The Office of Sustainability is excited to announce the release of the Community Resilience & Environmental Justice Fund. The application is available through the Philadelphia City Fund’s website. 

This Fund will support community groups working to ensure that all Philadelphia residents have a livable community, free of environmental toxins and hazards. This means: 

  • Clean air, land, and water
  • Healthy, fresh, and culturally appropriate foods 
  • Homes, jobs, and neighborhoods free from pollutants and toxins
  • Communities that are resilient to the impacts of climate change, such as flooding and extreme heat 

This Fund comes from a recognition of the need to invest in the grassroot activism that residents living on the frontlines of environmental harm engage in every day. As such, this fund is dedicated to resourcing frontline communities experiencing environmental injustice to advance their vision of an equitable and resilient future. The grant fund is steered by the Philadelphia Environmental Justice Advisory Commission and supported by the Office of Sustainability and William Penn Foundation. 

The Fund will provide $10,000 grants to 15 organizations and projects working towards long-term environmental justice in Philadelphia. These funds must be used within 12 months of being awarded.  

Eligibility Criteria: 

To be eligible for a grant from the Community Resilience & Environmental Justice Fund, organizations must be: 

  • Located in Philadelphia and serving Philadelphians experiencing environmental injustices 
  • Led by people most affected by the problem or issue that is being addressed 
  • Working on a long-term plan for environmental justice
  • a 501(c)3 or a community-based organization (including school-based youth groups) working with a 501c3 fiscal sponsor 

The Community Resilience & Environmental Justice Fund will award $10,000 grants to groups working on: 

  • Coalition and collaboration building activities 
  • Community organizing 
  • Organizational capacity building 
  • Removing barriers that create and perpetuate environmental injustices 
  • Environmental justice education and engagement 
  • Youth leadership and development 
  • Community-driven planning for environmental justice, climate adaptation, and decarbonization 
  • Implementation of projects related to environmental justice

Applications will remain open until Wednesday, July 26th at 11:59 PM. Final decision notifications will go out by the end of September via email. 

A general information session covering the grant application, eligibility criteria and featuring a Q&A Session will be hosted on Monday, June 26th at 6pm. Live interpretation for Spanish and Chinese will be available. This information session will also be recorded and available to view at a later time.

Register for the General Information Session 

A special information session for first-time grant applicants will also be held on Thursday, June 29th from 12pm-2pm. Those applying to a grant for the first time may attend this session to ask tailored questions about the grant application process. 

Register for the First-Time Grant Applicants Session

This initiative is administered by the Philadelphia City Fund (formerly the Mayor’s Fund for Philadelphia). All selected grantees will receive grant funding directly from the Philadelphia City Fund. 

Outstanding questions about the Grant Fund can be directed to Justina Thompson at justina.thompson@phila.gov with the Subject Line [CREJ Grant Fund].

Learn more and apply for the Community Resilience & Environmental Justice Fund!