Inflation Reduction Act Environmental and Climate Justice Program
The Environmental and Climate Justice Program (ECJ Program), created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) under Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 138, provides funding for financial and technical assistance to carry out environmental and climate justice activities to benefit underserved and overburdened communities. EPA has created the EPA IRA Disadvantaged Communities map layer to assist potential applicants seeking to identify whether a community is disadvantaged for the purposes of implementing programs under the IRA.
Congress has appropriated $2.8 billion for financial assistance, and $200 million for technical assistance, to implement this new program at the EPA. EPA must award grants and technical assistance under the ECJ Program by September 30, 2026.
On this page:
- NOW OPEN: Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program (Community Change Grants)
- Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJ TCGM) Program
- Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program
- Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) Program
- Engagement Opportunities
NOW OPEN - Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program (Community Change Grants)
EPA’s new Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program (Community Change Grants) is now OPEN with approximately $2 billion dollars in Inflation Reduction Act funds in environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities.
Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJ TCGM) Program
The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJ TCGM) Program is a competition to select multiple Grantmakers around the nation to reduce barriers to the federal grants application process communities face and increase the efficiency of the awards process for environmental justice grants.
Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program
The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations working to address local environmental or public health issues in their communities.
Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) Program
The Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) program provides funding at the state, local, territorial, and tribal level to support government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms.
Engagement Opportunities
Upcoming Engagement Opportunities
Registration information for upcoming webinars is sent out through the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) Listserv. To subscribe to the OEJECR Listserv, send a blank email to: join-epa-ej@lists.epa.gov. They are also announced on X at @EPAEnvJustice.
Past Engagement Opportunities
August 9, 2023
On August 9, 2023, EPA hosted an informational webinar for community-based organizations, environmental justice organizations, and environmental justice community advocates and leaders targeted in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The recording and a copy of the presentation slides are provided below:
- Recording of U.S. EPA Webinar for the Specified U.S. Territories on the ECJ Program Design
- Presentation Slides (pdf)
August 8, 2023
On August 8, 2023, EPA hosted an informational webinar for community-based organizations, environmental justice organizations, and environmental justice community advocates and leaders targeted in American Samoa. The recording and a copy of the presentation slides are provided below:
- Recording of U.S. EPA Webinar for the Specified U.S. Territories on the ECJ Program Design
- Presentation Slides (pdf)
August 3, 2023
On August 3, 2023, EPA hosted an informational webinar for Federally recognized tribal governments, Alaskan native villages, tribal community representatives, and tribal and/or indigenous community-based nonprofit organizations. The recording and a copy of the presentation slides are provided below:
- Recording of U.S. EPA Webinar for Federally Recognized Tribes on the ECJ Program Design
- Presentation Slides (pdf)
June 13, 2023
On June 13, 2023, EPA hosted a webinar for community-based organizations, environmental justice organizations, local governments, and environmental justice community advocates and leaders along the U.S.-Mexico border and gained input from border communities on the Environmental and Climate Justice Program design. The recording and a copy of the presentation slides are provided below:
- Recording of U.S. EPA Webinar for U.S. Communities along the US-Mexico Border on the Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) Program Design (Main Session only)
- Presentation Slides in English (pdf)
- Presentation Slides in Spanish (pdf)
El 13 de junio de 2023, la EPA organizó un seminario web a lo largo de la frontera entre EE. UU. y México para organizaciones comunitarias, organizaciones de justicia ambiental, gobiernos locales y líderes y defensores comunitarios de la justicia ambiental, y escuchó la opinión de las comunidades fronterizas acerca del diseño del Programa de Justicia Ambiental y Climática. A continuación, se incluye la grabación y una copia de las diapositivas de la presentación:
- Grabación del seminario web de la EPA de EE. UU. sobre el diseño del Programa de Justicia Ambiental y Climática (ECJ) para las comunidades de EE. UU. que están a lo largo de la frontera entre EE. UU. y México (sesión principal solamente)
- Diapositivas de la presentación en inglés (pdf)
- Diapositivas de la presentación en español (pdf)
March 10, 2023
On March 10, 2023, EPA hosted an informational webinar for community-based organizations, environmental justice organizations, and environmental justice community advocates and leaders. The recording, a copy of the presentation slides, and a summary of the Question and Answers are provided below:
- Recording of ECJ FRI Webinar
- ECJ RFI Presentation Slides (pdf)
- ECJ RFI Question and Answer Summary (pdf)
Request for Information
On February 9, 2023, EPA issued a Request for Information for public input on new and innovative strategies and approaches for competition design, community engagement, equitable distribution of financial resources, grantee eligibility for funding, capacity-building and outreach, and technical assistance. EPA sought public input on the new Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) program that will distribute $3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding through grants and technical assistance. The RFI closed April 10, 2023.
EPA sought public input on multiple aspects of the ECJ Program including, but not limited to:
- ECJ Program Design
- Types of Projects to Fund
- Reducing Application Barriers
- Reporting and Oversight
- Technical Assistance