The Polynesian Voyaging Society receives a grant from 11th Hour Racing for an environmental project

11th Hour Racing awarded $255,000 in environmental grants to the Polynesian Voyaging Society of Hawaii and four other organizations across the country. They are funded by the Schmidt Family Foundation.

Polynesian tour company received a $30,000 grant. The funds will be used to engage aspiring navigators in storm training and the ancient science of non-instrumental, pioneering navigation while sailing the ‘Alenuihāhā Channel between the islands of Maui and Hawaii. It is preparing the Society’s Moananuiākea Voyage: a five-year circumnavigation of the Pacific Ocean covering 41,000 miles, 345 ports, 46 countries and archipelagos, and 100 indigenous territories. It starts in Hawaii.

By the end of the journey in 2026, the aim is to inspire, educate and nurture a new generation of 10 million navigators, young people who can lead the many different types of bold journeys our earth needs now, with the appropriate According to the company’s website, attitude, preparation and the courage to face the coming storms and the resilience to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded in 1975 with Hōkūle’a, a double-hulled sailing canoe modeled after a traditional Polynesian deep-sea vessel. It was built to disprove the popular theory that the Hawaiian archipelago was accidentally discovered and to prove that Polynesians deliberately traversed the vast Pacific Ocean, using elements of nature such as the sun, clouds, currents and bird migrations to create waypoints in ocean navigation to put.

According to a press release, 11th Hour Racing is working to mobilize sailing, maritime and coastal communities with an innovative approach to inspire solutions for the ocean. The organization’s grant strategy focuses on pilot programs that model best practices for sustainability, advance ocean stewardship and effect systemic change to restore ocean health.

“At 11th Hour Racing, we believe that building a community committed to ocean stewardship and environmental sustainability begins with meaningful experiences for young people, especially communities that historically have had less access to the ocean,” said Michelle Carnevale, vice president of programming. “We know that experiencing oceans, rivers and lakes firsthand and seeing all the natural wonders our planet has to offer can be inspiring and lead to community-wide participation in sustainable initiatives. We are proud to support these organizations that offer young people these experiences along with pathways to future career opportunities.”

The other scholarship holders:

• The Baltimore Compost Collective in Maryland is a residential food waste collection service with a youth entrepreneurship program that employs local teens and trains them in work skills, food sustainability programs and community composting. Workers receive guided, hands-on experience by running a small-scale composting operation. The compost they create is used in their local community garden to grow fresh produce. It received a grant of $55,000.
• Gather New Haven in Connecticut hosts Schooner Camp to provide students ages 6-14 with an experiential STEM education with an environmental focus. The organization will develop a new curriculum that will incorporate composting and expand its marine ecology and on-water educational activities into a year-round initiative. It also runs a Growing Entrepreneurs program that empowers high school students to develop small green ventures through urban farming, composting, and carpentry activities. It received a $40,000 grant.
• The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center in Rhode Island feeds, educates, and supports Newport County residents to improve their economic, social, and physical well-being. It provides scholarships for students and will expand educational opportunities through its early childhood childcare programs and after-school academy. The MLK Center recently added programs focused on exercise and mindfulness, experiential outdoor learning, STEM education, and environmental education. It received an $80,000 grant.
• Movement Education Outdoors in Rhode Island provides equal access for black youth with limited economic resources to experience the great outdoors. The organization will expand its Agua Day Camp for students in grades 6-8 and MEO Paddles for students in grades 9-12 to develop water safety, environmental protection, and place-based ecological and historical education. It received a $50,000 grant.

11th Hour Racing adopts new ones grant applications to January 31, 2022. The organization awards grants worldwide and welcomes international organizations to apply.

Current grants are for one year and typically range in value from $10,000 to $100,000, with an average grant size of $25,000. First-time grants to new organizations tend to be smaller.

To learn more about the 11th Hour Racing sponsorship program, click here.