Notice of Environmental Justice Funding Opportunities:
Capacity Grants for Community Organizations
(October 2024 - May 2025)
What does a Healthy Environment for All mean to you?
Administered by the Frontline Funding Collaborative
Sign up to get more information about our 2024 Community Grants
We are a community partnership catalyzing investments in climate and environmental justice.
These HEAL Capacity Grants are intended to support community organizations whose capacity building efforts are aligned with, and will advance the goals of the Healthy Environment for All Act. Nonprofit, 501 (c) 3 community based organizations (fiscally sponsored are ok) throughout Washington State who work with overburdened and vulnerable communities are encouraged to apply for these unique capacity grants. Depending upon your capacity needs and how they align with the goals of the new environmental justice policy, the Healthy Environment for All Act, organizations have the chance to apply for grants ranging between $1,000 and $100,000.
Applications open October 25, 2022 and will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Grant decisions will be made and funds to be distributed in two grant cycles, between December 2024 and April 2025.
Partnering as Frontline Communities, Advancing a Healthy Environment for All
Why and how are we advancing a Healthy Environment for All through this unique grant program?
We are excited to share that as five community organizations who have been part of the broader frontline community-led effort to advance a Healthy Environment for All, we have formed the Frontline Funding Collaborative to serve as a partnership catalyzing investments in climate and environmental justice. With our shared commitment to advance climate and environmental justice as part of our organizational programs, our organizations work across the state to serve communities who are vulnerable and disproportionately overburdened by climate change and environmental harms. The Frontline Funding Collaborative expertise in community capacity building includes a variety of services from policy advocacy, education, culture/heritage/language access and preservation, intergenerational leadership, to food sovereignty, food justice, to rematriation of land and eco stewardship efforts. This HEAL Capacity Grant program is the most unique example of how the Frontline Funding Collaborative aims to support frontline communities by resourcing frontline community needs and amplifying frontline community solutions to climate change and environmental health disparities.
“The Healthy Environment or All (HEAL) Act was passed in 2021 to reduce environmental and health disparities and improve the health of all people in Washington state. This HEAL community capacity grant program focuses on building climate resilience and enhancing community-led decision making to advance environmental justice (EJ). This funding equips communities most impacted by environmental hazards with necessary resources needed to collaborate with state agencies on environmental health decisions.”
Grant Amounts
Grants will range from $1,000 to $25,000.
Sign up to get more information about our 2024 Community Grants
Who is eligible?
Non-profits, Tribal Governments and Tribal Entities committed to advancing environmental justice, in alignment with the goals of the Healthy Environment for All Act within underserved communities located in the state of Washington. Applicants must serve communities who are overburdened, vulnerable populations, and people disproportionally impacted environmental hazards and climate change. These capacity grants are intended to reach frontline communities which include (but are not limited to) Native Nations, Urban Natives, Black and BIPOC communities, Rural communities, Youth, Low income, Unhoused, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, and other communities most vulnerable to climate impacts.
Experience with state grants is not required and technical assistance to help you troubleshoot your project and administrative questions is available. We encourage grant applications throughout the state, whether you are serving a local community neighborhood in Western Washington, a rural community in Central Washington, or are working in collaboration with community groups across counties in Southeast Washington.
What is eligible?
Grant funds must be used to pursue low-carbon transportation improvements that benefit environmental justice communities in the state of Washington. We understand that capacity building around climate and environmental justice may mean a lot of different things and takes time, so this unique grant opportunity is intended to be an investment to adapt to your capacity needs. Maybe it is funding that jumpstarts your capacity project, or maybe it is a grant that contributes to overall capacity building systems that has been receiving other support, or maybe it is an opportunity to complete the last elements of implementation. Whatever the stage of your capacity project, this grant just requires that the grant funds be expended and contribute to your project work (which may be longer-term beyond, or finished by) June 30, 2025. No matching funds are required.
Don’t worry, our technical assistance teams can help answer operational questions once your project has been selected.
Examples of eligible activities include
We know there are many types of Capacity Projects, here are a variety of examples to get you thinking about why your project fits!
Build organizational capacity. Includes projects related to education, technical assistance, administration, and other work to increase community groups' capacity to engage in environmental justice activities in alignment with the HEAL Act goals.
Conduct research, analysis, and advocacy. Includes efforts to improve climate and environmental justice policies, plans, and projects led by agencies and organizations at the local, state and federal levels.
Plan projects and services. Includes a diversity of efforts to develop specific community-led projects and services. Examples include but are not limited to feasibility studies, cost/benefit analysis, and project proposal development.
*Applicants may submit applications for more than one project. One application is required for each project.
Examples of projects
- Hold a series of community workshops focused on learning more about the HEAL Act
- Leadership development program to preserve and promote EJ practices that are culturally aligned
- Food justice or food sovereignty program
- Form a coalition of community organizations to review and comment on government agency environmental justice related plans and budgets to advocate for the environmental justice issue.
- Partnership between community organization(s) to develop a community program about youth environmental programming in schools.
- Community education program focused on climate resiliency or awareness about environmental stewardship practices
- Support research and planning to develop a strategic plan for development of an environmental health program, including hiring an expert.
- Develop a plan for a community environmental intergenerational mental health program.
Application Process
The HEAL Capacity Grant Program uses a two-part application process designed to be transparent, simple, and supportive. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting October 25, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and grant decisions will be made and funds distributed in two awardee cohorts, the first will be December 2024 and and the second will be by March/April 2025.
Prospective grantees can schedule one-on-one discussions with grant specialists to receive support.
Apply and checkout how the Frontline Funding Collaborative of five different organizations offer five different grant application pathways via the common grant portal, www.justfund.us - register (free) on the website, search HEAL Capacity Grants.
Part 1: Review and Initial Selection
Applicants will submit their project ideas by answering three preliminary questions on the JustFund portal:
- Describe your capacity project.
- How does your project advance the goals of the Healthy Environment for All, especially for overburdened communities?
- Who in your community will directly benefit from this project and how are/will they be involved in it?
A diverse community review committee will use the following criteria to select projects to move to the Project Refinement and Grant Contracting phase:
- Alignment with grant program goals (HEAL Act goals)
- Community involvement and leadership
- Feasibility
- Innovation and/or benefit to overburdened and vulnerable community you serve
Part 2: Project Refinement and Grant Contracting
Prospective grantees who have been selected to move on to this second phase will collaborate with grant specialists to:
- Discuss potential that the project could be sustained after June 2025.
- Learn about program grant, program requirements, and refine their project idea, and budget to fit with requirements.
- Identify outcomes and deliverables.
- Identify the support needed.
- Generate details necessary for a grant contract.
- Sign a grant contract and, within two weeks of signing, receive funds.
Information Sessions
Initial information sessions that introduce the grant program and explain the application process will be held on the following dates and recorded as a resource for prospective applicants:
- Tuesday, October 29th (12.30 PM - 1.30 PM) Registration Zoom Link
- We will offer more information sessions during this process.
Grant Delivery
The Frontline Funding Collaborative organizations each manage a capacity grant program, and will have varying grant approaches and different environmental justice scopes. Each granting organization will have their staff experts available to provide technical assistance, supporting the many questions selected grantees may have on an ongoing basis. Whether it is a question about operations and administration of the grant, or strategic approaches to refine your project, or connecting you with partners and other resources.
Background
The HEAL Capacity Grant Program was created in collaboration with various community partners and the Washington Department of Health. It reflects a commitment to equitable governance. By centering the voices and leadership of frontline communities—those most impacted by climate change and environmental hazards—this program ensures that solutions are rooted in community needs and priorities. The program prioritizes building long-term capacity for community-based organizations, enhancing their ability to lead future environmental justice projects and advocate for change through civic engagement with HEAL state agencies and other governmental entities. This program aims to increase the capacity of frontline communities in delivering on the promise of a Healthy Environment for All.
This HEAL Capacity Grant is more than a funding opportunity—it is a catalyst for systemic change. By fostering collaboration, providing robust technical assistance, and centering the voices of frontline communities, this grant program seeks to create lasting, equitable solutions that address the intersection of climate and environmental justice, and community well-being.
The Frontline Collaborative is a partnership between five organizations who serve as community grantmakers.
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This HEAL Capacity Grant Program, administered by the Frontline Funding Collaborative, is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.
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