A new funding opportunity offers rural communities a chance to access funding to address local health and environmental priorities.
The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program, funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, reduces barriers to accessing federal grant funding by offering subgrants for eligible community-based nonprofit organizations, local governments, and Tribal governments.
Funding is available in three tiers, along with a non-competitive opportunity. Non-competitive grants for $75,000 will be awarded directly to organizations in need of building capacity for future opportunities.
Tier 1 of the competitive funding will provide up to $150,000 for one year of assessment projects to better understand local environmental and public health concerns. Tier 2 will provide up to $250,000 for one to two years of planning on how to address environmental and health issues. Opportunities to carry out projects with up to a $350,000 award for two years will be provided under Tier 3.
Tier 1 assessment projects include:
- Research
- Sampling
- Testing
- Monitoring
- Investigating
- Surveys/studies
- Public education
Tier 2 planning projects include:
- Partnership building
- Public outreach and education
- Stakeholder coordination
- Training activities
- Community clean-ups
- Small land purchases and acquisitions
Tier 3 development projects include:
- Constructions plans, schematics, and technical development
- Permitting activities
- Small land purchases and acquisitions
- Implementation of project plans
- Public outreach and education
A wide range of public health and environmental issues will be considered with this program, including air and water quality, healthy housing and food systems, environmental contaminants, and emergency preparedness and training.
Notice of Funding Opportunity will be announced soon for Region 7 at region7.thriving environments.org. Find other regions at ntcl.thriving environments.org.
Discover the steps for preparing to apply through Environment Protection Network resources at environmentalprotectionnetwork.org/6-step-grantmaker-process.
Thousands of subgrants will be issued, with the goal of alleviating much of the burden the federal grants process places on small, resource-constrained organizations. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning Jan. 31, 2025, and ending Oct. 31, 2025 (for two-year projects), Oct. 31, 2026 (for one-year projects), or April 20, 2027 (for six-month projects).
No-cost customized support is available through the Heartland Environmental Justice Center (HEJC) or the Center for Rural Affairs for this thriving communities grantmaking program. The HEJC can assist with building a project budget, preparing application forms, and writing a project narrative for this grant.
Visit heartlandej.org/events for upcoming training opportunities. For more information on how the Center can help or to request individual assistance, email [email protected] or call 402.687.2100.
