2025 Annual Report

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To our community of supporters,

In our day-to-day, we spend a lot of time talking about the purpose of our work and how it can help us build deep enough relationships to make change. Sometimes, an opportunity falls into our lap, and work happens quickly. More often, we spend months—or even years—talking with community members, partners, and funders before we have so much as a concept.

Our organization is proof that those years count. Not all of our projects make headlines, but each one represents the difficult yet rewarding process that is creating and sustaining partnerships. From the Sustainable Growth Coalition scrapping months of work in favor of engaging community members more deeply, to our team shaping a lottery grant process for the community—which has taken years to go from grassroots discussions to state law, and will likely require a decade of organizing to thrive—we invest hundreds of hours into projects where we know the road will be long.

We are deeply grateful for the partners, funders, community members, and leaders who make this work possible. Your commitment helps us keep partnerships alive when many can’t see their worth. In times of uncertainty, turmoil, friction, and unraveling, your unwavering support means more than we can express.

Thank you,

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

Strategizing for a cleaner future

Amidst an ever-changing landscape, Clean Air Minnesota set aside its regular activities to engage in a proactive, strategic conversation about the future. The decades-old partnership emerged with new ideas for reducing emissions collaboratively, including tackling indoor air quality issues, highlighting businesses taking steps to improve our air, and working with frontline communities to implement projects.

Learn about the refresh

Surpassing agriculture outreach goals

Using Reach Farmers Faster’s five-step strategy, Environmental Initiative and Trust in Food™ created outreach aimed at inspiring North and South Dakota ranchers to place 10,000 acres under grazing management plans. We quickly surpassed our goals, influencing ranchers managing 271,295 acres to download written templates with the intent to complete them within one year.

View the case study

Shaping emerging industry leaders

Leveraging almost ten years of insight from its members, the Midwest Row Crop Collaborative launched the Regenerative Agriculture Leadership Cohort in October. This program creates space for new leaders to step out of isolation, learn from peers facing similar constraints, and build shared confidence navigating complexity together.

See early outcomes in the impact report

Connecting and healing in St. Paul

The local Reimagining the Civic Commons team led a successful three-day learning journey to allow members from other cities to explore St. Paul’s neighborhoods and history. Participants engaged with community leaders and collaborators and witnessed how the environment can be a powerful tool for healing, connection, civic engagement, and long-term investment.

Read the recap

Empowering youth leadership

Roots for the Future, formerly Northside Safety NET, completed a new six-week summer program in 2025. Interns explored how climate change impacts them and their communities; gained tools to foster environmental advocacy and leadership; and sharpened their workforce skills through hands-on workshops, field trips, and more.

Hear from intern Naaziah Baker

Improving Uptown air quality

Through the Clean Air Assistance Project, Environmental Initiative helped Hagen’s Auto Body obtain a $50,000 grant from the City of Minneapolis Green Cost Share Program to replace solvent-based paints with water-based alternatives. The shift will reduce more than 793 pounds of volatile organic compounds annually, improving air quality both in and outside the shop.

Learn about the impact

Staff voices

I do this work because I believe that meaningfully addressing the human health impacts of environmental harm requires a foundation of respect and consistency—that’s the story I encountered when I first learned about Environmental Initiative.

This organization has quietly done excellent, high-contact work in some of the less glamorous corners of natural resource stewardship, all while building genuine trust with both urban and rural communities across the region. Getting to stand on the shoulders of that work, and to take on new challenges backed by strong relationships across business, government, and community, is a real gift.

Project development here is different. The depth of knowledge and insight I can draw on lets my work move quickly and confidently. Best of all, this organization keeps that door open to anyone who approaches in good faith.

— Alex Keilty, Senior Partnership Manager

Sharon Nordrum (left) and Cecilia Calvo (right)

Community voices

While I am new to sitting on the board for Environmental Initiative, I am not new with working with them. I have been a part of the process in developing the new ENRTF Community Grants program, which is funded through the sale of lottery tickets.

This has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, holding our stance, and giving to further the cause. These grants are going to help our often overlooked and forgotten communities throughout Minnesota improve their environment health and food sovereignty.

I am looking forward to building relationships outside my own area so we can build a better tomorrow for marginalized and underserved communities.

— Sharon Nordrum, Artist and Educator

Board voices

Flint Hills Resources is proud to be a long time partner of Environmental Initiative – the work they do to bring businesses, agencies, and communities together to work towards common goals helps improve environmental outcomes throughout Minnesota.

I was excited to join the board having seen the collaboration, partnership, and results that this organization fosters.

— Anne Lee, Board Member