Biden-Harris Administration Announces More Than $325 Million in Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants

EPA announces initial selections from $2 billion Inflation Reduction Act program – the largest single environmental justice investment in history – delivered by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda

WASHINGTON – Today, July 25, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced more than $325 million in funding for 21 selected applications to help disadvantaged 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.

These selected applications are the first to come under the Community Change Grants Program’s rolling application process. Informed by robust stakeholder engagement and community feedback, 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 the 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.

“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.”

“Today’s grants put communities in the driver’s seat on the road to righting the environmental wrongs of the past and building their own clean energy future,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has accelerated our efforts to deliver environmental justice for communities that have been left behind for too long,” said Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “As part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative, these grants will help disadvantaged communities tackle environmental and climate justice challenges they face by reducing pollution, increasing resilience to impacts from climate change, and building community capacity to see these projects through.”

The Inflation Reduction Act provides $3 billion to EPA to award grants that help disadvantaged communities and provide technical assistance. With these grants, EPA is delivering on this mission.

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.

Example grants from this initial selection cohort include:

• Nearly $20 million to the Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association (MTERA) and Grid Alternatives to install home weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades across 35 Tribes in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, improving indoor air quality for families and providing leadership development training for designated Tribal Energy Champions. MTERA also received a $62 million award from the EPA Solar for All program in May.
• $20 million to the Coalition for Responsible Community Development and Los Angeles Trade-Technical College to build environmental justice workforce development trainings for lead abatement, welding, hybrid and electric vehicle maintenance, home weatherization, and residential energy audits. Through this grant, the selected applicants are anticipated to complete lead abatement for more than 600 homes across Southern Los Angeles.
• Over $14 million to Texas A&M University and the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program to install onsite wastewater treatment systems throughout 17 Black Belt counties in Alabama. Administrator Regan previously visited Lowndes County, Alabama—whose failing septic tanks and straight-piped sewage from homes into yards created a public health crisis in the region. This community also received a 100% forgivable $8.7 million loan from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address critical wastewater challenges impacting families.
• Roughly $14 million to the Pittsburgh Conservation Corps and PowerCorpsPHL to expand workforce programs around urban forestry and wood waste reduction, expanding tree canopy in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and keeping wood waste out of landfills. This grant also includes funds to leverage biochar in reducing lead pollution in Pittsburgh soils.

Track I of the program, Community-Driven Investments for Change, is expected to award approximately $1.96 billion for 150 projects for $10-20 million each. The 17 Track I applicants who are implementing community-scale projects to address environmental and climate justice challenges are:

• Texas A&M University and Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program (Wilcox/Hale/Lowndes Counties, AL)
• City of Bakersfield and Building Healthy Communities Kern (Bakersfield, CA)
• La Familia Counseling Center, Inc. and Community Resource Project (Sacramento, CA)
• Coalition for Responsible Community Development and Los Angeles Trade -Technical College (Los Angeles, CA)
• The San Diego Foundation and The Environmental Health Coalition (San Diego, CA)
• Day One and Active SGV (San Gabriel Valley, CA)
• City of Pocatello and Portneuf Greenway Foundation (Pocatello, ID)
• Dillard University and United Way of Southeast Louisiana (Southeast LA)
• City of Springfield and Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts (Springfield, MA)
• Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association and Grid Alternatives (MI, MN, WI)
• The MetroHealth System and Community Housing Solutions (Cleveland, OH)
• Lane County Oregon and United Way of Lane County (Lane County, OR)
• Pittsburgh Conservation Corps and PowerCorpsPHL (Pittsburgh/Philadelphia, PA)
• The Trust for Public Land and City of Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN)
• City of Houston and Black United Fund of Texas (Houston, TX)
• Corporation of Gonzaga University and Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners (Spokane, WA)
• National Housing Trust and D.C. Children’s Law Center (Washington, D.C.)

Track II, Meaningful Engagement for Equitable Governance, is expected to award approximately $40 million for 20 projects for $1-3 million each. Track II applicants who will facilitate individual and community participation in governmental decision-making processes are:

• Insight Garden Program and Ella Baker Center for Human Rights (multiple locations in CA)
• The Trust for Public Land and See You At The Top (Cleveland, OH)
• Special Service for Groups, Inc. and Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (Los Angeles, CA)
• Bronx River Alliance, Inc. and Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (Bronx County, NY)

Of the 21 selections, three are for Target Investment Areas identified in the NOFO. Target Investment Area funding is intended to ensure that Community Change Grants Program funding is directed towards disadvantaged communities with unique circumstances, geography, and needs.

See the full listing of the initial 21 organizations receiving a CCGP grant and learn more about CCGP.

As the Community Change Grants Program is still accepting applications through November 21, 2024, 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 on EPA’s Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program webpage.

To learn more about the Community Change Grants and Technical Assistance visit EPA’s Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program webpage.

To learn more about environmental justice at EPA, visit EPA’s Environmental Justice webpage.