PA Announces Nearly $1 Million to Support Involving South Bronx Communities in Climate Resiliency Planning

PA Announces Nearly $1 Million to Support Involving South Bronx Communities in Climate Resiliency Planning

July 25, 2024

In this first round, EPA has selected theBronx 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 will be able to fully participate in planning and implementation decisions about coastal adaptation, habitat restoration, and related local, state, and federal infrastructure projects.    

"Our ability to deliver tangible results for communities depends on listening to them and developing innovative solutions through inclusive stakeholder engagement," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "Today, thanks to President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, EPA has selected the first cohort of community partnerships to solve emerging and longstanding environmental and climate justice challenges."  

"We congratulate the Bronx River Alliance and their partner Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice for being selected as a recipient of the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants to continue advancing and shaping climate justice and resiliency in the Bronx," said Lisa F. Garcia, EPA Regional Administrator. "This grant of nearly 1 million dollars will create a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force that will help residents fully engage in planning processes and decisions related to adaptation, infrastructure projects, and more." 

"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."

"I want to wish a heartfelt congratulations to The Bronx River Alliance and Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice on receiving this crucial federal funding! This recognition of their work underscores the importance of collaborative initiatives in advancing climate resilience within our community. This effort not only addresses immediate climate-related challenges faced by Bronxites; it lays a foundation for future generations by implementing systemic solutions. Today's news is a significant stride towards shaping a sustainable and thriving future for all in the Bronx," said Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15).

"We are incredibly thankful and excited to be a recipient of President Biden's EPA Community Change awards. With this federal funding, we will be able to uplift longstanding environmental needs of under-resourced and disadvantaged communities in a borough of 1.5 million residents," said The Bronx River Alliance Executive Director Siddhartha Sánchez. We will prioritize investments that build our community's resilience to climate change through catalytic ecological restoration projects throughout the Bronx. By convening a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force to spearhead these initiatives, Bronx communities will be given a meaningful voice in government decision-mating processes, addressing historical gaps in equity and mitigating critical environmental and climate injustices." 

The selected application is the first to come under the Community Change Grants Program's rolling application process to New York City.  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(NOFO), 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 Initiativeto 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 listingof the initial 21 organizations receiving a CCGP grant and learn more about CCGP. 

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

To learn more about the Community Change Grants and Technical Assistance: 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

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: [email protected]. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @EPAEnvJustice. 

Follow EPA Region 2 on Xand visit our Facebookpage. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.

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