Dear Colleagues,
CalEPA is accepting applications for the 2019 Environmental Justice Grants Program.
The CalEPA Environmental Justice Small Grants Program was established by Assembly Bill 2312 (Chu, Chapter 994, Statutes of 2002) to provide grants to eligible nonprofit organizations and federally recognized tribal governments. The program seeks to support environmental justice-related projects across California.
“CalEPA's Environmental Justice Small Grants Program supports collaborative projects that help to reduce pollution in the state's most vulnerable communities,” said Secretary for Environmental Protection Matthew Rodriquez. “In this cycle, we're seeking grant applications that also integrate community education and training, as well as data collection and monitoring efforts in disadvantaged and tribal communities.”
Proposed projects should have a clear focus on community specific environmental issues that address community or tribal interests. Examples of project activities that are eligible include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Identifying and assisting environmental justice stakeholders to participate in decision-making processes;
- Collaborating with academia or governmental entities to collect data in communities affected by environmental justice issues and exposure(s) to pollution;
- Providing technical tools, information, or protocols to improve community or tribal government knowledge and understanding of issues related to environmental pollution and hazards;
- Enhancing community or tribal government understanding of environmental issues affecting their particular community or tribe;
- Improving communication and coordination among environmental justice stakeholders and CalEPA entities to address exposures to environmental pollution and hazards;
- Providing bilingual services for hearings, workshops, and outreach in non-English speaking communities;
- Supporting community or tribal member participation in governmental environmental public meetings;
- Promoting community and/or tribal government involvement in addressing environmental justice related issues, and developing solutions to address them;
- Providing farm workers pesticide-related environmental and health information;
- Promoting environmental justice, public health, sustainability, and climate resilience;
- Developing an emergency management plan, or promoting participation in the process of developing emergency management plans by local, regional and state government entities; and
- Developing and/or implementing environmental curricula or programs that teach and promote daily applications of environmental conservation and sustainability.
These projects may also entail regional and local capacity-building efforts to improve access to state program benefits.
The maximum grant amount is $50,000, and the grant term is 12 months.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, 2019. Application Guidelines: https://calepa.ca.gov/envjustice/funding/
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)