The UNITE-EJ program was sunsetted after not receiving funds by inauguration day.

The cancellation of our $60 million EPA grant led to the sunset of the UNITE-EJ Program. Awarded under the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (EJ TCGP), UNITE-EJ was focused on providing assistance to regional grantmakers, project technical assistance, and $30M in grants to eligible frontline communities. After investing $1.5 million to launch the program without receiving reimbursement from the EPA we ended up laying off eight staff hired specifically to run the program. CJA members and allies were also impacted by federal funding cuts. This past August, the EPA announced its plans to rescind all 60 grants awarded under its $7 billion Solar for All Program, and on September 2, 2025, a DC District Court upheld the EPA’s termination of the $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The billions of dollars lost in federal funding have left organizations with major deficits, triggered staff layoffs, and forced the closing of critical projects and programs that ensured health and safety for people.