EJ Ready: Maintaining Momentum Amid Setbacks

In 2021 and 2022, the Biden Administration passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), together promising hundreds of billions of dollars for infrastructure, clean energy, and climate action. Many of these funds were subject to Biden’s Executive Order 14008, or Justice40, which set the goal that “40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.”

In 2023, Liberty Hill Foundation and Resources Legacy Fund launched EJ Ready to help grassroots environmental justice communities take their place at the center of Justice40 decision-making. A cohort of 16 organizations was chosen to participate. After taking part in the EJ Ready learning community activities, Active SGV and API Forward Movement secured $20 million each through EPA’s Community Change Grants program; T.R.U.S.T. South LA received a $2 million Communities Take Charge Accelerator Grant from the Department of Energy; and EJ Ready partnered with the South Coast Air Quality Management District to apply to the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which resulted in a $500 million grant.

Now these programs are in peril as federal grants that have already been awarded under Justice40 are under attack and many have been terminated. And any hopes that communities once had for attracting new federal funding for environmental justice programs are gone. The Trump administration has stated that it plans to dismantle the “Green New Deal” framework, which includes prioritizing environmental justice for communities disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change. However, EJ Ready is determined to protect and defend the vision of Justice40 while sustaining momentum toward equity and justice.

EJ Ready is providing technical assistance to federal grant awardees to help them fortify their programs and withstand heightened scrutiny under the new administration. We also continue to prepare small community-based organizations to collaborate on proposals and have broadened our focus to include a spectrum of public funding sources across local, regional and state agencies. To help demystify the web of funding streams, we are working with USC-Equity Research Institute to map out the funding opportunities that are most aligned with cohort members’ priorities and ripest for their engagement.

As the Administration is attacking environmental justice on many fronts, we continue to fortify the EJ Ready cohort by fostering dialogue, encouraging sharing of information, and creating spaces for peer skill development. EJ Ready also serves as a liaison between community and government, creating opportunities for connection and meaningful community input. As the nation faces political uncertainty amidst a climate crisis that disproportionately threatens low-income communities of color, we are committed to leveraging the collective power and knowledge of seasoned EJ leaders from diverse communities to continue to champion environmental justice.

To learn more about EJ Ready and the Environmental & Climate Justice work at Liberty Hill.