Deadline to Apply for Environmental Justice Grants Extended to July 27, 2018

DEC Extends Application Period for Environmental Justice Community Impact Grants
Deadline to Apply for Grants Extended to July 27, 2018

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos recently announced the extension of the application period for Environmental Justice Community Impact Grants. The deadline to submit applications has been extended to July 27, 2018. In April, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that $4.5 Million in Community Impact Grant funding is available to help communities facing environmental justice challenges address environmental concerns. The funding is provided by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).

Commissioner Seggos said, “At Governor Cuomo’s direction, DEC is partnering with community leaders across the state to identify environmental vulnerabilities in New York’s underserved and economically disadvantaged communities. Together, we are developing smart and sustainable solutions to serve and protect communities based on what we learn from these communities and grants are being targeted to support initiatives in communities most in need.”

Community Impact Grants fund programs that target environmental and public health threats in low-income and minority communities. Funding will be distributed to communities across the state, and for the first time in the program’s history organizations can request up to $100,000. The grants are administered through DEC’s Office of Environmental Justice. Since the program’s launch in 2006, more than $5 million has been distributed to 145 Environmental Justice projects statewide.

Not-for-profit, community-based organizations are eligible to apply for Community Impact Grants to work on projects that address environmental and public health concerns of residents in impacted neighborhoods. Organizations are required to have their primary office located in the affected community, serve the residents of an area equal to or smaller than a town or city outside of New York City, or an area equal to or smaller than one of the five boroughs within New York City, and have a total annual revenue less than $3 million. Further eligibility information is available online at the Grant Opportunity Portal.

Projects must address a community’s exposure to multiple harms and risks and include a research component that will be used to expand the knowledge of the affected community. Previous projects awarded by DEC have included public participatory science, water/air quality monitoring, urban farming, alternative energy projects, curriculum development, green infrastructure installation, and more.

Questions regarding this grant opportunity will be accepted through July 20, 2018. All questions and answers will be uploaded in the Grants Gateway on a rolling basis. Applicants are required to register and prequalify in the Grants Gateway before applying. This web-based grants management tool is used to improve the way grants are administered by the state. Once registered and prequalified, organizations can apply for the grant in the Grants Gateway. Instructions and application are available online at the Grants Gateway website.

The deadline to submit an application for the Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant is 3 p.m. on July 27, 2018. For a complete list of guidelines and more information, contact DEC’s Office of Environmental Justice at 518-402-2600, [email protected], or visit DEC’s Environmental Justice web page.