EPA Announces Community Change Grant Program
On November 21st the Biden-Harris administration announced the allocation of an estimated $2 billion in funding for supporting community-driven projects that invest in clean energy, build climate resilience, and create capacity for addressing climate justice issues. Labeled the Community Change Grants program, the funding will be administered on a rolling basis by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. These funds are intended to go entirely to grassroots and community based organizations who have been historically marginalized in local and national solutions to climate change, while also being saddled with the effects of pollution.
In order to access these funds between now and November 21st, 2024, when the application period closes, entities are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. According to the EPA’s press release, the grant is intended to support activities and projects that fall under these categories:
Climate resiliency and adaptation.
Mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood heater emissions, and wildfire events.
Community-led air and other (including water and waste) pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation.
Investments in low- and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure.
Workforce development that supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants.
Reducing indoor toxics and indoor air pollution.
Facilitating the engagement of disadvantaged communities in state and federal advisory groups, workshops, rulemakings, and other public processes.
Interested and eligible organizations and entities can apply to access the grant funding via two tracks. The first track, Community-Driven Investments for Change, will award an anticipated $1.96 billion to 150 projects whose budgets are between $10-20 million each. Track I applicants may also be invited to participate in an oral presentation for EPA reviewers to hear directly from the organizations about the projects they envision. The second track, Meaningful Engagement for Equitable Governance, will award approximately $40 million to 20 projects with budgets between $1 and $3 million each.
In addition, the EPA has identified five target areas for projects funded by the grant, in order to ensure that geographic areas that have been historically left out of equitable federal funding access are able to compete for funding. These five project areas include projects benefiting tribes in Alaska, projects benefiting Tribal communities elsewhere, projects benefiting U.S territories such as the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, projects benefiting unincorporated territories such as Colonias, and projects benefiting non-Tribal disadvantaged communities within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Lastly, $200 million has been allocated towards technical assistance programs dedicated to assisting qualifying entities in navigating the application process for this grant, and interested applicants looking to receive technical assistance can learn more about what is available to them here.
Read more about organization eligibility and qualifying projects, as well as how to begin an application on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website.