Our Work So Far

TL;DR:

See how we got here

Highlights | Our Journey | Behind the Work

Built programs. Testing ideas. Learning what works.

Prime Earth has evolved through years of research, experimentation, youth input, conservation groundwork and real-world testing. These are some of the milestones that shaped the organization we are today.

The Story Behind the Numbers

The numbers show part of the story. The milestones show how we got here: what we built, what we tested, what we learned and what we carried forward.

Our journey so far

Building roots, testing ideas, and laying the groundwork for what’s next.

2019 – 2020

2020: Launching ACE

ACE launched with support from the Canadian Association for Biological Anthropologists. Within two years, ACE grew into a global community of 300+ anthropologists across 20+ countries. Participant feedback shows 96% rated ACE as ‘very valuable’ or higher.

2020 – 2022

2020-2022: Growing Virtual Visits

Virtual Visits launched during COVID. To date Virtual Visits has reached over 5,000 participants across 128 schools in Ontario, with

96% of teachers rated visits as “extremely valuable.”
88% of students (Grades 9–12) rated them as “deeply valuable.”
81% of visits led to repeat bookings.
Raised $15,000 to support our programs.

2023 - 2024

2023–2024: National CSRF Grant

Awarded a $172,000 Community Services Recovery Fund grant by the Government of Canada — a one-time national investment to help non-profits modernize and strengthen their capacity. Out of 15,000 applicants, only 5,500 were funded, and we were chosen as a nationally funded recipient.

This grant allowed us to:

Expand our team and strengthen organizational capacity
Build 26 Building Blocks for the PowerSeekers curriculum
Beta-test the PowerSeekers curriculum
Lay the foundation for growth into a scalable global program

2023: Advancing Scientific Capacity

Through a dedicated wage funding grant, we were able to hire a PhD student in anthropology, with expertise in GIS specializing in conservation. Their work mapped deforestation across Southeast Asia to identify strongholds for gibbon habitat restoration laying the groundwork for our conservation efforts under Gibbon Guardians.

2023: Preparing for Regional Partnerships

A second wage funding grant allowed us to hire a researcher to map potential partnerships across Southeast Asia based on the GIS data. This work identified key stakeholders in priority regions and also contributed to building the PowerShift framework.

2024

2024: Testing & Refining PowerSeekers

PowerSeekers beta tested with 100 youth signed up in Canada (with a few international participants). 8 building blocks piloted across the year, feedback refined program.

2024: First Restoration Work

First on-the-ground restoration: 150 native trees planted for urban canopy expansion (0.3 hectares, Carolinian Forest).

2024: Building Our Civic Action Work

Launched Primate Protectors Pillar Project, joined Social Media Coalition Against Animal Cruelty + Asia for Animals Coalition, began developing Fair Forest Pillar Project talking with Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), hosted our first youth-led workshop (Speak Up, Stand Out), and tested ways young people could participate in informed civic action.

2025

2024–2025: Strengthening Capacity for Restoration

Secured United Nations Association in Canada (CGC-STIP) funding for 3 positions to help plan and implement tree planting projects. These roles supported our restoration pilots, advanced GIS mapping for expansion work in Carolinian Forest and the Pacific Northwest, contributed to stakeholder-building efforts, and developed our PowerShift Care Cycle framework — the model that now guides mentor-led PowerShifts for members.

2025: Designing the Path Forward

Focused on developing our local to global restoration strategy linking urban tree canopy expansion with longer-term habitat restoration projects, bringing together lessons from PowerSeekers efforts, restoration pilots, and Southeast Asia groundwork to scale responsibly to explore how restoration could grow from Canada to the world through PowerSeekers.

2025: Second Restoration Work

Second on-the-ground restoration: 100 native trees planted for urban canopy expansion, along with invasive species removal (0.3 hectares, Carolinian Forest).

2025: Preparing to Launch PowerSeekers

Behind the scenes, we integrated everything learned from PowerSeekers beta into the program’s official launch plan.

Behind the Work

Our work is anthropological, science-oriented, biocentric and inclusive.

We use research, youth input, expert knowledge and real-world testing to build carefully, learn from what happens, and improve what we do.

Along the way, we’ve been strengthened by staff and volunteers from across Canada (PEI, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia), the United States (Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina), and beyond (Malaysia, Mexico, Colombia, Austria, Australia, England).