EPA Press Office:

Biden Administration Announces $2 Billion to Fund Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants as Part of Investing in America Agenda

EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights announces the largest single amount of environmental justice funding in history thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

WASHINGTON (November 21, 2023) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced approximately $2 billion in funding available to support community-driven projects that deploy clean energy, strengthen climate resilience, and build capacity for communities to tackle environmental and climate justice challenges. Made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Community Change Grants are the single largest investment in environmental justice in EPA’s history and will advance collaborative efforts to achieve a healthier, safer, and more prosperous future for all Americans.

“Throughout my Journey to Justice tour, I’ve heard from residents and advocates calling for resources to support local solutions in communities that have long been overlooked and forgotten,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Today, thanks to President Biden’s vision and leadership, EPA is delivering on these calls to action. This historic, unprecedented funding has the promise to turn disadvantaged and overburdened areas into healthy, resilient, and thriving communities for current and future generations.”

The Community Change Grants 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.

The Community Change Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), administered through the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), has several unique characteristics, many of which respond to requests the agency has heard from communities: 

• Rolling applications: The NOFO will be open for a year, closing on November XX, 2024, and EPA will review applications on a rolling basis. This allows applicants to utilize technical assistance and possibly resubmit a new application if not initially selected. EPA encourages applicants to apply as early as possible.
• Two track submission process: Applications can be submitted under two separate tracks depending on the project scope and funding requested.
  • Track I, Community-Driven Investments for Change, is expected to award approximately $1.96 billion for 150 projects for $10-20 million each.
  • Track II, Meaningful Engagement for Equitable Governance, is expected to award approximately $40 million for 20 projects for $1-3 million each.
• Oral presentations: Track I applicants may also be invited to present an oral presentation. These oral presentations will enable EPA reviewers to hear directly from the applicants and their partners to learn more about community priorities, desired outcomes, and plans for long-term sustainability. This new format is responsive to community requests to engage with EPA in more accessible ways.
• Target Investment Areas: Out of the $2 billion in funding, EPA has identified five Target Investment Areas (TIA) to help ensure that communities with unique circumstances, geography, and needs can equitably compete for funding.
  • This includes an estimated $150 million for projects benefitting Indian Tribes in Alaska, and an estimated $300 million for projects benefitting Tribal communities in the other states. 
  • In addition, OEJECR is estimating $50 million for projects benefitting disadvantaged communities in the United States’ territories of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, with another estimated $50 million for projects benefitting disadvantaged unincorporated communities across the country.
  • Lastly, consistent with EPA’s longstanding commitment to addressing transborder pollution challenges, an estimated $100 million will be reserved for projects benefitting non-tribal disadvantaged communities within 100 kilometers north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Technical assistance: $200 million of Inflation Reduction Act funding was set aside to provide technical assistance to applicants. This technical assistance is in direct response to feedback from communities and environmental justice leaders who have long called for technical assistance and capacity building support for communities and their partners as they work to access critical federal resources. There are two TA programs dedicated for the Community Change Grants. Learn more about how to apply for technical assistance here: https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/community-change-grants-technical-assistance.

Read the Community Change Grants NOFO here: https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/inflation-reduction-act-community-change-grants-program.

OEJECR will also host over a dozen informational webinars while the NOFO is open, with the first being held on December 7, 2023. These webinars will address questions as well as facilitate the formation of partnerships and information sharing. More information the webinars can be found here:

To learn more about the Community Change Grants: 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

To learn more about IRA funding at EPA, visit: https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act  

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.

Background:

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created the Environmental and Climate Justice Program, the largest investment in environmental and climate justice in U.S. history—when it was signed into law by President Biden on August 16, 2022. Under this program, EPA was provided $3 billion to award grants to help disadvantaged communities and technical assistance related to these grants. The Community Change Grants and associated technical assistance is delivering on this mission.

Earlier in 2023, EPA issued a Request for Information, held a dedicated consultation with EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, and hosted multiple webinars to gain public input on new and innovative strategies and approaches for competition design, community engagement, equitable distribution of financial resources, grantee eligibility for funding, capacity-building and outreach, and more. This feedback was crucial in designing key elements of the Community Change Grants and this NOFO, including the Target Investment Areas, incorporating oral presentations, the rolling application period, and more. EPA thanks everyone for their incredibly valuable time and input, which ensured the creation of a more inclusive and accessible grant program.

Contact Information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

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