12-20-2023 11:49am

Michigan environmental and climate justice federal funding Webinar

Ypsilanti PressLLC Editor

Michigan to host Jan. 10 webinar to support community-based groups, networks, and coalitions pursuing millions in environmental and climate justice federal funding

Rapid response requested for early participation in state-provided technical assistance for U.S. EPA Community Change Grant applications

The State of Michigan would like to engage with frontline and grassroots community-based groups and leaders across Michigan who would benefit from historic levels of federal funding to address environmental justice and climate equity in their communities.

Please join the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate (OEJPA), in partnership with the Office of Climate and Energy and the Michigan Infrastructure Office, for an informational webinar to learn more about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Community Change Grants and how the state can support application efforts. If you have a vision to address environmental and climate justice issues and help your community thrive or if you are part of a coalition or plan to actively pursue funding for your community, then you should plan to join us.

To help us better assess interest and efforts across the state, please complete and submit the following survey to share more about your ideas, planning progress and interest in state-coordinated support related to technical assistance and collaboration connection opportunities. Please submit your survey by January 12.

Upcoming Webinar

January 10, 2024, 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

U.S. EPA Community Change Grants: Michigan Support Webinar

The State of Michigan is committed to promoting awareness of the U.S. EPA Community Change Grant opportunity and supporting community-based groups working on environmental and climate justice to pursue these funds. This webinar will introduce attendees to the Community Change Grants and explain how frontline environmental and climate justice communities and grassroots groups can benefit from this unique and unprecedented program. Attendees will also learn about opportunities to receive no-fee/pro bono technical assistance for developing organizational capacity, project plans, partnerships, and applications for the Community Change Grants.

Register for the webinar

Community Change Grants Interest & Support Survey

Through a state-driven coordinated effort we are looking to provide a range of support for potential applicants, including technical assistance for the following groups:

Existing community-led environmental and climate justice coalitions ready for immediate support to submit a high-quality Community Change proposal early next year
Community groups with plans that could develop into Community Change applications
Community groups looking to collaborate with others to explore possibilities for forming joint/coalition-led applications

Take the Community Change Grants Interest & Support Survey to indicate your interest in engaging with this support and which types of support would be most helpful to you.

Take the Community Change Grants Interest & Support Survey

Initial responses to the Community Change Grants Interest & Support Survey are requested by January 12. Responses will be accepted through February 27.

Submit responses via one of the following:

Online form
Email to EGLE-EnvironmentalJustice@Michigan.gov with subject line “Community Change Grants Interest & Support”
Regular U.S. mail to: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy - Executive Office
Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate
P.O. Box 30473 Lansing, MI 48909-7973

Who should respond: The survey is intended for community-based organizations, networks, and coalitions, and eligible potential partners for a Community Change Grant application. This includes:

Frontline or grassroots groups (without official non-profit/tax exempt status or unincorporated)
Non-profit organizations with tax exempt / 501(c)(3) status
Local governments
Federally recognized Tribes
Institutions of higher education

About the U.S. EPA Community Change Grants

The U.S. EPA recently launched its Community Change G rants program, a $2 billion competition and one of the single biggest federal opportunities centered on benefitting disadvantaged communities through projects to reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community response capacity. In response to community and stakeholder input, the grants will focus on community-driven and place-based initiatives to advance environmental justice and climate equity. Nationwide, the U.S. EPA will award up to 170 grants in two tracks: Track 1 will provide awards of $10-20 million each for community-driven investments in environmental and climate justice communities, and Track 2 will provide awards of $1-3 million each for facilitating engagement of disadvantaged communities in decision-making processes.

Eligible project categories for Community Change Grants include:

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 are large awards. Track 1, supporting community-driven investments, has a minimum award amount of $10 million. Track 2, supporting engagement of disadvantaged communities in state and federal advisory groups, workshops, rulemakings, and other public processes, has minimum award amounts of $1 million. Only partnerships between two or more groups can receive funding.

Eligible applicants include:

Partnerships of two or more community based non-profit organizations (CBOs)
Partnerships between a CBO and one or more of the following:
- a Federally recognized Tribe
- a local government
- an institution of higher education

Other organizations and entities may be able to participate and be involved in the Community Change Grants projects as collaborating subrecipients and/or procurement contractors.