Our Mission, Vision, and Roots
Rose believes that environmental stewardship, community justice, and consumer rights are all inextricably linked.
We amplify community voices by making grants, building capacity, and fostering the next generation of environmental leaders.
Rose Values
Environmental Stewardship
Community
Justice
How We Mobilize Action
The belief that those closest to the problem are the most equipped to solve it unites Rose’s programs. By redirecting money and resources to groups representing marginalized populations, we build power where meaningful change begins.
Directing Remediation Payments Back to Affected Communities
Rose works with the legal community to channel restitution funds back to impacted communities. As the trustee for over 600 such funds, we maximize their reach and impact to protect watersheds, ensure clean air, and mitigate pollution, such as toxins and pesticides. Our extensive field network enables us to reach grantees delivering the greatest benefits to vulnerable populations.
Rose On The Rise Since 1992
Established in 1992 by Jill Ratner and Tim Little, Rose Foundation honors the legacy of Rose Ratner, a Chicago community activist. Inspired by Rose, we interconnect environmental stewardship, community investment, and consumer protection.
Rose Earns Its Foundation Status
1992
Rose is incorporated as a 501c3 in the State of California.
Oakland Neighborhood Environmental Grants - Starts Small, Thinks Big
1994
Rose’s first grants program is pivotal in shaping its grantmaking philosophy. With a funding board composed of local community members and an application process accessible to the smallest grassroots organizations, the program supports groups struggling to find funding by other means.
First Environmental Mitigation Settlement
1994
San Francisco BayKeeper awards a $5,000 settlement to Rose to launch the SF Bay Citizens Action Fund, that supports grassroots funds protecting the San Francisco Bay watershed.The settlement begins a long partnership with citizen enforcement organizations to benefit impacted communities.
Rose Expands to Manage Donor Advised Funds
2000
Rose opens its first donor-advised fund with Richard Makdisi and Lindsay Wheeler. The Makdisi-Wheeler fund aims to support underrepresented groups and unheard voices, choosing Rose for its connection to these organizations. The fund enables the couple to channel money to projects they care about and catalyzes Rose’s work in personal philanthropy.
Championing Consumer Privacy
2002
Rose receives its first cy pres award from a court case involving consumer privacy. The award changes the course of organizational mission to include consumer rights. Since 2002, this fund has awarded millions to organizations at the intersection of privacy rights and civil liberties.
New Voters Are Rising
2004
Co-Founder Jill Ratner establishes New Voters Are Rising in response to poor voter turnout in low-income communities impacted by heavy pollution. In 2004, the project partners with West Oakland’s Downs Memorial Methodist Church to recruit over 150 local youth, who successfully register over 2,000 voters.
New Voters Are Rising Becomes New Voices Are Rising
2005
New Voters Are Rising changes its name to New Voices Are Rising, as it shifts its focus beyond voter registration and voter mobilization to include environmental justice.
Incubating Community Power
2007
Rose launches its first fiscal sponsorship program, helping Community Water Center, a new organization, grow into a powerful Central Valley champion of the human right to water. Since graduating from our incubator, CWC continues to expand, now working with 80 California counties to improve drinking water quality for thousands in the San Joaquin Valley.
New Voices on the Rise
2010
New Voices students’ testimony about the impacts of air pollution in their communities plays a key role in the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s decision not to roll-back emissions standards on diesel trucks.
Rose’s Consumer Program Grows
2012
Rose launches the Consumer FInancial Education Fund, using a $4 million settlement from Bank of America to provide disadvantaged communities with financial literacy training.
Rose Grows in the Pacific NorthWest
2012
Seattle-based Puget Soundkeeper Alliance asks Rose to distribute their record $1.5 million dollar settlement from BNSF railway. Guided by a local advisory board and ongoing funding from Soundkeepr settlements, Rose launches Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund which supports groups protecting the watersheds of Puget Sound, and has cemented our grantmaking presence in the Pacific Northwest.
New Voices Students say NO! to Coal in Oakland
2018
New Voices student Mykela Patton organizes a rally to put pressure on developer Phil Tagami to drop his lawsuit challenging Oakland’s ban on shipping coal in the city. Pressure from the youth and other city residents puts a halt to the project.
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