NEW YORK (July 8, 2014) –Toyota TogetherGreen, a conservation initiative of the National Audubon Society and Toyota, is pleased to invite applicants for its 2014 fellowship and innovation grants program. The program supports and fosters diverse, community-driven conservation projects that result in sustainable and innovative solutions.
 
This year, Audubon will award 20 Toyota TogetherGreen fellowships to promising and proven individuals to help them advance their environmental work and leadership skills. Each fellowship includes a $10,000 grant to develop and execute a community conservation action project, professional development opportunities and access to numerous networks and events. All fellows will be required to conduct a 12-month community-based action project to achieve measurable outcomes that address conservation goals.
 
Innovation grants will also be awarded to 20 cutting-edge conservation projects that involve communities traditionally underrepresented in the conservation movement, with a focus on habitat, water and energy preservation. All grantees will be required to build strategic organizational partnerships to help generate impact and long-term results.
                                                                                                                                                
In 2008, Audubon and Toyota created the Toyota TogetherGreen initiative through a $20 million grant – the largest donation in Audubon’s 104-year history. With this support, Audubon has expanded the scope and reach of its conservation action nationwide. Audubon and Toyota TogetherGreen have trained more than 695 conservation leaders, improved over 30,000 acres of habitat, conserved over 15 million gallons of water and captured $10.5 million worth of volunteer time in 295 cities across all 50 states.
 
In hundreds of communities, the program helps tens of thousands of people take conservation action, including a congregation in Chicago’s South Side that hosts organic farmers markets for residents with little access to healthy food, veterans who are healing war wounds through ecological restoration, and prisons that help restore habitat for the threatened Silverspot Butterfly in Oregon.
 
Audubon and Toyota TogetherGreen are changing the face of conservation in America by tackling tough problems with creativity, innovation and a diverse array of perspectives. From religious groups to inner-city students to low-income communities, Americans from all walks of life have gotten involved in this movement. Audubon and Toyota welcome those who are passionate about the environment and its preservation for future generations to apply.
 
The deadline to apply for a Toyota TogetherGreen fellowship or innovation grant is 6 p.m. PDT on Friday, August 15, 2014. Visit www.togethergreen.org/fellows  and www.togethergreen.org/grants  for application guidelines, selection criteria, eligibility, benefits, and online applications for both programs.  For more information contact [email protected].