This action approves funding in the amount of $3,000,000 under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to palm beach county (PBC) office of resilience

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 4, awarded $3.0 million to the County of Palm Beach under the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program (CFDA 66.616) on June 1, 2025, with a completion date of May 31, 2028. This project grant provides funding for the Palm Beach County Office of Resilience to empower disadvantaged community members to participate in climate resiliency planning. The primary deliverable is the training of 180 community supporter staff on Palm Beach County climate government planning processes and investment opportunities. Key project activities include instruction on disadvantaged community climate change impacts, training grassroots leaders on integrating climate resilience into business operations and missions, and developing participants' understanding of climate resilience and emergency preparedness.

Implementation will occur through subawards supporting technical analysis, collaboration facilitation with community-based organizations, residents and applicants, leadership development, and comprehensive reporting. The project is designed to build disadvantaged communities' capacity to engage in local government resilience and sustainability programs, increase climate literacy among community-based organizations and residents, create engagement opportunities with municipal partners, and enhance opportunities for climate resilience investments in disadvantaged areas. Anticipated deliverables include community outreach and engagement activities, formation of an advisory committee, completion of community supporter trainings and leadership development programming, and documented staff engagement with disadvantaged communities.

Specifically, the project will empower disadvantaged communities members to participate in climate resiliency planning by training 180 community supporter staff on PBC climate government planning processes and investment opportunities. Activities:the activities include but are not limited to the following: instructing participants on disadvantage community climate change impacts, training grassroot leaders on how to integrate climate resilience into their business operations, missions and programming, and training participants on a deeper understanding of climate resilience and emergency preparedness. Subrecipient:the activities to be implemented through subawards include but are not limited to the following: technical analysis, facilitating collaboration with community-based organizations, lead applicant and residents, reporting, training and leadership development. Outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include: outreach and engagement, formation of advisory committee, community supporter trainings and leadership development, staff engagement with disadvantaged communities. The expected outcomes include: building disadvantaged community's capacity to engage in local government resilience and sustainability lgrs programs, increase community-based organization CBO and resident climate literacy, provide municipal partners and municipal engagement opportunities with the advisory council and community supporters, enhance local government opportunities to make climate resilience investments in disadvantaged communities, the intended beneficiaries are disadvantaged communities.