The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (“Thriving Communities Program”) aims to make it easier for community-based organizations to access federal environmental justice funding.
Donor Name: Philanthropy Northwest
State: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/15/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
Philanthropy Northwest has created a grant process that is as easy as possible with federal funds, so applicants should not be discouraged based on the source of the funding. Eligible project activities can include, but are not limited to, environmental justice projects that improve air quality, water quality, environmental clean-up, stormwater, or lead or asbestos abatement.
The goal is to reduce barriers and provide a simpler application process for federal funding, including fewer forms, budget requirements, a simpler project narrative and an easier grants system to navigate. Philanthropy Northwest and other technical assistance agencies will be providing help throughout the application and grants management process.
Purpose
The Region 10 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities grant program will provide funding to organizations addressing the unequal impacts of environmental justice issues in local communities throughout the region.
This grant program is committed to equitably distributing EPA’s funding to:
- Organizations led by and serving communities that are chronically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and/or inequality; or
- Organizations that are in rural and remote communities;
- Organizations that address environmental justice: communities who bear a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences resulting from commercial operations or execution of public programs/policies.
Philanthropy Northwest will prioritize projects that benefit Justice40 communities and have direct participation from communities and populations impacted by the environmental justice issue.
Types of Grants
There are three types of grants that potential sub-awardees could apply for:
- Type One (Assessment Projects): Funding is focused on gathering information, assessing and understanding the problem(s) before developing a plan.
- Type Two (Planning Projects): Grants for those who already have a strong understanding of the local environmental and/or public health issues and are ready to formulate a community-wide plan to address those issues.
- Type Three (Project Development): Grants for those who already have a strong understanding of the local environmental and/or public health issues, have already formulated a community-wide plan addressing those issues, and/or are now ready to develop the technical aspects of the project (i.e., implement the project on the ground).
Funding Information
- Total Amount of Funding: $40 million
- Estimated Funding Range per Award: $150,000-$350,000
- Type 1 (Assessment): up to $150,000
- Type 2 (Planning): up to $250,000
- Type 3 (Development): up to $350,000
- Expected Period of Performance: 1- or 2-year grants; May 2025 – June 2027.
Eligibility and Qualifications
This funding is open to eligible organizations in rural and urban areas across EPA’s Region 10, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and 271 Tribal Nations.
Eligible organizations include:
- Nonprofit organizations, community-based and grassroots nonprofit organizations
- Tribal governments (both federally recognized and state-recognized) and intertribal consortia
- Local governments: counties, boroughs, municipalities, cities
- Institutions of higher education
- Native American/Indigenous-led organizations
Ineligible recipients include:
- Individuals
- For-profit businesses
- State governments
- Any organization that has been suspended or debarred from federal funding
For more information, visit EPA.
