The St. Croix Valley Foundation has awarded a record $442,200 in Environmental Grants to 29 organizations, marking the largest environmental grant cycle in the history of the Foundation’s regional grant programs.

With this year’s awards, the Environmental Grant Program has now awarded more than $708,000 in just three years to support environmental work across the St. Croix Valley. This year’s record level of grantmaking was made possible by a generous $400,000 anonymous gift, combined with available grant funding from the Foundation’s endowed St. Croix Valley Environmental Fund.

The 2026 grants support environmental organizations, schools, local initiatives and community projects across the region—from protecting water quality and conserving land to restoring habitat, strengthening environmental education and creating more opportunities for people to care for and connect with the natural world.

“This record year shows what becomes possible when generosity meets the knowledge and commitment already at work in our communities,” said Angie Pilgrim, Vice President of Community Impact at the St. Croix Valley Foundation. “These 29 organizations are approaching environmental stewardship in many different ways, but they share a commitment to protecting the places and natural resources that make the St. Croix Valley such a special place to live.”

From Grassroots Action to Hands-On Stewardship

Among this year’s recipients is St. Croix Citizens Uniting for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CURES), a grassroots organization awarded $13,500 for its Protecting the St. Croix River Watershed for Generations project.

CURES is working to increase awareness of nitrate contamination and water quality issues affecting private wells and groundwater. The volunteer review panel was particularly impressed by the organization’s grassroots approach, its engagement with local decision-makers and its ability to build awareness and action with limited resources.

“We are deeply grateful to the St. Croix Valley Foundation for investing in the future of clean water in our region,” said Sue Curtis, President of CURES. “This grant will help us bring people together to better understand the growing challenges facing our groundwater, private wells, lakes, and rivers. Through education, workshops, and collaboration, we hope to turn awareness into action and build a strong culture of water stewardship.”

Other grants demonstrate the breadth of environmental work happening across the region. UW-Madison Division of Extension received $10,000 to support the Wisconsin Summit for Natural Resources Volunteers, supporting volunteer learning, skill-building and hands-on projects. Marine Village School received $10,000 for its Rooting Resilience Through Community Forest Stewardship project, while the River Falls School District received $10,000 for outdoor learning, exploration and restoration through the River Falls School Forest.

2026 Environmental Grant Recipients

The Foundation awarded the following 29 Environmental Grants totaling $442,200, selected from 44 proposals requesting $603,475. Recommendations were made by a volunteer review panel representing communities and environmental expertise from across the region. Two grants were made in collaboration with the Stillwater Area Community Fund, combining $5,000 in local grant support with $5,000 from the Environmental Grant Program for each project.

Organization Name	Funding / Project	Grant Amount
Belwin Conservancy	General Operating	$30,000.00
Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center	General Operating	$30,000.00
Friends of Willow River & Kinnickinnic State Parks	General Operating	$30,000.00
Sustainable Stillwater MN	General Operating	$30,000.00
Wild Rivers Conservancy of the St. Croix and Namekagon	General Operating	$30,000.00
Kinnickinnic River Land Trust	General Operating	$25,000.00
Philadelphia Community Farm	General Operating	$25,000.00
Standing Cedars Community Land Conservancy	General Operating	$25,000.00
YMCA of the North – Camp St. Croix	General Operating	$25,000.00
St. Croix 360 (sponsored by ArtReach)	General Operating	$20,000.00
Grow to Share, LLC	General Operating	$18,000.00
Hope for Earth	General Operating	$15,000.00
St. Croix Citizens Uniting for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CURES)	Protecting the St. Croix River Watershed for Generations	$13,500.00
Riverwood Nature Center Inc	General Operating	$12,500.00
Friends of Freedom Park	General Operating	$10,000.00
Friends of Lake Elmo’s Sunfish Lake Park/Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center*	General Operating	$10,000.00
Marine Village School	Rooting Resilience Through Community Forest Stewardship	$10,000.00
Minnesota Land Trust	Partnering with Afton to Create an Agriculture Land Conservation Program	$10,000.00
Pollinator Friendly Alliance*	Big Marine Biodiversity Project	$10,000.00
River Falls School District	River Falls School Forest: Outdoor Learning, Exploring and Restoring	$10,000.00
Science Museum of Minnesota – St. Croix Watershed Research Station	St. Croix Watershed Research Station	$10,000.00
University of Wisconsin – River Falls	South Fork Living Laboratory and Stewardship Initiative	$10,000.00
UW-Madison Division of Extension (Sponsored by UW Foundation)	Wisconsin Summit for Natural Resources Volunteers	$10,000.00
Franconia Sculpture Park	Franconia Sculpture Park’s 2027 Prescribed Prairie Burn	$5,000.00
Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity, Inc.	Girls Build: Water Wise	$5,000.00
Hope Lutheran Church	Community Walking Path	$4,000.00
Rush City School District	Environmental Experiences at Rush City High School	$3,900.00
St Joseph Parish School	Outdoor Environmental Learning Program	$2,800.00
Polk County Historical Society	Protecting Wisconsin’s Native Species	$2,500.00
TOTAL		$442,200.00

*Includes $5,000 from the Stillwater Area Community Fund and $5,000 from the St. Croix Valley Foundation Environmental Grant Program.

Growing Environmental Impact Across the Valley

The St. Croix Valley Foundation launched its Environmental Grant Program in 2024 to connect local generosity with environmental needs across the region. It supports environmental education, community engagement and stewardship, hands-on restoration, and site-based projects such as invasive species removal, native plantings, habitat enhancement, and outdoor recreation improvements.

The program was launched after the establishment of the St. Croix Valley Environmental Fund, an endowed field of interest fund established in 2021 by Jim and Judy Freund and strengthened by contributions from individuals, families and organizations who care deeply about the future of the region.

To learn more about the Environmental Grant Program and the St. Croix Valley Environmental Fund, visit scvfoundation.org/grants/environmental.