EPA Releases Additional Funding for 2020 Environmental Justice Small Grants
Agency selects 12 organizations to receive $360,000 nationwide
WASHINGTON (June 30, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 12 organizations will receive a total of $360,000 to help address environmental justice issues in their communities. Each of the organizations will receive $30,000. The organizations announced today were selected from the large pool of applicants in 2019. This funding is in addition to 50 organizations awarded $1.5 million in grants nationwide in November 2019.
“Regardless of zip code, the EPA works day in and day out to provide clean air, clean water, and clean land to all Americans,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “These grants further the Trump Administration’s commitment to support low-income and minority communities, providing critical infrastructure to areas with environmental justice concerns.”
Seven of the 12 grants selected, or almost 60%, will support communities with census tracts designated as federal Opportunity Zones – an economically-distressed community where new investment may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Most often, those who reside near these sites are low-income, minority, and disadvantaged Americans. By focusing resources on these areas, we can multiply the impact of the tax incentive and attract even more economic development to these areas.
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 following organizations will receive grants:
- Groundwork Lawrence, Lawrence, MA
- Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
- Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia, PA
- Metro Community Ministries, College Park, GA
- Sustain Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
- Heartland Communities, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN
- The IPM Institute of North America, Milwaukee, WI
- Friends of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, Albuquerque, NM
- Taos Valley Acequia Association, Taos, NM
- Environmental Health Coalition, San Diego, CA
- Rural Community Assistance Corporation, Yurok Indian Reservation, CA
- One Step A La Vez, Santa Clara River Valley, CA
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.
This month, as part of its 50th anniversary commemoration, EPA is highlighting some of the key state, tribal, international, non-profit, and private sector partnerships that have helped our nation further its progress toward cleaner air, water, and land. As one example, EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice coordinates with multiple partners that include federal and local government, business and industry, and academia to help improve environmental and public health conditions of low-income and minority communities.
For more information on the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, including descriptions of previously funded grants: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-small-grants-program
For more information on additional winners, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-small-grants-program
For more information on the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, including descriptions of previously funded grants: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-small-grants-program