Environmental Justice Grant Programs
The Office of Environmental Justice (EJ) offers competitive grants to support and empower communities as they develop and implement solutions that significantly address environmental issues, harms, and health hazards, build community consensus, set priorities, and improve public outreach and education.
Eligible sole applicants must be must be 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations. Organizations with other types of tax-exempt status, such as 501(c)(4), are not eligible to apply for an EJ grant without a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. Eligibility requirements may vary between grant opportunities. Please read the corresponding Request for Applications for detail, application instructions, and eligibility requirements.
Past projects funded by OEJ can be viewed on Open Data (leaves DEC website).
Prequalification Requirement
Pursuant to the New York State Division of Budget Bulletin H-1032, dated June 7, 2013, New York State has instituted key reform initiatives to the grant contract process which require not-for-profits to register in the Grants Gateway and complete the Vendor Prequalification process in order for proposals to be evaluated. Information on these initiatives can be found on the Grants Reform Website. (Link leaves DEC's website)
Please review the Request For Applications (RFA) (see below) for more information on application due date and eligibility. Proposals not received by the proposal date in the RFA can not be evaluated. Such proposals will be disqualified from further consideration.
Below is a summary of the steps that must be completed to meet registration and prequalification requirements. The Vendor Prequalification Manual (link leaves DEC's website) on the Grants Reform Website details the requirements and an online tutorial are available to walk users through the process.
- Register for the Grants Gateway.
- On the Grants Reform Website, download a copy of the Registration Form for Administrator. A signed, notarized original form must be sent to the Division of Budget at the address provided in the instructions. You will be provided with a Username and Password allowing you to access the Grants Gateway.
- If you have previously registered and do not know your Username please email grantsreform@budget.ny.gov. If you do not know your Password please click the Forgot Password link from the main log in page and follow the prompts.
- Complete your Prequalification Application.
- Log in to the Grants Gateway. If this is your first time logging in, you will be prompted to change your password at the bottom of your Profile page. Enter a new password and click SAVE.
- Click the Organization(s) link at the top of the page and complete the required fields including selecting the State agency you have the most grants with. This page should be completed in its entirety before you SAVE. A Document Vault link will become available near the top of the page. Click this link to access the main Document Vault page.
- Answer the questions in the Required Forms and upload Required Documents. This constitutes your Prequalification Application. Optional Documents are not required unless specified in this Request for Proposal.
- Specific questions about the prequalification process should be referred to your agency representative or to the Grants Reform Team at grantsreform@budget.ny.gov
- Submit Your Prequalification Application
- After completing your Prequalification Application, click the Submit Document Vault Link located below the Required Documents section to submit your Prequalification Application for State agency review. Once submitted the status of the Document Vault will change to In Review.
- If your Prequalification reviewer has questions or requests changes you will receive email notification from the Gateway system.
- Once your Prequalification Application has been approved, you will receive a Gateway notification that you are now prequalified to do business with New York State.
Vendors are strongly encouraged to begin the process as soon as possible in order to participate in this opportunity.
Available Grant Opportunities
Community Impact Grants
Don't Wait to Submit Your Application for the Largest Award Round to Date
$6 million is currently available for community based organizations to address environmental harms facing historically underserved communities disproportionately burdened by environmental pollution. Grant awards of $50,000 to $100,000 are available for eligible organizations that have their have their primary office located in a Potential Environmental Justice Area, serve the residents of an area equal to or smaller than a town or city outside of New York City, or an area equal to or smaller than one of the five boroughs within New York City, and must address environmental or public health issues of the residents of the affected community. Please visit the Grant Opportunity Portal (leaves DEC's website) to review additional eligibility and application requirements.
Eligible projects must address a community's exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks and include a new research component that will be used to expand the knowledge of the affected community. Projects that have been granted through the program include research, environmental monitoring, community gardens, tree plantings, habitat restoration, and environmental education.
Applicants are required to register and prequalify in the Grants Gateway before applying. Once registered and prequalified, organizations can apply for the grant in the Grants Gateway. Instructions and application are available here (PDF) or online at the Grants Gateway website. (Leaves DEC's website) The deadline to submit applications is 3 p.m. EST on July 26, 2023. For more information, contact DEC's Office of Environmental Justice at 518-402-8556 or at justice@dec.ny.gov.
Air Quality Monitoring
$2.1 million is currently available for community-based organizations to support community-driven projects to improve air quality and help advance the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Grant awards of up to $500,000 are available for eligible community-based not-for-profit organizations working in disadvantaged communities throughout the state that are disproportionately burdened by pollution. The grants will advance local efforts to obtain air quality data tailored to issues identified by community residents.
Nearly $900,000 for capacity-building grants was announced in December 2022 to support nine community-based organizations developing new or strengthening existing air monitoring programs focused on reducing exposure to harmful emissions in disadvantaged communities. To learn more about the State's Community Air Monitoring program, visit the DEC website.
Applicants are required to register and pre-qualify in the Grants Gateway (Leaves DEC's website) before applying. Once registered and prequalified, organizations can apply for the grant in the Grants Gateway. Instructions and application are here (PDF). The deadline to submit applications is 3 p.m. EST on July 26, 2023. Questions regarding this grant opportunity will be accepted until 5 p.m. on July 12, 2023. All questions and answers will be uploaded in the Grants Gateway on a rolling basis. For more information, contact DEC's Office of Environmental Justice at 518-402-8556 or at justice@dec.ny.gov
More about Environmental Justice Grant Programs:
- Environmental Justice Grant Sample Authorizing Resolution - Sample Resolution of Support for use by applicants for the Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant
- Recent Grant Awards - Winning organizations, projects and award amounts for the previous Environmental Justice Community Impact Grants
