(AGENPARL) – mar 21 novembre 2023 Issued: Nov 21, 2023 (3:23pm EST)
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Biden-Harris 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 investment in environmental justice in history, funded by
President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act
WASHINGTON (Nov. 21, 2023) — Today, the Biden-Harris administration
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. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
(EPA’s) Community Change Grants are the single largest investment in
environmental justice going directly to communities in history, and will
advance collaborative efforts to achieve a healthier, safer, and more
prosperous future for all. These funds, part of President Biden’s Investing
in America agenda, are made possible by the President’s Inflation Reduction
Act—the biggest-ever investment in clean energy and climate action.
“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 commitment to investing in
communities that have long struggled to access federal funding, we are
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.”
“For far too long, communities that have borne the brunt of power plant and
industrial pollution have been left out and left behind,” said John Podesta,
Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and
Implementation. “The Inflation Reduction Act and President Biden’s
Justice40 initiative change that by bringing new investment, clean energy, and
good-paying jobs to disadvantaged communities.”
“President Biden is leading a whole-of-government effort to confront
longstanding environmental injustices and inequities,” said White House
Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory. “Thanks to this
historic funding covered under the President’s Justice40 Initiative, we are
investing in locally-driven solutions to make a positive difference for
communities that have suffered from pollution, underinvestment, and decades of
disproportionate environmental impacts. Investments like these show how we are
delivering on the President’s ambitious environmental justice agenda and his
commitment to build more equitable and resilient communities for generations
to come.”
The Community Change Grants deliver on President Biden’s historic commitment
to advance equity and justice, including his Justice40 Initiative. The
Community Change Grants will deliver 100 percent of the benefits of this
program to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment
and overburdened by pollution. This program also dedicates $200 million of
Inflation Reduction Act funding to provide technical assistance to applicants
and grant recipients, which will enhance the ability of disadvantaged
communities to access resources for environmental and climate justice
activities.
The activities to be performed under the grants are expected to fall under the
following 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.
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 to advance environmental and
climate justice, many of which are responsive to feedback and input the agency
has heard from communities. These include: 
Rolling Applications: The NOFO will be open for a year, closing on November
21, 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 Processes: 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 participate in
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. These
are:
Tribes in Alaska: $150 million for projects benefitting Indian Tribes in
Alaska including funds for cleanup of contaminated lands.
Tribes: $300 million for projects benefitting Tribal communities in the other
states. 
Territories: $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.
Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities: $50 million for projects benefitting
small and rural areas that lack fixed, legally determined geographic
boundaries, such as Colonias.
U.S.-Southern Border Communities: Consistent with EPA’s longstanding
commitment to addressing transborder pollution challenges, $100 million for
projects benefitting non-Tribal disadvantaged communities within 100
kilometers north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Technical Assistance: The $200 million for technical assistance is available
in direct response to feedback from communities and environmental justice
leaders who have long called for capacity building support for communities and
their partners as they work to access critical federal resources. With this
funding, there are two TA programs dedicated for the Community Change Grants.
Applicants can learn more about, and express interest in, the technical
assistance on EPA’s Community Change Grants Technical Assistance webpage.
Read the Community Change Grants NOFO.
OEJECR will also host multiple informational webinars while the NOFO is open,
with the first being held on December 7, 2023. These webinars will address
questions, and some may facilitate the formation of partnerships and
information sharing. More information on upcoming webinars can be found on
EPA’s Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program webpage.
Learn more about environmental justice at EPA
Learn more about Inflation Reduction funding at EPA
For up-to-date information about the NOFO, including information on the
webinars, subscribe to the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil