CCF EJ/CJ Fund Awards 10 Grants to Support Access to Federal Funding

Press Release:

CCF Helps Bring New Federal Funds to NYC Neighborhoods

Change Capital Fund, a 21-member collaborative of banks, foundations and intermediaries, is awarding 10 NYC environmental justice organizations grants to help them benefit from a flood of new federal resources to realize their community’s visions for healthy, sustainability and resiliency.

The Inflation Reduction Act, unarguably the largest source of funding for climate and environmental justice solutions in U.S. history, is offering in the range of $45 billion to disadvantaged communities overburdened by pollution.  The catch is, that many environmental Justice organizations in New York City don’t have a lot of capacity to undertake the complicated funding applications required by federal agencies.

CCF’s EJ Fund will distribute $500,000 in grants to the following 10 NYC-based environmental justice organizations to enable them to hire fundraisers, coalition coordinators and the like to support their ability to qualify for the new flood of federal funds. Change Capital Fund believes that the fund has the potential to bring millions of dollars into neighborhoods that have long suffered from toxic infrastructure to help realize projects that may have been planned for years, even decades.

Should our grantees access the federal funds they aspire to, they would:

Implement long-held community plans for increased health, sustainability, resiliency

  • THE POINT Community Development Corporation, South Bronx will create a community-shared solar project and electric shuttle service providing Hunts Point residents access to waterfront parks
  • UPROSE, Sunset Park, Brooklyn will advance key priorities of their community’s community plan to create a Just Transition Worker Resource Center, special zoning district, pre-apprenticeship training; and to decarbonize and install rooftop solar on senior citizen centers of Sunset Park.
  • NY Renews will engage with organizations statewide to garner state and city commitments to draw down of IRA/EJ funding for environmental justice projects.

 Restore and retain open space:

  • Bronx River Alliance, Inc./ RAIN Coalition, South Bronx will plant 2500 trees and install and maintain green infrastructure to maintain open space.
  • Real Edgemere CLT, Far Rockaway, Queens will create and implement a resilient open space plan in an area prone to flooding.

 Retrofit existing buildings to be more energy efficient and resilient:

  • Pratt Institute Center for Community Development will partner with community organizations in Brooklyn and Queens to retrofit 300 homes owned by low- and moderate- income homeowners. Federal funds would subsidize a package of electrification-readiness measures, including gas to induction stove change-outs, electrification, health & safety repairs such as mold remediation and gas leaks that must be fixed before making the buildings more airtight.
  • Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition, Bronx will increase weatherization efforts to integrate LEED standards in Bronx projects, training residents for retrofit jobs.
  • Chhaya Community Development Corporation, Queens will partner with the City’s Housing Department to implement a basement conversion program for low- and moderate-income homeowners.

 Engage in transportation planning:

  • El Puente de Williamsburg, Inc, Brooklyn will engage community members and partner with the NYC Department of Transportation to ensure that plans to update the BQE reflect community priorities for health and justice.

Train young people in the new green economy:

  • Green City Force will expand their direct service programs to prepare 800 young people for green jobs; open 4 new eco-hubs (community farms) powered by a civilian climate corps, provide food to 10 frontline communities/year.

CCF introduced all applicants to the Fund to organizations that can help them apply for federal funding. The Environmental Protection Network, a network of some 600 former EPA career staff and political appointees from across the country provides pro bono consulting; WeACT TCTAC, which was awarded $10 million by the Environmental Protection Agency, provides assistance to groups in EPA Region 2; and, the Mayor’s Office for Environmental and Climate Justice is partnering with nonprofits to apply for federal funds.

Because of The federal administration’s  Environmental Justice 40 Initiative (EJ40), 40 percent of the benefits of federal environmental investments are being directed to disadvantaged communities. The EJ40 language originates in New York State’s own Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, advocated for by the New York Renews Coalition.

Altman Foundation, BankUnited, Deutsche Bank, M&T Bank, Principal, Scherman Foundation provided the funding for this initiative.

CCF also contributed to the Fund. It’s members include: The Altman Foundation, BankUnited, Capital One, Deutsche Bank, Enterprise, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, LISC, M&T Bank, MUFG, New York Foundation, The New York Community Trust, Principal, Santander Bank, Scherman Foundation, Trinity Wall Street, United Way of NYC, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo Bank. The NYC Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity is an ex-officio member.

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