Supporting Community-Based Action Programs

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s priorities are the focus for 2012 Environmental Justice 

(EJ) Small Grants. Among the top priorities are: reducing greenhouse gas emissions; 

improving air quality; managing chemical risks; cleaning up hazardous waste disposal sites; 

protecting America’s water; expanding the conversation on environmentalism and working for 

environmental justice; and building strong state and tribal partnerships. 

The Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) supports the Plan EJ 2014 strategy through 

the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program.The program uses grants to strengthen 

community-based programs that engage overburdened communities and build partnerships to 

promote environmental and public health issues.

About The EJ Small Grants Program

The Environmental Justice Small Grants program provides financial assistance to communitybased organizations, and local and tribal governments working on community projects aimed 

at addressing environmental and public health issues. Since 1994, the program has awarded 

nearly $23 million to 1,253 grant recipients. The goal of the program is to help affected 

communities create self-sustaining, community-based partnerships that will continue to 

improve local environments in the future. 

Is My Organization Eligible?

An eligible applicant MUST BE one of the following entities: 

1. Incorporated, non-profit, community-based organizations. This includes environmental 

justice networks, faith based organizations and those affiliated with religious institutions;

2. Federally recognized tribal governments; OR

3. Tribal organizations

AND an eligible applicant must be:

1. Located within the same state, territory, commonwealth, or tribe that the proposed 

project will be located; federally recognized tribal governments; OR

2. Able to demonstrate that it has worked directly with the affected community. 

How To Apply

To find the application or more information, visit environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants 

 

EPA awarded environmental justice grants to local 

organizations helping communities affected by the 

BP oil spill. Funds are being used to help 

address and adapt to the spill’s long-term effects.

Malama Learning Center

Small Grant Success Story 

In 2010, with a $25,000 Environmental 

Justice Small Grant award, the Malama 

Learning Center formed a partnership 

with Leeward Community College, as 

well as local businesses, government and 

community groups to launch the Hawaii 

Green Collar Institute. The purpose of the 

institute was to engage high school and 

college students in learning about public 

health and climate change issues affecting 

their communities. 

Students learned from professionals about 

environmental justice issues, conducted 

team-based research projects, and received 

training to become better prepared to 

enter Hawaii’s green collar job industry. In 

March 2011, the Institute honored its first 

graduating class of 36 students, 40% of 

which were of Native Hawaiian descent. 

The Institute supported its students’ 

transitions into the workforce by offering 

them career counseling services that 

include bulletins to alert them of green 

job openings, resume writing workshops, 

practice job interview sessions, and career 

fair opportunities. 

To read about more projects like this, visit

environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants

HGCI student 

recieving a 

graduation 

certificate. 

In 2010, the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice 

recieved a grant for the “Hartford Recycles” project to educate 900 

residents on how to recycle, to protect local air quality by reducing 

the amount of trash burned at the city’s incinerator.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Environmental Justice

Continued on back

www.epa.gov
Grant Partnerships

EPA awarded $1.8 million for grants in 

2010. Of the 76 projects, community-based 

nonprofit grant recipients created 

partnerships with 313 other organizations, 

averaging 4 partners per project. 

* Percent of $1.8 million awarded 

There was a wide array of parnterships from 

all sectors, including:

Nonprofits: Grassroots groups, community 

councils, community health centers, 

Development corporations

Educational Institutions: Elementary, high 

school and universities, technical and 

vocational institutes

Government: Federal, State and local 

governments, advisory commissions, task 

forces, planning committees

Private: Farmer’s markets, construction 

companies, local businesses, consulting firms

2010 Small Grant 

FACTS

 How Have Grants Been Used?

Funding for EJ Small Grants in Fiscal Year 2010 was dispersed among 76 projects across 32 states 

to support the Administrators’ priorities. The types of projects and priorities supported by grants 

included:

8 projects improved air quality. Communities United for Action provided education 

and outreach to four low-income communities on how to protect families from air toxics 

in Mill Creek Valley, OH, and developed strategies to reduce air pollution.

14 projects that reduced America’s greenhouse gas emissions. Little Village 

Environmental Justice Organization received funding to weatherize 100 housing units, 

and worked with the Chicago Transit Authority to begin a new, 12-mile cross-town bus 

service that will serve 300,000 people in seven Chicago community areas and the town 

of Cicero.

16 projects that focused on addressing climate equity, energy efficiency, 

renewable energy, local green economy, and green jobs capacity. An award on 

the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota funded the Thunder Valley Community 

Development Corporation to provide training on community energy use, organic 

gardening, and opportunities for green-jobs.

18 projects that managed chemical risks. The Philadelphia Department of Public 

Health used an environmental justice grant to provide outreach support and training for 

children and pregnant women at-risk and/or affected by lead exposure.

10 projects that protected America’s 

water. In Richmond, California, The Watershed 

Project used a grant to create a greenway 

garden as a low-impact way to remove storm 

water pollutants, as well as to encourage green 

approaches to cleaning storm water. Recently, the 

project expanded its efforts by partnering with 

the City of Oakland to manage the Department 

of Public Works’ Rain Barrel Program.

Greenway 

Garden

10 projects that cleaned up hazardouswaste disposal sites. Citizens’ Environmental 

Coalition (CEC) educated low-income citizens 

in the City of Geneva, New York, about the 

environmental and public health issues associated 

with the Seneca Meadows Landfill. They also 

conducted an air monitoring study to determine if 

the air quality near communities surrounding the 

landfill is within national air quality standards.

CEC educated students on how 

to reduce landfill intake.

10%

*43% 34%

13%

Nonprofit Government

Private

Schools

Urban

 51

Geographic Diversity

Grants awarded in 2010 supported 6 tribal 

governments or organizations in urban and rural 

areas.

 Connect with EPA

EPA 300F12001

February 2012

Tribal 

1

Rural

 19

Tribal 

5

Non-Tribal 

19

Non-tribal

51

Rural

Urban

Grant Totals

For More Information

To find out more about the EJ Small Grants Program, call 202-564-2515 

or visit www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html