Seven organizations award grants for addressing ocean health

LOS ANGELES—An organization in Los Angeles won a grant award from 11th Hour Racing, allowing them to expand its Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programming for sailing and boat-building, it was recently announced. LifeSail was one of seven organizations to be awards with grant funds from 11th Hour Racing. The grantees are selected based upon their respective work to mobilize the sailing and marine communities “to create systemic change for the health of our oceans.”

The new grant to LifeSail will cover the organization’s work with underserved youth in 2019 and 2020. LifeSail works with more than 350 students, ages 5 to 18, in a year-round STEM program for boat-building and sailing; the 11th Hour Racing funding will help LifeSail expand its programming.

“The organization focuses on underserved youth, providing them with the tools and resources to develop self-confidence, learn team building and improve social skills in a recreational setting, while also encouraging hands-on, real-world explorations of STEM topics and environmental stewardship,” an 11th Hour Racing statement on grant award winners stated.

Grant award winners are selected based on projects focusing on four elements:

• Solutions to reduce ocean pollution
• Advancing clean technologies and best practices to reduce the environmental impact of the sailing industry
• Tackling climate change through ecosystem restoration, and
• Fostering ocean literacy and stewardship.

The seven grantees are developing their own projects in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“The round of grantees represents an exciting and diverse approach to addressing health issues – from practical solutions in ecosystem restoration to research on microplastic pollution generated by the marine industry to education initiatives aimed at creating a new cohort of ocean stewards in the sailing and coastal communities,” 11th Hour Racing co-Founder Rob MacMillan said in a released statement. “With this new round of funding, we’ve now given more than 100 grants to 78 organizations since 2013.”

Other organizations to be awarded grants were:

• Billion Oyster Project, New York, oyster reef restoration
• BLAKE, Auckland, New Zealand, youth marine ecosystem education
• Fauna & Flora International, Cambridge, U.K., microplastic pollution
• newportFILM, Newport, Rhode Island, documentaries on ocean and coastal threats
• Treasure Island Sailing Center, San Francisco, 5-day STEM program on water quality
• Youth Sailing Foundation of Indian River Country, Vero Beach, Florida, water quality and erosion prevention.

More information about 11th Hour Racing’s grant program is available online at 11thhourracing.org/apply.