NEW YORK (August 29, 2024) – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency celebrated the selection of the Bronx River Alliance in partnership Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice for a $1 million grant. EPA will provide the funding through the Community Change Grants Program that helps environmentally overburdened communities tackle environmental and climate justice challenges. Made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Community Change Grants Program is the single largest investment in environmental and climate justice in history.  

EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia joined Bronx River Alliance Executive Director Siddhartha Sánchez and Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice Executive Director David Shuffler for a walking tour in the Bronx to highlight the transformative impact of this funding, which will establish a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force. 

"Today we are celebrating the Bronx River Alliance and the entire Bronx as this community change grant will benefit the whole borough and strengthen environmental justice partnerships through the creation of a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "The new taskforce will embody the very heart, culture and grit of the community to take action against climate change, and build a more resilient Bronx. EPA is happy to help partner, support and fund this great initiative."  

“This critical federal grant, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act I led to passage, will help the Bronx River Alliance, in partnership with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, convene a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force that will ensure disadvantaged communities in the Bronx have a voice in climate justice projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “I’m proud to have fought for the Inflation Reduction Act, the single largest investment in environmental and climate justice in history, and for funding opportunities like this, to give environmentally over-burdened communities a boost in the urgent fight against climate change.”   

“For far too long, communities across the Bronx have faced various environmental and climate justice challenges,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “The new Community Change Grants Program provides critically-needed support to finally address these injustices, and I am thrilled that Bronx River Alliance, in partnership with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, has been selected to receive this $1 million grant through this program to help boost climate resiliency in the Bronx. I’m proud to have fought to deliver this funding through the Inflation Reduction Act and will continue fighting for federal resources to support organizations working to advance environmental justice.” 

“For over 30 years Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, Inc. has been on the frontline fighting back the negative impacts of climate change, and pushing forward creative initiatives to mitigate climate change. Today, marks a monumental opportunity for Bronx communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of Climate Change. By convening a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force Bronx communities will be able to come together to collectively look at issues that impact their community and develop proposals to address those issues.  YMPJ is thankful to the EPA for this funding opportunity and grateful for the Bronx River Alliance to take lead in this partnership,” said Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice Executive Director David Shuffler.
 
"Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ) has been raising the alarm about Bronx environmental issues for over 50 years. As one of the earliest supporters of the Bronx River Alliance we are confident that the Alliance, along with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, will make sure that Bronx voices for climate justice are heard loud and clear," said Board Member Dart Westphal. 

“South Bronx Unite extends our heartfelt congratulations to Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice and the Bronx River Alliance on being selected for the EPA's climate resilience planning grant," said Mychal Johnson, Co-Founder of South Bronx Unite.  

"This grant underscores the ongoing leadership and commitment of these two powerhouse organizations advancing environmental justice and resilience in the South Bronx. Together, we are building a stronger, more sustainable future,” said Founding Member and Advisory Board Member Mychal Johnson. 

"The Harlem River Working Group applauds the announcement that the EPA selected the Bronx River Alliance as a recipient of President Biden’s EPA Community Change awards. The Bronx River Alliance has long been a leader for Environmental Justice in our borough and by utilizing these funds to convene communities throughout the Bronx into a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force, the Alliance is helping address both historic and current gaps in equitable funding and mitigating critical environmental and climate injustices throughout a borough of 1.5 million residents. The Harlem River Working Group celebrates investments that strengthen the Bronx's resilience to climate change through catalytic ecological restoration projects," said Project Coordinator Chauncy Young. 

EPA selected the Bronx River Alliance with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice as a partner to receive almost $1 million to convene a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force to ensure that communities have a voice in decisions made that will shape the future of climate resiliency in the Bronx. The taskforce will ensure that disadvantaged communities in the Bronx can fully participate in planning and implementation decisions about coastal adaptation, habitat restoration, and related local, state, and federal infrastructure projects. 

Bronx River Alliance is among the first round of selections for the historic $2 billion dollar Community Change Grants Program. The innovative rolling application process will ensure that applicants have ample time to prepare and take advantage of this historic resource. The Community Change Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity, administered through EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, is still accepting applications through November 21, 2024. EPA will continue to review applications and announce selections on a rolling basis.  

The Community Change Grants also deliver on President Biden’s commitment to advance equity and justice throughout the United States through his Justice40 Initiative to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments go to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.   

See the full listing of the initial 21 organizations receiving a CCGP grant and learn more about CCGP. 

The Community Change Grants Program is still accepting applications through November 21, 2024, so EPA encourages applicants to submit applications as soon as they completely meet the Notice of Funding Opportunity requirements. EPA will make additional selections on a rolling basis for the remainder of 2024. 

Read the Community Change Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity. 

Learn more about the Community Change Grants and Technical Assistance. 

Learn more about environmental justice at EPA. 

For up-to-date information about the NOFO, including information on the webinars, subscribe to the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights’ listserv by sending a blank email to: join-epa-ej@lists.epa.gov.  

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