CLIENTS &
CASE STUDIES
Learn about our clients and the projects we have partnered on that support farmers, academics, and community members.
The Nature Conservancy’s Equitable Public Funding Access team at Washington
Location: Various locations in Washington State
Organization Type: Nonprofit providing support to rural entrepreneurs
The Opportunity: Provide technical support to The Nature Conservancy (TNC) partners in order to build capacity and pursue funding to achieve conservation priorities.
Partnering with Ensoterra: TNC supports projects that achieve community-driven outcomes for climate mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity. As a partner of TNC, Ensoterra is paired with pre-screened businesses who need assistance with grant prospecting, writing and funding strategies, coalition and network building, strategic communication support on projects through learning networks and other support identified by the business.
Rural, Nonprofit and Governmental Readiness Toolkit: TNC also funded Ensoterra to develop an easy-to-use Readiness Toolkit to help organizations understand their current capacity, identify areas of growth, and make informed decisions about when and how to pursue new opportunities. The toolkit is broken into the following sections that include a short explanation of why the readiness area matters, along with a simple checklist to guide reflection and decision-making.
Strategic Readiness Clarity of mission, alignment with opportunities, internal support, and strategic fit.
Operational Readiness Staffing, systems, policies, safety, documentation, and project management.
Financial Readiness Budgeting capacity, internal controls, grant management, and fiscal stability.
Grant Readiness Define a strong project, write and manage grants, track data, and ensure compliance.
Partnership Readiness Collaborate effectively with partners, share responsibilities, and coordinate activities.
Nonprofit and Government Add-Ons Tailored checklists to reflect on compliance, governance, and administrative needs.
Lane Community Health Council
Location: Eugene, OR
Organization Type: Nonprofit Health Council
The Opportunity: Lane Community Health Council had a rare opportunity to invest millions of dollars into a collaborative food security project to benefit Lane County.
Partnering with Ensoterra: We developed a 5-year plan Project Plan on how to sustainably invest money to improve food security, particularly in underserved and rural areas. We used the Code of Federal Regulations to ensure fiduciary responsibility for spending federal dollars and will establish one-year action plans to implement the project. We meet regularly with the collaborators involved including FOOD for Lane County and the Upper Willamette Soil & Water Conservation District to provide logistical support and project management.
Securing the future: A local collaboration to fight food insecurity, KLCC News Podcast
Tahoe Food Hub
Location: Truckee, CA
Organization Type: Nonprofit Food Hub
The Opportunity: Tahoe Food Hub is building a food system that supports regenerative farming practices and creates fair market opportunities for family farms by increasing local food access for our mountain community. To advance their mission, they want to apply for public funding.
Partnering with Ensoterra: Tahoe Food Hub identified a state block grant that supported resilience in the middle of the supply chain. We gathered information from staff to write and submit a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant and provided Tahoe Food Hub with templates to develop their work plan, budget and budget justification.
OSU-Cascades, COIC and Bend Chamber
Location: Bend, OR
Organization Types: University, Economic Development District & Council of Government and Chamber of Commerce
The Opportunity: OSU-Cascades in collaboration with Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council and Bend Chamber of Commerce are in the process of developing Phase II of their Innovation Hub project and are seeking grant funds from Business Oregon.
Partnering with Ensoterra: With a quick turn-around time, we partnered with a team of collaborators to understand the needs of the project and write the grant utilizing existing resources and input. The project scope spans multiple cities and counties and will be a resource for innovators and entrepreneurs. The Hub’s coordinated support system will nurture entrepreneurs to help them create innovative, traded sector businesses that generate novel solutions to the region’s problems and opportunities for the residents of its equitable, sustainable, and thriving communities.
Business Oregon grants OSU-Cascades funds to fuel innovation, Bend Bulletin