The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that approximately $2 million in Environmental Justice Community Impact Grants is being awarded to support 21 community-based organizations with projects that address environmental and public health concerns. This funding assists communities in developing and implementing programs that address environmental harms and health hazards, build community consensus, set priorities, and improve public outreach and education.

“DEC’s Community Impact Grants support the crucial work of people on the ground working tirelessly to lift up their communities and provide a healthier, more sustainable future,” DEC Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “DEC remains committed to supporting organizations advancing environmental justice and looks forward to working with this newest round of grantees and their partners to improve environmental outcomes across the state.”

Since 2006, DEC’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) has awarded nearly $17 million to 257 projects to help support communities facing a disproportionate burden of environmental challenges.

DEC anticipates to release additional rounds of funding later in 2025. DEC encourages interested not-for-profits to be registered and prequalified in the Statewide Financial System to apply. Open grant opportunities will be posted on DEC’s Office of Environmental Justice Grants Program website.

“An equitable transition to a green economy is accelerated by environmental justice efforts like those announced today, which work to reduce pollution and improve the quality of life in communities across New York,” New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said. “Together, with our State and local partners, we will continue to invest in initiatives that create positive generational change and pave the path towards a sustainable future for all.” 

Community Impact Grants were awarded to the following organizations:  

Long Island 

Long Beach Latino Civic Association, Inc.: “Pollution Mitigation Leads to Health Benefits” $100,000 

The "Pollution Mitigation Leads to Health Benefits" project represents a crucial step towards a healthier environment and improved quality of life for the residents of Long Beach. This project acknowledges the pressing reality of climate change, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the community’s resilience against climate-related impacts. 

Starflower Experiences “Sustainable Wyandanch Interns” $70,100 

The “Sustainable Wyandanch Interns” project will build capacity for continuing with current projects and taking on new ones by training Sustainable Wyandanch Interns (high school students and some adults) to learn about Long Island, sustainability, and perform community projects to make a difference in their community.

New York City 

Arverne By The Bay Community Center, Inc. “GreenTech HVAC Training Initiative” $100,000 

The “GreenTech HVAC Training Initiative,” spearheaded by Arverne By The Bay Community Center, Inc., is a comprehensive educational program designed to train individuals in the Rockaway Peninsula in the installation, maintenance, and operation of energy-efficient HVAC systems.  

Newtown Creek Alliance, Inc. “T.I.D.A.L.S. (Transforming Industrial Developments into Active Living Shorelines) Fellowship Program” $ 99,954 

The “T.I.D.A.L.S. Fellowship” is a paid summer internship program for young adults ages 18-25 focused on researching the impacts of native habitat restoration in Newtown Creek. 

The Bronx is Blooming “The Program for Leaders Advancing their Community's Environment – PLACE” $100,000 

The “The Program for Leaders Advancing their Community's Environment – PLACE” capacity-building program will enable The Bronx is Blooming (BiB) to expand and enhance its youth programming supporting seasonal green jobs, internship programs, caring for the urban forest, planting and stewarding native trees, and engaging in air quality monitoring research.  

Human Impacts Institute “Urban Environmental Health Lab” $100,000

The “Urban Environmental Health Lab” is designed to empower underrepresented communities in Brooklyn by addressing the capacity of local environmental justice organizations, artists, and youth leaders through workshops, fellowships, and collaborative projects.

Cooper Square Community Development “Promoting Lead-Safe Practices” $100,000 

The “Promoting Lead-Safe Practices” project will identify multiple sources of lead hazards in rental housing, educate residents about lead-related risks in rental housing, and/or promote lead-safe practices among property owners and contractors involved in residential construction. 

We Stay/Nos Quedamos (NQ) “Nos Quedamos' South Bronx Resiliency Hubs: A community-led climate justice initiative” $100,000

The “Nos Quedamos' South Bronx Resiliency Hub” initiative sited at two local community gardens and within the courtyard of Nos Quedamos' headquarters, will include solar canopies, rainwater harvesting systems, and broadband access establishing three local microgrids.  

Outstanding Renewal Enterprises, Inc. “Food Security and Community Engagement” $100,000 

The “Food Security and Community Engagement” program will improve food security and reduce environmental harms for minority and low-income residents through environmental education, increased access to fresh food, building awareness, and engaging the community. 

Rockaway Waterfront Alliance “Rockaway Shore Corps Dune Restoration” $100,000 

The “Rockaway Shore Corps Dune Restoration” project will close the loop on local dune restoration work, connecting the signature Shore Corps High School internship with the newly established Native Nursery, Seed Bank, and Educational Garden to create a secondary protective dune from Beach 19th to Beach 73rd St.  

Fort Greene Park Conservancy, Inc. “Fort Greene Park Green Team” $100,000 

The “Fort Greene Park Green Team” program, for youth ages 14 to 19, will address environmental challenges in Fort Greene Park. Participants attend twice-weekly sessions, perform park maintenance, and share their work through community outreach. 

Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Inc. “Gowanus Youth Environmental Stewardship Program” $96,999

The “Gowanus Youth Environmental Stewardship Program” for youth ages 14-24, will create an environmental impact through stewardship in the Gowanus neighborhood and by engaging community members. Participants will gain environmental career awareness, skills, and motivation to pursue environmental careers. 

Hudson Valley 

Energy Justice Law and Policy Center “New Rochelle Environmental Justice Initiative” $100,000 

The “New Rochelle Environmental Justice Initiative” seeks to enhance and expand two key programs: the Air of Truth air quality and environmental justice campaign, and the Eco Ambassadors coastal marine science program. These programs support a comprehensive environmental justice effort targeting air and water quality by educating the public on findings, raising awareness, and developing solutions for clean and green infrastructure.

Newburgh Urban Farm and Food, Inc. “Changing the Culture of Food in the City of Newburgh” $99,500 

The “Changing the Culture of Food in the City of Newburgh” program will establish an outreach and training program that will bring the expertise and knowledge of the Downing Park Urban Farm directly into the neighborhoods to increase food production in ways that address the lack of space and decreasing ingestion of lead and other heavy metal contaminants.  

Poughkeepsie Farm Project “Learning with the Land Project” $100,000 

The “Learning with the Land Project” will move the Poughkeepsie community towards food sovereignty through a research project that will distribute gardening materials and recipe kits, support school and community gardens, and develop educational tools through relationship-building with the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican community.  

Groundwater Hudson Valley “The Green Parking Lot Research & Demonstration Project in SW Yonkers” $99,971 

“The Green Parking Lot Research & Demonstration Project in SW Yonkers” project would move forward a key objective of the 2023 Yonkers Climate Action Plan (YCAP) by exploring the potential of transforming parking lots with acres of impervious surfaces in the community through sustainable design practices to reduce flooding, improve water quality, and mitigate heat islands.  

Capital District 

Radix Ecological Sustainability Center “Ecojustice Tree Nursery” $100,000 

The “Ecojustice Tree Nursery” program at Radix will begin a youth-run community tree nursery for the purpose of growing future street trees for planting in Albany's South End and other disadvantaged communities. 

Central New York 

NEHDA, Inc. “Green & Healthy Homes & Lead Safety” $78,745 

The “Green & Healthy Homes & Lead Safety” program will allow NEHDA to offer a "Lead Safe & Healthy Homes Workshop Program" to three unique populations (tenants, Landlords/Owner-Occupants, and New Americans) and continue incorporating the Green and Healthy Homes model to promote lead-safe cleaning and green and healthy home practices.  

Southern Tier 

Binghamton Regional Sustainability “Binghamton Community Power Phase II: Clean Energy Empowerment for Environmental Justice Neighborhoods” $100,000

The “Clean Energy Empowerment for Environmental Justice Neighborhoods” project will help residents understand how the energy systems in their homes work, provide guidance to navigate energy improvement programs, advocate for themselves with a utility, and provide an understanding of clean energy career opportunities. 

Western New York 

Open Buffalo “Ecological Justice and Resilience for the East Side of Buffalo”  $100,000

The “Ecological Justice and Resilience for the East Side of Buffalo” project extends Open Buffalo's ongoing collaborations with the City of Buffalo Sewer Authority to identify soil toxins and lead pipes in East Buffalo homes, aiming to gather data for public awareness and encourage remediation efforts.

Green Options Buffalo “Equitable Transportation for Buffalo's People, Places, and Policies” $99,987 

The “Equitable Transportation for Buffalo's People, Places, and Policies” project is a neighborhood-level approach that will serve Buffalo’s lower west side, focusing on “People, Places, and Policies” to comprehensively improve quality of life through education, community outreach and engagement, connecting people to transit, and increasing access to opportunities.

Funding for this grant program was provided by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), a critical resource for environmental programs such as environmental justice, land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, recreation access, and water quality improvement projects. Among the many environmental priorities in the Governor’s 2025-26 Executive Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed to maintain the historically high level of $400 million in EPF funding.

For more information about DEC’s Environmental Justice Grant Programs, please visit DEC’s website.