After Tireless Advocacy to Fight for Obligated Funding, Environmental Justice Communities Lose Access to 50+ Million in Federal Funding
Contact: [email protected]
The Climate Justice Alliance — a named recipient of the EPA’s national Thriving Communities grantmaking program— is sunsetting its UNITE-EJ grantmaking program after the EPA still has not disbursed $50+ million in obligated funds. This announcement comes at the same time as the EPA announces pausing “all funding actions related to” Biden-era climate and infrastructure laws.
Since being selected on merit, as National Grantmaker West by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), CJA and our UNITE-EJ partners have been fully committed to advancing climate justice and equity, ensuring that regions and communities most impacted by environmental harm receive the support and technical assistance they need to thrive. In this role, over the last year, UNITE-EJ built the infrastructure necessary to support the entire program, including the creation of systems, trainings, and partnerships designed to support regional grantmakers and their respective communities.
All other grantmakers in the program received at least partial, if not full disbursements, of the funds in the program, designated by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Tireless efforts were made by dedicated community members for sensible climate policy. From Guam to Baltimore, from the Gulf South to Appalachia, from Maine to California, thousands of communities raised their voice to demand the EPA and the Biden Administration release all climate funds by the end of their administration. These calls, meant to remind the federal government of the importance of the IRA’s promised environmental justice investments supporting the communities they were intended for, were disregarded.
The Biden Administration and the EPA did not heed the call of communities and their legacy is now one of broken promises to frontline communities. By not releasing the already obligated funds to CJA as the National Grantmaker West to carry out the Thriving Communities program, they made certain that those hit first and worst by the climate crisis would not have a chance to access critical climate funds that could help mitigate against the climate chaos ahead.
Instead of safeguarding support for frontline communities in the hostile years to come, the Biden Administration and the EPA cowered to political pressure, chose to safeguard their own futures rather than their constituents, and failed to deliver on their promise to environmental justice and grassroots communities.
CJA remains committed to supporting our communities as they mitigate the harm being unleashed and continue to build out climate solutions that benefit us all.
###
