboration with BIPOC-led organizations, mainstream environmental organizations, and the state government to shape a lottery grant funding process that is more inclusive and community-driven. By sitting with the tension between grassroots needs and institutional frameworks, we helped develop a new model that prioritizes equity without sacrificing effectiveness. This approach required uncomfortable conversations and difficult decisions, but it also sparked innovation and authentic partnerships.

These are not easy times. Growing polarization and fear makes working together feel risky. But we believe that bridging divides is not only possible—it is essential. We are deeply grateful for the partners, funders, community members, and leaders who make this work possible. Whether you co-create solutions with us or challenge our assumptions, you remind us that environmental progress is achievable.

As we look to the year ahead, we invite you to keep building with us. Together, we can create space to hold tension with compassion, find strength in our differences, and stay grounded in shared purpose.

Thank you,

Mike Harley, Executive Director
Sacha Seymour-Anderson, Associate and Advancement Director

Fixing old polluting cars for free

In 2024, Project Clean Air Repair (CAR) hit its 600th auto repair milestone, eliminating over 32 tons of vehicle emissions by covering costs for income-qualified Minnesotans. The project also saw an expansion into the East Metro with Turbo Tim’s Anything Automotive.

Hear from our partners

Local lawn care goes electric

Through the Clean Air Assistance Project, Environmental Initiative helped Parkway Lawn Service apply to state and federal grants which replaced multiple gas-powered mowers and equipment pieces with electric models. The shift will reduce more than 2,400 pounds of emissions annually.

Hear from the crew

Shaping farmer engagement

Reach Farmers Faster began training organizations to create producer-centered outreach with values-based messaging. So far, the project has trained over 175 conservation professionals and influenced over 450,000 acres of agricultural land.

Learn about our wins

Celebrating fellow changemakers

We celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Environmental Initiative Awards in-person with friends and partners at Mosaic in Minneapolis. 2024 winners represent a range of work, from rebuilding urban tree canopies to innovating solar integration.

Watch the winner stories

Advocating for community grants

Thanks to the work of Sen. Foung Hawj, Rep. Athena Hollins, BIPOC leaders, mainstream environmental groups, and Environmental Initiative, 2024’s renewal of lottery funds for the environment included over $28 million for a new community grants program.

Read about next steps

Investing in youth leadership

Last year, we ended the pilot phase of Northside Safety NET with reflections on how to better meet the needs of the youth and communities we serve. The new and improved internship program, Roots for the Future, will create a powerful, youth-centered model for environmental leadership.

Learn about our improvements

Staff voices

In 2024, my work with the Midwest Row Crop Collaborative (MRCC) and World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Freshwater initiative gave me a front-row seat to what meaningful, cross-sector collaboration really takes.

In MRCC, we closed out a five-year chapter in the HSBC Nature Based Solutions Accelerator program and channeled those lessons into the Regenerative Agriculture Leadership Cohort, incorporating dialogue amongst corporate leaders that doesn’t shy away from complexity. Similarly, in our freshwater work, we identified how disconnects in language and timelines between corporates, NGOs, government, and academia can make collaboration feel more like friction than progress — and then created space to bridge that gap.

Through the course of the year, I found myself returning to one question: What does it look like to remain curious and stay in collaboration when things get tough? That spirit of humility and momentum is what I’m most excited to carry forward into 2025.

— Jaycie Thomsen, Associate Partnership Director

Community voices

Partnering with Environmental Initiative has allowed us to engage across business, government, and community sectors in ways that are both meaningful and action-oriented.

What stands out most is their commitment to working through complexity and difference—fostering dialogue that honors diverse voices and experiences even when tensions are present.

Whether through community-led projects or cross-sector convenings, our collaboration has shown that real change happens when we come together across perspectives to spark innovative solutions and build lasting relationships.

— Carolina Ortiz, Associate Executive Director, COPAL

Board voices

I’m proud to be a member of the board of Environmental Initiative. The strength of this organization is really its ability to connect across so many folks – from individuals who see the impacts of inaction on our environment and communities, to large companies and governments who have the scale to make change.

Environmental Initiative brings together so many people, each with their own perspective, but the same goal – a healthier environment for our community. I think this approach allows the organization to uniquely meet the moment and deliver outcomes for people and planet.

— Amy Senter, Board Member