Grant - Environmental Justice for New England

Grants

A total of $48 million will be awarded to New England community-based organizations, environmental justice organizations, nonprofits, Tribal governments (both federally and state recognized), and other entities representing underserved, urban, rural, Indigenous, remote, and capacity-constrained communities. The funds will support organizations implementing projects to address local environmental and public health challenges across the region, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Eligible applicants can apply for subgrants through three concurrent tiers as well as the Seed Fund for organizations with limited capacities. Applications for this funding cycle are due at 5pm ET, February 14, 2025. Applications for all tiers will be accepted on a rolling basis, with quarterly reviews, until all the funding is awarded.

*In an effort to make the application process more accessible and equitable, we are pleased to provide the RFP in multiple languages. However, at this time, we can only accept applications in English.

Eligibility

Funded projects must focus on at least one disadvantaged community in the six New England States (as indicated on this map) or make a case for why they propose a project outside this area.

All applicant entities, including fiscally sponsored organizations or groups, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). This process checks to see if you are a licensed entity in your state and does not require you to be a 501(c)3. If an organization applies using a fiscal sponsor, the fiscal sponsor is the official sub-awardee and is responsible for reporting activities.

These funds are available for nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, grassroots organizations, Tribal governments (both federally-recognized and state-recognized), intertribal consortia, and Native American organizations. Local governments, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit philanthropic or civic organizations are ineligible for Seed Funds. Individuals, for profit businesses, and state governments are ineligible for both funding opportunities.

Further eligibility criteria for the two grantmaking opportunities can be found below.

Tiers and Funding Opportunities

Seed Funds are available for up to $75,000 for efforts to support community-based organizations with limited capacities, which are defined as those having an equivalent of four or less paid full-time staff members at the time of application, amongst other criteria. A full eligibility definition can be found in the request for proposal (RFP).

*Note: Seed Grant applications received by February 7, 2025 at 5PM EST will receive a one-time check to ensure all sections of the application have been received.

If a section is incomplete or missing, EJforNE staff will reach out to the applicant listed on the application.

Apply here

Continue your application

View Budget Template (English Excel version)

Tier 1 will grant up to $150,000 for one year. Projects in this tier should begin to assess a local community’s environmental justice landscape. Example project activities include but are not limited to:

Research that informs project design
Sampling
Testing
Monitoring
Investigations
Surveys and studies
Public education
Community surveys, listening sessions, focus groups, or other forms of engagement

Apply here

Continue your application

View Budget Template (English Excel version)

Tier 2 will grant up to $250,000 for up to two years. Projects in this tier should include plan formulation and partnership development activities to address identified environmental justice concerns. Example project activities include but are not limited to:

Planning
Partnership building
Developing communications and outreach plans
Developing curricula, toolkits, or guidelines
Developing social media plans and content
Producing videos or printed materials
Building or strengthening partnerships and collaboration
Public outreach
Training activities for community
Projects and activities to spur community involvement

Apply here

Continue your application

View Budget Template (English Excel version)

Tier 3 will grant up to $350,000 for up to two years. Projects in this tier should support implementation projects informed by community planning and research. Projects may have educational and outreach components but must focus on developing tangible community assets or providing defined community benefits. Examples of project activities include but are not limited to:

Strengthening cumulative impact, public health, or environmental justice protections
Increasing access to healthy food
Reducing the use of pesticides or toxic substances
Cleaning up contaminated sites
Conducting healthy home assessments
Increasing energy or water efficiency in homes or buildings
Creating community resilience hubs

Apply here

Continue your application

View Budget Template (English Excel version)

Applicant support

Potential applicants have many ways to access technical assistance for support throughout the application process. Use the optional Applicant Support Form so that we provide support tailored to your specific needs. The webinars below are additional opportunities for applicants to learn more about the grant program and how to prepare and submit an application.

Applicant support survey

View All Webinars

View Webinar Slide decks: Funding Announcement | Budget Overview | Quality Assurance Project Plans

Quality Assurance Project Plans: Does your project idea require collecting information (such as air quality or community surveys) or using data to inform your actions (such as existing maps that depict areas at risk)? Then the EPA might require you to develop a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) to ensure the use of that information is reliable and defensible. Learn about what a QAPP is and make sure you are prepared for what it will take to develop one.

GRANTS

Grants

Eligibility

Tiers and Funding Opportunities

Applicant support

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