NEW YORK— Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced close to $1 million in funding for one selected application to help environmentally over-burdened communities tackle environmental and climate justice challenges through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity. Made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Community Change Grants Program is the single largest investment in environmental and climate justice in history. The funding announcement today is the first tranche of nearly $2 billion from the program that was designed based on community input to award grants on a rolling basis.
In this first round, EPA has selected the Bronx River Alliance with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice as a partner to receive almost $1 million to convene a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force to ensure that communities have a voice in decisions made that will shape the future of climate resiliency in the Bronx. The taskforce will ensure that disadvantaged communities in the Bronx will be able to fully participate in planning and implementation decisions about coastal adaptation, habitat restoration, and related local, state, and federal infrastructure projects.
“Our ability to deliver tangible results for communities depends on listening to them and developing innovative solutions through inclusive stakeholder engagement,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Today, thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, EPA has selected the first cohort of community partnerships to solve emerging and longstanding environmental and climate justice challenges.”
“We congratulate the Bronx River Alliance and their partner Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice for being selected as a recipient of the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants to continue advancing and shaping climate justice and resiliency in the Bronx,” said Lisa F. Garcia, EPA Regional Administrator. “This grant of nearly 1 million dollars will create a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force that will help residents fully engage in planning processes and decisions related to adaptation, infrastructure projects, and more.”
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, “The Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act is making a difference in the lives of New Yorkers most affected by pollution and climate change. The investments complement the critical work DEC and our many partners are doing to help ensure equity and justice in the Bronx and across the state. We applaud EPA administrator Regan and Regional Administrator Garcia for this latest $1 million to help support environmental justice organizations on the front lines of creating positive change in their community.”
“This critical federal grant, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act I led to passage, will help the Bronx River Alliance, in partnership with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, convene a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force that will ensure disadvantaged communities in the Bronx have a voice in climate justice projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “I’m proud to have fought for the Inflation Reduction Act, the single largest investment in environmental and climate justice in history, and for funding opportunities like this, to give environmentally over-burdened communities a boost in the urgent fight against climate change.”
“I want to wish a heartfelt congratulations to The Bronx River Alliance and Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice on receiving this crucial federal funding! This recognition of their work underscores the importance of collaborative initiatives in advancing climate resilience within our community. This effort not only addresses immediate climate-related challenges faced by Bronxites; it lays a foundation for future generations by implementing systemic solutions. Today’s news is a significant stride towards shaping a sustainable and thriving future for all in the Bronx,” said Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15).
“We are incredibly thankful and excited to be a recipient of President Biden’s EPA Community Change awards. With this federal funding, we will be able to uplift longstanding environmental needs of under-resourced and disadvantaged communities in a borough of 1.5 million residents,” said The Bronx River Alliance Executive Director Siddhartha Sánchez. We will prioritize investments that build our community’s resilience to climate change through catalytic ecological restoration projects throughout the Bronx. By convening a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force to spearhead these initiatives, Bronx communities will be given a meaningful voice in government decision-mating processes, addressing historical gaps in equity and mitigating critical environmental and climate injustices.”
The selected application is the first to come under the Community Change Grants Program’s rolling application process to New York City. The innovative rolling application process will ensure that applicants have ample time to prepare and take advantage of this historic resource. The Community Change Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), administered through EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, is still accepting applications through November 21, 2024. EPA will continue to review applications and announce selections on a rolling basis.
The Community Change Grants also deliver on President Biden’s commitment to advance equity and justice throughout the United States through his Justice40 Initiative to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments go to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
See the full listing of the initial 21 organizations receiving a CCGP grant and learn more about CCGP.
The Community Change Grants Program is still accepting applications through November 21, 2024, so EPA encourages applicants to submit applications as soon as they completely meet the NOFO requirements. EPA will be making additional selections on a rolling basis for the remainder of 2024. EPA also encourages interested applicants to apply for technical assistance as soon as possible, as the last day to request new technical assistance is August 16, 2024.
Read the Community Change Grants NOFO here: https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/inflation-reduction-act-community-change-grants-program.
To learn more about the Community Change Grants and Technical Assistance: https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/inflation-reduction-act-community-change-grants-program
To learn more about environmental justice at EPA, visit: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice
For up-to-date information about the NOFO, including information on the webinars, subscribe to the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights’ listserv by sending a blank email to: join-epa-ej@lists.epa.gov. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @EPAEnvJustice.
Follow EPA Region 2 on X and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.
24-059