About the Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected Environmental Justice for New England (EJforNE) to serve as the New England region Grantmaker for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program (TCGM). Health Resources in Action (HRiA), Alternatives for Community & Environment Inc. (ACE), and New England Grassroots Environment Fund (Grassroots Fund) are EJforNE’s core partners. The initiative will distribute grants among the federally-recognized and state-recognized Tribal Nations of EPA Region 1 and the six New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
EJforNE invests in the growth of a sustainable, community-driven environmental justice movement to counter historical disinvestment in communities—aiming to address environmental hazards, climate resiliency, and energy justice, and build livable and healthy communities. This funding, which includes $48 million in grants over three years, comes as an effort to strip away traditional barriers communities have faced in applying for federal grants.
Projects funded by this grantmaking program should aim to address past, current, and future environmental health and justice challenges, and specifically the legacies of disinvestment and injustice. Applications may address a wide range of issues and consist of a variety of project types including but not limited to:
- Air quality and asthma
- Fence line air quality monitoring
- Monitoring of effluent discharges from industrial facilities
- Water quality and sampling
- Small cleanup projects
- Improving food access to reduce vehicle miles traveled
- Stormwater issues and green infrastructure
- Lead and asbestos contamination
- Pesticides and other toxic substances
- Healthy homes that are energy and water use efficient and not subject to indoor air pollution
- Illegal dumping activities, such as education, outreach, and small-scale clean-ups
- Emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency
- Environmental job training for occupations that reduce greenhouse gases and other air pollutants
- Environmental justice training for youth and disadvantaged communities
What is Environmental & Climate Justice?
Over the past 150 years, human activities such as the production and burning of fossil fuels for energy, soil and water deterioration, eradication of conservation lands and bodies of water, and air pollution have increasingly harmed human health. Histories of disinvestment and legacies of systemic oppression cause these climate, environmental, and health impacts to not be equally distributed. Environmental and Climate Justice aims for just and meaningful treatment and involvement of all people, specifically those who are most impacted by environmental, climate, and health changes and to work towards full protection from disproportionate and adverse effects.
In New England, we see that these legacies heighten the climate vulnerabilities facing Indigenous communities, other racial and ethnic minority groups including Black and Latinx communities, persons with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, women, people with lower incomes, people who are incarcerated, and people experiencing homelessness.
Who makes up EJforNE?
Environmental Justice for New England seeks to seed and build deeper capacity for a sustainable environmental justice movement to address environmental hazards, climate resiliency, and energy justice, and build livable and healthy communities. This requires strong partnerships and collaboration among the many organizations working in the environmental justice ecosystem. It is in this spirit that the program aims to build a program infrastructure that weaves together organizations and leaders with shared power.
Core Partners
The Environmental Protection Agency selected Health Resources in Action (HRiA) to implement the Environmental Justice for New England region Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program, in partnership with Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) and the New England Grassroots Environment Fund (Grassroots Fund).
Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE) is a neighborhood based, environmental justice and transit-oriented development nonprofit. ACE works to eradicate environmental racism and classism, create healthy, sustainable communities.
Health Resources in Action (HRIA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving and reimagining public health. HRIA works to address access and equity challenges in health and social systems, creating solutions for everyone to thrive.
The New England Grassroots Environment Fund (Grassroots Fund) fosters civic engagement in local initiatives to build healthy, just, safe, and sustainable communities across New England.
Anchors and Governance
Anchor Organizations
What is an Anchor Organization?
Anchor Organizations are organizations and coalitions with deep connections to or understanding of existing on-the-ground environmental justice organizing, capacity, and needs in the state they work in. The Anchor Organizations collaborate with ACE and the Core Project Team to conduct outreach and provide support to prospective applicants in their respective states and tribal regions. Their efforts ensure the grantmaking program remains rooted in equitable engagement that centers the voices of those most impacted by environmental injustices.
Governance Council
What is the Governance Council?
The Governance Council is an advisory body of twelve individuals representing the New England region. Each Governance Council member holds both a personal and professional commitment to removing barriers environmental justice communities, projects, and leaders face while trying to access resources. Governance Council members support the Core Project Team with guidance on the design, implementation, and evaluation of the overall grantmaking process. They do not make funding decisions.