The Office of Sustainability is excited to announce the opening of the 2024 Community Resilience and Environmental Justice (CREJ) Fund opportunity. The application is available through the Philadelphia City Fund’s website.

The CREJ 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, the Fund is dedicated to resourcing frontline communities experiencing environmental injustice to advance their vision of an equitable and resilient future. The 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 $15,000 grants to 20 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 (see FAQ document for more details)
  • a 501(c)3 or a community-based organization (including school-based youth groups) working with a 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor

The CREJ Fund will award $15,000 grants to groups working on:

  • Coalition and collaboration building activities
  • Community organizing
  • Organizational capacity building
  • Removing barriers that create and perpetuate environmental injustices
  • Education and engagement around environmental justice and/or community resilience
  • Youth leadership and development
  • Community-driven planning for environmental justice, climate adaptation, and preparedness, energy efficiency and renewable energy
  • Implementation of projects related to environmental justice and/or community resilience

Applications will remain open until Friday, October 4 at 11:59 PM. Final decision notifications will go out by the end of November via email.

A general information session covering the grant application, eligibility criteria and featuring a Q&A Session will be hosted on Tuesday, September 3 at 6 PM. 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

This initiative is administered by the Philadelphia City Fund. All selected grantees will receive grant funding directly from the Philadelphia City Fund.

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

Additional local funding opportunities include:

  • The Feet First Philly Public Space Enhancement Mini Grants Program offers grants ranging from $500 to $2,000 to support projects that make walking and rolling easier, safer, and more enjoyable for all. Learn more on the Feet First Philly website, and apply by Thursday, October 10 at 11:59 PM.
  • The Health Justice for Hunting Park funding opportunity, a collaboration between the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and Esperanza, offers $5,000 to $15,000 grants for health-improving initiatives to community-based groups in Hunting Park, Feltonville and Juniata. Interested organizations should submit an Initial Interest Form by Saturday, September 28.
  • The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative’s Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program offers $40 million in grants to support environmental justice projects in historically disinvested communities in EPA’s Region 3, including Philadelphia. Visit the GHHI website for eligibility criteria, office hours and application instructions.
Learn more and apply for the Community Resilience & Environmental Justice Fund!