Financial Assistance For Community Support Activities To Address Environmental Justice Issues

This program has been terminated. To achieve the objectives of this program as described above, awards under this listing, which may be grants or cooperative agreements as appropriate, will be related to the following types of projects and activities designed to provide financial assistance to eligible entities to support community engagement and capacity building efforts and activities to address, and advance, environmental justice, climate, public health, and environmental protection efforts impacting communities. • Projects where communities collaborate with EPA to ensure transparent and meaningful community participation in the development of a community-driven approach to addressing environmental justice, climate and public health challenges and environmental/pollution impacts • As appropriate, supporting disadvantaged community members of a Federal Advisory committee or similar State body to ensure early community input and representation on actions to identify and/or address environmental justice issues • Organizing and convening workgroups/public engagement meetings to solicit ideas on addressing environmental and climate justice challenges and public health and pollution impacts • Supporting participation in interviews with contractors and other organizations and helping to organize local/resident public engagement sessions to gather local environmental, climate and public health information • Community engagement and capacity-building efforts including organizing feedback sessions, facilitating participation in relevant forums/meetings, organizing community visits and tours related to environmental justice activities, community training/mentoring activities, on the ground activities, and disseminating relevant environmental information to communities • Community reporting and data gathering and analysis activities • Identifying local language needs to ensure broad public understanding of environmental justice issues and information • Identifying, engaging, and supporting local and/or regional community organizations to participate in efforts to better understand the cumulative environmental, pollution and public health impacts of an issue or challenge and participating in local, state, regional and/or national environmental justice councils or other coalitions to ensure disadvantaged community voices are represented • Coordinating services and/or incentives including participant support costs to ensure broad local resident participation to identify, address, and engage in environmental justice issues; • Projects to continue, enhance, improve, and strengthen ongoing or existing community-based projects that address environmental justice challenges that absent EPA funding would be jeopardized or not be as effective or efficient • Working with states and other appropriate jurisdictions to mobilize short-term on-site distribution and logistical support of state (or other jurisdictions) sponsored resources to ensure timely and efficient delivery of climate change mitigation, pollution prevention, and environmental justice support to community residents • Working with state agencies, cities, and other jurisdictions on short, medium, and/or long-term solutions to address community health issues stemming from environmental pollution • Developing reports on damage to community assets and infrastructure (e.g., water, sewer, natural, electricity, gas) impacted by severe storms and other weather-related events • Community driven research, including citizen science, to identify and evaluate risks to human health stemming from hazardous substances in the environment • Delivering reports on data collected on impacted ecosystems (e.g., terrestrial and aquatic species) including impacted water bodies after severe storms • Providing recommendations/lessons learned for emergency recovery in vulnerable communities impacted by storms and other extreme weather-related events stemming from climate change.