2018 Grants

La Placita was formed in Flint, MI in 2015 as a non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to advocating for the Hispanic-Latino populations in Genesee County in the areas of education, cultural awareness and social needs.

Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation’s mission is to protect Michigan’s surface and ground waters from pollution, plunder, and privatization through education, advocacy, and action. Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation (MCWC) is a grassroots, non-profit, all-volunteer organization. MCWC organized in 2000 to protect our water resources from corporate theft; specifically, after the state granted Nestlé Waters North America a permit to withdraw 400 gallons per minute in Mecosta, MI. Through MCWC, local citizens began a legal battle that continued for seven years, limiting Nestlé’s grab of fresh water by the millions of gallons. Their work continues as they strive to protect the water of the commons from those who would pollute, plunder, or privatize.

The contemporary story of David and Goliath plants itself in the desert of Patagonia, New Mexico where the grassroots coalition must defy the odds and oppose the colossal fossil fuel industry. The Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA) boldly leads the charge to protect their community and surrounding diverse ecosystem by working with local businesses and organizations to educate and collaborate with its citizens in opposing the various mining companies seeking access to the town’s water. PARA was able to produce a short film in order to educate and mobilize its citizens. Their work, however, is not over. Goliath still hovers over the small town.

The Our Water Campaign successfully canvased, educated, congregated, and communicated to the community of 300,000 and local legislators until Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro began holding the parties responsible for poisoning the residents of Pittsburg. However, he left some parties unaccounted for in his legal pursuit. Specifically, Veolia, the Paris-based water corporation responsible for the contamination. If they are not also held responsible for their role in polluting, the responsibility to “clean-up”, a laborious and costly task falls back on the same community already struggling to recover from the health and financial catastrophes at play.

The volcano known as Mount Shasta is part of watersheds for three rivers in Northern California.  The purity of the waters emanating from Mount Shasta has made the area a target for water and beverage bottling companies eager to profit from these resources. Upon hearing the news about Crystal Geyser Water Company’s purchase of the empty Coca-Cola Mt. Shasta facility in October 2013, a group of concerned community members joined together and formed We Advocate Thorough Environmental Review, more commonly known as W.A.T.E.R.  Having known about or actually experienced the many problems that occurred during the operation of the facility by Dannon Waters and Coca-Cola, these citizens have worked since to ensure that these problems would not reoccur.”

In the ash of devastating fire in September of 2014, the value of water to the small community of Weed in Northern California became the difference between life and death. Already struggling to rebuild, a small group of citizens realized that they didn’t actually own the water in Beaughan Springs and only two years later did the lumbar company, Roseburg Forest Products, command its power over political officials and control the water for bottling. Ravaged by fire, stripped of water, and now exposed to the toxins of water bottling facilities. The phoenix of this story, Water for Weed, has risen from the ashes with their sights on legal opposition and providing immediate relief to the fire department and families without clean water.