New Alpha Community Development Corporation is a left-of-center advocacy organization that focuses on environmental issues. The organization works through information campaigns, programs, and trainings. ¹ It also runs events such as tours, concerts, and breast cancer walks. ² It is partnered with and funded by major left-of-center organizations such as the U.S Climate Action Network ³ and the Environmental Defense Fund. ⁴

Its executive director, Leo Woodberry, has worked with left-of-center environmentalist organizations such as the Sierra Club. ⁵

Activities

On October 7, 2020, New Alpha assisted in the opening of the Whitney M. Slater solar farm for low- to moderate-income African American subscribers. ⁶ In October 2021, New Alpha installed solar powered hydro panels on a church and in a neighborhood that had suffered flooding and water-quality problems. ⁷ In 2022, the group helped plant about 1,000 native trees across low-lying wetlands in Britton’s Neck, South Carolina. ⁹

New Alpha partners with left-of-center organizations such as the Anthropocene Alliance, ¹⁰ an environmentalist advocacy group created by a Harriet Festing, a British environmentalist and her husband, the American activist and professor Stephen F. Eisenman. ¹¹ New Alpha is also a member of the U.S. Climate Action Network, ¹²  an nonprofit organization based in Washington D.C. that supports environmentalist advocacy campaigns. ¹³

In 2019, New Alpha was on a list of grantees of the Environmental Defense Fund, ¹⁴ a left-of-center environmentalist group. ¹⁵ New Alpha received a grant for $130,000 in 2022 for a term of 24 months from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, ¹⁶ a left-of-center grant making foundation created by David Packard, a co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, in 1964. ¹⁷

People

Leo Woodberry is the executive director of the New Alpha Community Development Corporation. In 1994, he joined the African American Environmental Justice Action Network (AAEJAN) and worked with other left-of-center environmental organizations such as Sierra Club, ¹⁸ one of the oldest and largest environmentalist organizations in the United States. ²⁰

1. “About.” New Alpha. Last modified February 16, 2021. https://www.newalphacdc.com/about/.
2. “Events Archive.” New Alpha. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.newalphacdc.com/events/list/?eventDisplay=past.
3. “Member Organizations.” US Climate Action Network. Accessed February 19, 2023. https://www.usclimatenetwork.org/member-organizations.
4. “SUMMER OF ACTION GRANTEES 2019.” Environmental Defense Fund. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2019%20Summer%20of%20Action%20Grantees.pdf.
5. “About.” New Alpha. Last modified February 16, 2021. https://www.newalphacdc.com/about/.
6. Walton, Gloria. “Solving Climate is the Answer — and People Hold the Solutions.” Medium. Last modified October 15, 2020. https://100isnow.medium.com/people-hold-the-solutions-26d948d39d92.
7. Parr, Pete, and Leo Woodberry. “Facing effects of climate change, SC communities lead way to protect environment.” The State. Last modified October 1, 2021. https://www.thestate.com/opinion/article254453258.html.
9. Miller, Samantha. “Collaborative Partners Support Climate-Resilient Communities in South Carolina.” The National Wildlife Federation Blog. Last modified October 4, 2022. https://blog.nwf.org/2022/10/collaborative-partners-support-climate-resilient-communities-in-south-carolina/.[/note[

   Partnerships and Funding

   New Alpha works with two main partners, Kingdom Living Temple and the Whitney M. Slater Foundation. Kingdom Living Temple is a Christian church that is focused on interfaith work. Whitney M. Slater Foundation is an organization that helps get scholarships, providing information about environmental issues, and expanding breast cancer awareness. ⁸ “About.” New Alpha. Last modified February 16, 2021. https://www.newalphacdc.com/about/.

10. “New Alpha CDC.” Anthropocene Alliance. Accessed February 19, 2023. https://anthropocenealliance.org/new-alpha-cdc/.
11. “Leadership.” Anthropocene Alliance. Accessed February 19, 2023. https://anthropocenealliance.org/about/leadership/.
12. “Member Organizations.” US Climate Action Network. Accessed February 19, 2023. https://www.usclimatenetwork.org/member-organizations.
13. “2021 USCAN Annual Report.” U.S. Climate Action Network. Accessed February 19, 2023. https://issuu.com/uscan/docs/usacan_2021_usacan_2021_for_issuu_upload?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=cdn.embedly.com.
14. “SUMMER OF ACTION GRANTEES 2019.” Environmental Defense Fund. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2019%20Summer%20of%20Action%20Grantees.pdf.
15. “About.” Environmental Defense Fund. Accessed February 19, 2023. https://www.edf.org/about.
16. “New Alpha Community Development Corporation.” The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Last modified February 16, 2023. https://www.packard.org/grants-and-investments/grants-database/new-alpha-community-development-corporation/.
17. “Our History.” The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Last modified June 23, 2017. https://www.packard.org/about-the-foundation/our-history/.
18. “About.” New Alpha. Last modified February 16, 2021. https://www.newalphacdc.com/about/.
20. “About Us.” Sierra Club. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://www.sierraclub.org/minnesota/about-us#:~:text=Nationally%2C%20the%20Sierra%20Club%20has,most%20influential%20grassroots%20environmental%20organization.[/note ] Woodberry is also a partner of the South Carolina Environmental Justice Network. He is a pastor of Kingdom Living Temple, a partner organization of New Alpha Community Development Corporation. ¹⁹ “About.” New Alpha. Last modified February 16, 2021. https://www.newalphacdc.com/about/.