The David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s Post

We work with people and communities to create enduring solutions for just societies and a healthy, resilient natural world. Learn more about our work at packard.org/approach.

Meet Sherly, an active youth leader in Salinas, California! Sherly teaches dance through CHISPA, a non-profit community-based housing development organization that offers educational and recreational programs to its residents. Sherly watched her two older siblings participate in CHISPA’s Teen Leadership Council, and at the age of 11, they encouraged her to get involved. Today, she teaches Folklorico classes to her neighbors. CHISPA is an organization supported by the Packard Foundation's Salinas Youth Initiative. For more than a decade, this initiative supported organizations that provide arts, academic, and athletic enrichment opportunities to East Salinas youth. Learn more about the Salinas Youth Initiative ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/g46qcTjc

Earlier this month we celebrated 36 years of scientific innovation and discovery at our annual #PackardFellows meeting!

We are thrilled to celebrate 60 years of remarkable partnerships with locally based grantees, community members, and philanthropic partners at our 60th Anniversary Open House today! We are also joined by three important institutions that are core to our legacy: Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and MBARI. Join us in celebrating six decades of partnering with changemakers to drive innovation and impact! 👏 #Packard60

Meet Felix, a guitar teacher in Salinas, California! When Felix was 9 years old when he saw a flyer promoting a guitar class for kids posted in his neighborhood. He found his father’s guitar and went to the class—and then the next one, and the one after that, continuing for four years as he fell in love with the instrument. Twelve years later, Felix plays guitar in a jazz combo, leads a rock band, and, for the past 8 years, has been teaching the class he once took. He teaches guitar as a part of the music program at CHISPA, an organization supported by the Packard Foundation's Salinas Youth Initiative. For more than a decade, the initiative, this initiative supported organizations that provide arts, academic, and athletic enrichment opportunities to East Salinas youth. Learn more about the Salinas Youth Initiative ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/g46qcTjc

Protecting the peatlands one pineapple at a time 🍍👏 On a global scale, peatlands store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests combined, underscoring their significance in mitigating climate change. Indonesia is home to 36% of all tropical peatlands, lending the country a particularly important position in global conservation efforts. In 2016, the Indonesian government established Peatland Restoration Agency that is tasked to restore over 2.6 million hectares of peatland, as Indonesia has experienced a significant destruction of its peatlands in the past. That’s where solutions like the Mahkota Siak pineapples come in. Learn how local leaders like Suliza and Cindi in the Temusai Village founded Pinaloka, a business that brings new value their community’s pineapples while contributing to the protection of the surrounding peatlands. Pinaloka is supported by Lingkar Temu Kabupaten Lestari | Secretariat (LTKL), an Indonesian district government association that works to promote sustainable development that protects the environment and improves the welfare of the community. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gFxD9VxS

About one-quarter of the world’s land is owned or managed by Indigenous Peoples and forest communities and yet only a small proportion of these communities hold secure rights to own, manage, and control their land and resources.  Recent land rights victories for Indigenous groups in Southwest Papua, Indonesia, showcase the strength of grassroots movements and the importance of legal recognition for Indigenous communities in preserving their lands and culture. Together with our partners at the Climate and Land Use Alliance and other donors, we are supporting a philanthropic initiative called Forests, People, Climate that partners with funders and civil society organizations to end and reverse deforestation in tropical forests. Learn more about the Knasaimos, Tehit Mlaqya, and Nakin Onim Fayas Indigenous communities and their recent landmark victories. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gfEarF6w

Today NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration released the final environmental impact statement for the #ChumashSanctuary! The proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary along California's central coast aims to recognize and preserve Chumash tribal history and protect the area’s rich biodiversity. We are thrilled to see this important step toward elevating Indigenous perspectives and cultural values in ocean conservation to address the global biodiversity crisis and accelerate nature-based climate solutions.

Then ➡️ now In 1988, the Foundation established the Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering to allow the nation’s most promising early-career scientists and engineers flexible funding to take risks and explore new frontiers in their fields of study. Today, there is a network of 695 Fellows! Each year the Foundation selects 20 Fellows from 50 invited institutions to receive individual grants of $875,000, distributed over five years. Next month we will announce the 2024 class of #PackardFellows! In the meantime, learn more about our Fellows at packard.org/fellows. #Packard60 #FellowsFriday