The EPA is accepting applications on a rolling basis for $2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding available to support community-driven projects that build capacity for communities to tackle environmental and climate justice challenges, strengthen their climate resilience, and advance clean energy.
These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input. They are designed to deliver on the transformative potential of the IRA for communities most adversely and disproportionately impacted by climate change, legacy pollution, and historical disinvestments.
The activities to be performed under the grants may generally fall under the following categories:
• Climate resiliency and adaptation.
• Mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood heater emissions, and wildfire events.
• Community-led air and other (including water and waste) pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation.
• Investments in low- and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure. • Workforce development that supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants.
• Reducing indoor toxics and indoor air pollution.• Facilitating the engagement of disadvantaged communities in State and Federal advisory groups, workshops, rulemakings, and other public processes.
Deadline to Apply: November 21, 2024
About the Inflation Reduction Act Environmental and Climate Justice Program
The Environmental and Climate Justice Program (ECJ Program), created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) under Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 138, provides funding for financial and technical assistance to carry out environmental and climate justice activities to benefit underserved and overburdened communities. EPA has created the EPA IRA Disadvantaged Communities map layer to assist potential applicants seeking to identify whether a community is disadvantaged for the purposes of implementing programs under the IRA.
Congress has appropriated $2.8 billion for financial assistance, and $200 million for technical assistance, to implement this new program at the EPA. EPA must award grants and technical assistance under the ECJ Program by September 30, 2026.
