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U.S. Virgin Islands, November 7, 2024 — The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) is one of five organizations partnering with Fordham University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the $40 million Flourishing in Community environmental justice grants program. The online application is now open for community-based organizations, municipalities, non-profit organizations, and other eligible entities in the U.S. Virgin Islands to submit proposals for subgrants to fund environmental justice projects.
The EPA awarded Fordham University’s Flourishing in Community a three-year grant through the Inflation Reduction Act to uplift communities in EPA's Region 2, which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eight federally recognized Indian Nations. Subgrants ranging from $75,000 to $350,000 will support community-based solutions and address environmental challenges, including climate change, pollution, and other environmental stressors disproportionately impacting front-line communities.
Flourishing in Community is working with five statutory partners in the targeted areas, including CFVI, which is the only partner in the USVI, to review and select the projects receiving the environmental funds.
“CFVI recognizes how vital this funding is to the communities we represent in the U.S. Virgin Islands," said CFVI President Dee Baecher-Brown. "It is an honor and privilege to be partnering with Fordham and the EPA in this work, and we look forward to connecting with our communities so that they can access these critical opportunities and resources."
Proposals can include, among others, local clean-ups, local emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency programs, environmental workforce development programs, air quality and asthma-related projects, healthy homes programs, and projects addressing illegal dumping.
“We are embarking on a journey to allocate $40 million in federal funds to the frontline communities that bear the brunt of the climate crisis and environmental challenges," said Fordham's Associate Vice President of Strategic Mission Initiatives, Dr. Julia L. Gafney. "With their deep-rooted knowledge and innovative approaches, these resilient communities are well-equipped to tackle these pressing issues within their own neighborhoods. We look forward to applications throughout the region for workforce development programs, education pipelines, clean air and water initiatives, solar and green energy projects, planting, and improving access to green spaces and waterways."
Community-based organizations in the U.S. Virgin Islands can also take advantage of the EPA Disadvantaged Community Environmental and Climate Justice Program map online—a tool available to visualize the urgency of addressing environmental stressors in front-line communities—to identify whether a community in their area is classified as disadvantaged, and can apply for a subgrant from Flourishing in Community.
For more information or updates on the latest developments and the application process, visit FORDHAM.EDU/FIC or email InfoFIC@fordham.edu.
To access the application online to submit proposals for subgrants to fund environmental justice projects, please visit www.Fordham.edu/FIC.
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