EPOC Environmental Grant Awards for 2025

The Environmental Professionals Organization of Connecticut (EPOC) is pleased to announce our environmental grant awards for 2025 as follows (total amount of all awards is $15,465):

• McLean Game Refuge, Inc.
  The McLean Game Refuge is Connecticut’s largest private wildlife sanctuary and is home to thousands of plant and animal species. For nearly 100 years, the leadership of McLean has carried on George McLean’s legacy, expanding to over 4,400 acres and opening nearly 30 miles of trails to thousands of visitors. EPOC’s grant will help support a new center for game refuge management and education, and specifically to renovate a maintenance garage. This larger and better equipped space will enable them to attract and train an expanded work force to protect wildlife and maintain a diversity of ecosystems.
  
  
• North Branford Land Conservation Trust, Inc. 
  The mission of the North Branford Land Conservation Trust is to acquire and maintain open space and to promote the conservation of land and natural resources within the Town of North Branford and environs. EPOC’s grant will help support their vision to create The Beech Street Demonstration Forest with walking trails to observe the vernal pond, eagles and other wildlife, as well as an ADA compliant parking area and trail. 
  
  
• Roaring Brook Nature Center 
  Roaring Brook Nature Center (RBNC) is a wildlife refuge and educational center offering nature-focused programs and recreation in addition to wildlife rehabilitation services. As a satellite campus of The Children's Museum, the RBNC facility houses immersive exhibits that highlight local ecosystems, past and present, through life-sized murals, displays, and live animal ambassadors that engage visitors of all ages. EPOC’s grant will support general operational support of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, including essential expenses such as staff time, animal food, medical supplies, and other critical resources required to provide high-quality care. 
  
  
• Bartlett Arboretum Association, Inc. 
  The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens is dedicated to fostering a deep connection between people and nature through education, conservation, and community engagement. Their 93-acre living museum in Stamford, Connecticut, serves as a hub for environmental education, scientific discovery, and the preservation of native and rare plant species. EPOC’s grant will support a comprehensive renovation of the historic Frank Bartlett Heisinger Conifer Garden within the 93-acre property, upgrading it to exemplify modern ornamental horticultural standards. 
  
  
• Girl Scouts of Connecticut Inc. 
  Since 1912, Girl Scouts of Connecticut has anticipated the evolving challenges youth face, offering dynamic programming that empowers all participants—regardless of age, background, or ability—to explore, innovate, and create lasting change in their communities. EPOC’s grant will support environmental education initiatives and expand access to youth in underserved communities across the state. The goal of this project is to expand access to high-quality environmental education through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, inspiring a new generation of environmental stewards across Connecticut. 
  
  
• Gather New Haven 
  Gather New Haven’s mission is to promote health, equity, and justice for people and the environment by cultivating connections with each other and our local lands and waters, and by inspiring us to care for ourselves, our community, and the natural world. Gather’s programs center on the intersections of urban agriculture, public health, community development, education, and environmental stewardship. EPOC’s grant will help support funding to implement the Hemingway Creek Nature Preserve Invasive Species Mitigation Project. Ecological benefits will center on diversifying forest structure, enhancing the long-term health of the stand, and protecting neighboring properties from encroachment. 
  
  
• Connecticut Forest and Park Association 
  Established in 1895, Connecticut Forest & Park Association’s (CFPA) mission is to connect people to Connecticut’s forests, parks, an trails, to ensure these special places are protected and well managed for future generations. CFPA inspires active, lifelong engagement with Connecticut’s abundant and well-managed forests, parks, and trails by building a vibrant and diverse conservation community. EPOC’s grant will help support their Master Woodland Manager (MWM) program. The MWM program combines interactive field experiences with online modules, offering flexible yet rigorous training experience directed by CFPA and enriched by partnerships with leading organizations, including the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, UConn, Yale, Audubon Connecticut, and the Connecticut Land Conservation Council. 
  
  
• Community Foundation of Middlesex County 
  The Community Foundation of Middlesex County is an Old Saybrook community organization dedicated to addressing the town's low tree canopy and the corresponding loss of health, energy, environmental and climate resilience benefits of a strong and health tree canopy. EPOC’s grant will support their project to give away 150 trees in 2025. Trees will be given away to property owners from census blocks that are prioritized according to % tree canopy, poverty and % of seniors and children.

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The EPOC Grant Program provides non-profit and not-for-profit environmental advocacy groups, community-based groups and environmental education organizations, funding for local projects that benefit the environment on an annual basis. For further information, see our Grant Program page on our website at epoc.org/grants.