Grassroots Power, Real Change
January 2026
Since 2017, The Story of Stuff Project’s Grassroots Grants Program has invested in one simple but powerful idea: lasting environmental change is built from the ground up.
Across the United States, small, community-based organizations are leading the fight against plastic pollution, water privatization, and extractive systems that harm people and the planet. These groups are deeply rooted in their communities, yet they are often under-resourced and overlooked by traditional philanthropy. Our Grassroots Grants Program exists to change that.
In 2025—a year defined by rising costs, funding austerity, and growing pressure on frontline communities—we doubled down on our commitment to grassroots leadership. The result was tangible progress, strengthened local power, and renewed momentum for environmental justice across the country.
About the Grassroots Grants Program
The Story of Stuff Project launched the Grassroots Grants Program in 2017 to support small organizations and informal groups organizing against plastic pollution and water privatization in the United States. Since then, we have supported over 115 grassroots groups with $575,000 in grants, alongside strategic, media, and coalition-building support.
Beyond funding, our program provides grantees with:
- Access to media infrastructure and storytelling tools
- Strategic planning and campaign development support
- Opportunities for coalition building and movement alignment
We prioritize projects that center local community involvement, creative interventions, strategic thinking, and both defensive “fight-back” campaigns and constructive, solutions-focused work.
At its core, the Grassroots Grants Program is about trust—trusting that communities living with the impacts of pollution and environmental injustice are best positioned to design and lead the solutions.
Who We Support
Our grantees are under-resourced groups in the United States, primarily led by and serving:
- Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities
- Youth and retirees
- Low-income and rural communities
They work across environmental issues, with a special focus on plastic pollution, anti-consumerism, water access, and environmental justice. We prioritize organizations with annual budgets of $300,000 or less, where even modest grants can unlock outsized impact.
2025 by the Numbers
In 2025, the Grassroots Grants Program delivered meaningful support during a challenging economic year—directing resources back to communities working to make their cities healthier, fairer, and safer.
Key highlights from 2025 include:
- $75,000 awarded to 20 grassroots organizations
- Average grant size: $3,750
- 15 grants to new grantees, expanding our movement reach
- 5 renewal grants to trusted partners, supporting continuity and growth
Launching the Pilot Reuse Fund
In 2025, we also launched a Pilot Reuse Fund to accelerate solutions to single-use plastic pollution. Designed to complement The Story of Stuff Project’s Serve Up Reuse and Bring Back Refill campaigns, this fund supported local efforts to make reuse the norm.
Through the Pilot Reuse Fund, we awarded:
- 7 grants totaling nearly $30,000 to community-based groups
- Began filming the documentary “Belly of the Beast” [working title] to profile the connection between reusables and environmental racism in Louisiana
These projects focused on:
- Helping restaurants transition from single-use plastics to reusables
- Launching scalable, reusable dishware services for events
- Advancing local and state-level public policy for reuse
Together, these efforts demonstrate that reuse isn’t just possible—it’s already happening, led by communities on the ground.
A Model of Grassroots Leadership: Sea of Life
One of our standout grantees, Sea of Life, exemplifies what sustained grassroots investment can make possible.
Sea of Life works to empower local communities in the Caribbean to collectively reduce their plastic pollution footprint. Their journey with The Story of Stuff Project began with a seed grant during their startup phase. With early support, they launched brand audits to identify the sources of plastic pollution in their region, installed water fountains and reuse education programs at local schools, and built strong community engagement.
Today, Sea of Life is scaling these efforts in partnership with the Belize Department of the Environment —a powerful example of how grassroots leadership can grow into systemic change. Their work underscores a core belief of our program: when frontline communities are trusted and resourced, they deliver lasting solutions.
Centering Equity and Justice
Environmental harm does not impact all communities equally—and neither does access to funding.
The Grassroots Grants Program is grounded in an equity and justice lens that prioritizes BIPOC-led and BIPOC-serving organizations, particularly those operating with limited budgets and capacity. By shifting resources to groups historically excluded from philanthropic funding, we aim to help rebalance power within the environmental movement.
This approach isn’t just about fairness—it’s about effectiveness. Communities facing the greatest environmental burdens are often the ones driving the most innovative, durable solutions.
Looking Ahead
As we move into 2026, we remain committed to strengthening this program, expanding support for the Reuse Fund, and continuing to learn alongside our grantees. The challenges ahead are significant, but so is the creativity, resilience, and leadership of grassroots organizers across the country.
The Grassroots Grants Program is one way The Story of Stuff Project helps ensure that frontline communities are not just part of the conversation—but are leading the way toward a more just and sustainable world.
Join Us
You can be part of this work.
Learn more about our grantees, how to apply for funding, and how to support the Grassroots Grants Program at: storyofstuff.org/grassroots-grants/
Together, we can continue building people-powered solutions that put communities—and the planet—first.
Yours in partnership,
Elisa Ringholm, Chief of Staff & Grassroots Grants Program Manager
Changemaker Personality Communicator/Nurturer
