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EPA Selects 2019 Environmental Justice Small Grants Recipients

11/05/2019

Contact Information:

EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

WASHINGTON (November 5, 2019) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that $1.5 million in competitive grants will be awarded to 50 organizations working to address environmental justice issues in their communities.

Fifty percent of the grants selected will support communities with census tracts designated as federal Opportunity Zones – an economically-distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment.

“Rural and disadvantaged communities are often disproportionately affected by environmental health risks, and at EPA we are working to reverse this trend,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “These grants support the President’s initiatives to invest in and revitalize distressed communities. By supporting often overlooked, local organizations that understand the unique challenges that their communities face, we’re better able to put in place long-term solutions to improve the environment and health of underserved areas of the country.”

EPA's Environmental Justice Small Grants program provides critical support to organizations that otherwise lack the funding and resources to address environmental challenges in underserved and overburdened communities. The funding will help organizations in 27 states and Puerto Rico carry out projects that will:

Educate residents about environmental issues that may impact their health.
Collect data about local environmental conditions.
Conduct demonstrations and trainings to shed light on those conditions.
Work collaboratively to address environmental justice challenges in their communities.

2019 Environmental Justice Small Grants recipients will include:

Passamaquoddy Tribe of Pleasant Point, Sipayik, Maine
Southside Community Land, Trust Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls, R.I.
Housatonic Valley Association, Danbury, Conn.
Penobscot Indian Nation, Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Franklin Counties, Maine
Refugee Dream Center, Providence, R.I.
Randall’s Island Park, New York City, N.Y.
PathStone Island Services Corporation, Aibonito, Puerto Rico
Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, New York City, N.Y.
Groundwork Hudson Valley, Yonkers, N.Y.
Unified Vailsburg Services Organization, Newark, N.J.
Centro de Apoyo Familiar, Prince Georges County, Md.
Nueva Esperanza, Inc, Philadelphia, Pa.
Grounded Strategies, Inc, Pittsburgh, Pa.
City Schoolyard Garden, Charlottesville, Va.
Delaware Riverkeeper, Philadelphia, Pa.
LEAD Coalition of Bay County, Inc., Panama City, Fla.
Ocean Research & Conservation Association, Inc., Saint Lucie County, Fla.
Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development, Knoxville, Tenn.
Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network, Martin County, Ky.
Sustainable Workplace Alliance, Lake Okeechobee, Fla.
Legal Council for Health Justice, Cook County, Ill.
HOURCAR, Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minn.
Mill Creek Alliance, Cincinnati, Ohio
Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Program, Kent, Ottawa and Allegan Counties, Mich.
Legal Aid Chicago, Central and Southern Illinois
Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village, Flint, Mich.
Arkansas Interfaith Power & Light, Little Rock, Ark.
Pueblo of Zia, Zia Pueblo, N.M.
Southern United Neighborhood, New Orleans, La.
Black Space Oklahoma, Inc, Northeast Oklahoma City, Okla.
Sankofa Community Development Corporation, New Orleans, La.
Center for Rural Affairs, Lexington, Columbus, and Denton, Neb.
Justine Petersen Housing and Reinvestment Corporation, St. Louis, Mo.
TrailNet, St. Louis, Mo.
Kansas City Rescue Mission, Kansas City, Mo.
Groundwork Denver, Denver, Colo.
Environmental Learning for Kids, Denver, Colo.
Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, Routt and Moffat Counties, Colo.
Utah Clean Energy Alliance, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah
Lincoln Hills Cares, Denver, Colo.
Sequoia Foundation, San Leandro, Calif.
Santa Monica Bay Foundation, South Los Angeles, Calif.
Groundwork San Diego-Chollas Creek, San Diego, Calif.
PUEDE Center / Pico Union Housing Corp, Los Angeles, Calif.
Community Services Employment Training, Allensworth, Calif.
Voz Workers Rights Education Project, Portland, Ore.
Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides, Lane and Benton Counties, Ore.
Seldovia Village Tribe, Seldovia, Alaska
Forterra Northwest, Renton, Wash.
Methow Valley Citizens Council, Methow Valley, Wash.

For descriptions of each of the 2019 Environmental Justice Small Grant awardees’ projects, visit https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-small-grants-program-project-descriptions-2019

The grants will enable these organizations to conduct research, provide education and training, and develop community-driven solutions to local health and environmental issues in minority, low-income, tribal, and rural communities. Sixteen of this year’s environmental justice grant projects are in communities that are especially vulnerable to disasters.

Specific grant projects include: reducing exposure to lead and other water pollutants; developing green infrastructure and sustainable agriculture projects; implementing basic energy efficiency measures in low-income households; and increasing overall community resiliency.

For the second year in a row, EPA’s Urban Waters program provided $300,000 in funding toward some of the grant awards. Ten grants were selected for communities focused on improving water quality.

This year EPA received 208 applications, which is the highest number since 2013. The grant awards provide approximately $30,000 per project for a one-year project period.

For more information on the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, including descriptions of previously funded grants: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-small-grants-program