Climate Justice
A Strategic Shift in Our Climate Work, July 2026
On June 25, 2026, we withdrew our application to serve as a Community Climate Investment Entity under Oregon’s Climate Protection Program.
Our belief in the Climate Protection Program remains unchanged. It is one of the nation’s most meaningful efforts to build a just, clean energy future that directs resources to the communities that have borne the weight of pollution for generations.
However, in a political environment shaped by ongoing opposition, administering this program now demands endurance for uncertainty that conflicts with our strategic focus. We have concluded that we can make a greater impact by prioritizing our core strengths: organizing, advocating, and building the power to turn climate action into real, local benefits.
The fossil fuel corporations working to weaken this program spent decades creating the conditions our communities face: polluted air, contaminated water, and surging energy bills. We will continue to stand alongside low-income households, tribal nations, rural and immigrant Oregonians, and communities of color to fight these harms.
Our commitment is rooted in half a century of community advocacy. In recent years, we have strengthened our climate partnerships and conducted a community-mapping process that engaged Oregonians across the state. This groundwork belongs to the broader movement.
We remain deeply committed to ensuring environmental justice communities stay in the forefront of Oregon’s climate action efforts.
Our Long-Term Commitment
For 50 years, Seeding Justice has stood with Oregon communities to move resources and build power. Our climate commitment has been part of this work since the beginning. Our 1976–78 Annual Report (PDF), for example, documents grants to the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, Citizens for Progressive Forestry, and People Concerned About Liquid Natural Gas, among others.
Today, the work continues as we lead initiatives designed to scale community power and bridge resource gaps:
Columbia River Restoration Fund (CRRF). Established in 2021 with Columbia Riverkeeper, this fund directs settlements from polluter litigation toward community-led projects that restore the health of the Columbia River Basin across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada.
In 2023, Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality selected Seeding Justice as the Community Climate Investment Entity for its Climate Protection Program. A procedural lawsuit filed by the fossil fuel industry later invalidated the state program.
Undaunted, we launched our independent climate justice fund on Earth Day 2024. Donors have made it possible for us to bolster our expertise, strengthen partnerships, and embark on a community-mapping process that included extensive statewide engagement and outreach. You may contribute to our Climate Justice Fund below.
In 2024, Executive Director Se-ah-dom Edmo represented our climate justice vision at the Clinton Global Initiative in NYC, amplifying our commitment to community-driven clean energy. Watch the video below.
Climate Action Resource Navigation (CARN): Our newest initiative, launching in 2026, will help nonprofits across the Portland Metro region access climate funding. To bridge the gap between community needs and available resources, we will provide matchmaking for partnerships, facilitate peer-learning cohorts, and offer 1:1 advising on project design and grant development. This work will be led by Seeding Justice in partnership with Willamette Partnership and supported by the Metro Region Social Innovation Council.
How We Lead
Our climate justice work is community-centered. We believe that those most impacted by our changing environment are best positioned to lead its solutions. We work to repair historic environmental injustices by fostering community-designed economic development, ensuring that our clean energy future is equitable and inclusive of the voices often left out of the conversation—including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, youth, elders, and rural communities.