Project Grant 96711701

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program (CFDA 66.306) provides $500,000 to the Iowa Environmental Council to build leadership and capacity for environmental justice (EJ) in Iowa. The project aims to improve understanding of EJ issues, grow connections between underserved communities and environmental groups, and facilitate engagement of these communities in local, state, and federal public projects, processes, advisory groups, and rulemakings. Key activities include creating EJ leadership cohorts in four priority communities, holding stakeholder coalition meetings and public outreach events, and developing an EJ leadership training curriculum and resources on federal funding opportunities. The project will involve at least one community-based organization sub-awardee per priority community to support community engagement and outreach efforts. The anticipated outcomes include increased awareness of EJ issues, enhanced capacity for EJ leadership and engagement, and greater collaboration on funding proposals in the selected communities.