(AGENPARL) – gio 29 agosto 2024 Issued: Aug 29, 2024 (10:30am EDT)
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EPA $1 Million Climate Resilience Grant to Support South Bronx Communities 
NEW YORK (August 29, 2024) – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
celebrated the selection of the Bronx River Alliance in partnership Youth
Ministries for Peace and Justice for a $1 million grant. EPA will provide the
funding through the Community Change Grants Program that helps environmentally
overburdened communities tackle environmental and climate justice challenges.
Made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Community
Change Grants Program is the single largest investment in environmental and
climate justice in history.  
EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia joined Bronx River Alliance
Executive Director Siddhartha Sánchez and Youth Ministries for Peace and
Justice Executive Director David Shuffler for a walking tour in the Bronx to
highlight the transformative impact of this funding, which will establish a
Bronx Climate Justice Task Force. 
“Today we are celebrating the Bronx River Alliance and the entire Bronx as
this community change grant will benefit the whole borough and strengthen
environmental justice partnerships through the creation of a Bronx Climate
Justice Task Force,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “The
new taskforce will embody the very heart, culture and grit of the community to
take action against climate change, and build a more resilient Bronx. EPA is
happy to help partner, support and fund this great initiative.”  
“This critical federal grant, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act I
led to passage, will help the Bronx River Alliance, in partnership with Youth
Ministries for Peace and Justice, convene a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force
that will ensure disadvantaged communities in the Bronx have a voice in
climate justice projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate
resilience, and build community capacity,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck
Schumer. “I’m proud to have fought for the Inflation Reduction Act, the
single largest investment in environmental and climate justice in history, and
for funding opportunities like this, to give environmentally over-burdened
communities a boost in the urgent fight against climate change.”   
“For far too long, communities across the Bronx have faced various
environmental and climate justice challenges,” said Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand. “The new Community Change Grants Program provides
critically-needed support to finally address these injustices, and I am
thrilled that Bronx River Alliance, in partnership with Youth Ministries for
Peace and Justice, has been selected to receive this $1 million grant through
this program to help boost climate resiliency in the Bronx. I’m proud to
have fought to deliver this funding through the Inflation Reduction Act and
will continue fighting for federal resources to support organizations working
to advance environmental justice.” 
“For over 30 years Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, Inc. has been on
the frontline fighting back the negative impacts of climate change, and
pushing forward creative initiatives to mitigate climate change. Today, marks
a monumental opportunity for Bronx communities that have been
disproportionately impacted by the effects of Climate Change. By convening a
Bronx Climate Justice Task Force Bronx communities will be able to come
together to collectively look at issues that impact their community and
develop proposals to address those issues.  YMPJ is thankful to the EPA for
this funding opportunity and grateful for the Bronx River Alliance to take
lead in this partnership,” said Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice
Executive Director David Shuffler.
“Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ) has been raising the alarm
about Bronx environmental issues for over 50 years. As one of the earliest
supporters of the Bronx River Alliance we are confident that the Alliance,
along with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, will make sure that Bronx
voices for climate justice are heard loud and clear,” said Board Member Dart
Westphal. 
“South Bronx Unite extends our heartfelt congratulations to Youth Ministries
for Peace and Justice and the Bronx River Alliance on being selected for the
EPA’s climate resilience planning grant,” said Mychal Johnson, Co-Founder of
South Bronx Unite.  
“This grant underscores the ongoing leadership and commitment of these two
powerhouse organizations advancing environmental justice and resilience in the
South Bronx. Together, we are building a stronger, more sustainable future,”
said Founding Member and Advisory Board Member Mychal Johnson. 
“The Harlem River Working Group applauds the announcement that the EPA
selected the Bronx River Alliance as a recipient of President Biden’s EPA
Community Change awards. The Bronx River Alliance has long been a leader for
Environmental Justice in our borough and by utilizing these funds to convene
communities throughout the Bronx into a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force, the
Alliance is helping address both historic and current gaps in equitable
funding and mitigating critical environmental and climate injustices
throughout a borough of 1.5 million residents. The Harlem River Working Group
celebrates investments that strengthen the Bronx’s resilience to climate
change through catalytic ecological restoration projects,” said Project
Coordinator Chauncy Young. 
EPA selected?the?Bronx River Alliance with Youth Ministries for Peace and
Justice as a?partner?to receive almost $1 million to convene a Bronx
Climate Justice Task Force to ensure that communities have a voice in
decisions made that will shape the future of climate resiliency in the Bronx.
The taskforce will ensure that disadvantaged communities in the Bronx can
fully participate in planning and implementation decisions about coastal
adaptation, habitat restoration, and related local, state, and federal
infrastructure projects. 
Bronx River Alliance is among the first round of selections for the historic
$2 billion dollar Community Change Grants Program. The innovative rolling
application process will ensure that applicants have ample time to prepare and
take advantage of this historic resource. The Community Change Grants Program
Notice of Funding Opportunity, administered through EPA’s Office of
Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, is still accepting
applications through November 21, 2024. EPA will continue to review
applications and announce selections on a rolling basis.? 
The Community Change Grants also 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.?? 
See the full listing of the initial 21 organizations receiving a CCGP grant
and learn more about CCGP. 
The Community Change Grants Program is still accepting applications through
November 21, 2024,?so EPA encourages applicants to submit applications as
soon as they completely meet the Notice of Funding Opportunity
requirements.?EPA will make additional selections on a rolling basis for the
remainder of 2024. 
Read the Community Change Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity. 
Learn more about the Community Change Grants and Technical Assistance. 
Learn more about environmental justice 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