EPA Regional Administrator, Local Leaders Highlight How $500,000 Grant Will Advance Environmental Justice in South Bend, Indiana
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA (Dec. 7, 2023) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore met with representatives of the city of South Bend and a local grantee, enFocus, to discuss its plan to use EPA’s recent $500,000 Environmental Justice Community Problem Solving (EJCPS) grant to provide five historically underserved, disadvantaged neighborhoods with job training, better access to clean air and water, and to foster climate resiliency. This grant – one of 186 announced nationwide in October – is part of President Biden’s ‘Investing in America’ agenda.
EPA’s funding empowers enFocus to partner with the city and key community stakeholders to address environmental inequality in historically marginalized neighborhoods. First, enFocus will engage and enroll residents into the Greener Homes Initiative and the Upskill SB Climate Action Program which promote energy efficiency, conservation and cost-saving at home. enFocus will also offer residents job training and certifications to help them pursue careers in the green workforce. And enFocus will work to expand the tree canopy in these neighborhoods which are more likely to be affected by extreme heat, poor air quality, and stormwater flooding.
“The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes that in order to advance our environmental justice goals, we must empower and support local partners,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. “This Administration has made historic investments in environmental justice grant programs so that organizations like enFocus can continue to do incredible work in their community.”
"enFocus is both grateful and humbled to be one of just 186 national selectees for this award,” said Gillian Shaw, enFocus Vice President of Projects. “We vow to use these dollars in a manner that drives equitable and sustainable change by collaborating across neighborhoods and stakeholders."
"The City of South Bend is honored to partner with enFocus to launch and advance equitable environmental justice initiatives across our City's neighborhoods,” said Caleb Bauer, City of South Bend, executive Director of Community Investment. “This investment brings South Bend one step closer to achieving our carbon neutral goals."
enFocus is a nonprofit organization in the South Bend-Elkhart region that serves as a catalyst for civic and industry innovation. The enFocus two-year fellowship program develops the next generation of community and business leaders. Since inception, enFocus has engaged over 1,300 young professionals to work on more than 450 business, technology, and entrepreneurial projects across Northern Indiana. These collaborations not only deliver innovative solutions for local organizations, they inspire young professionals to stay in the region.
EPA’s EJCPS program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations working to address local environmental or public health issues in their communities. The program builds upon President Biden’s Executive Orders 13985 and 14008, creating a designation of funds exclusively for small nonprofit organizations, which are defined as having five or fewer full-time employees, thus ensuring that grant resources reach smaller organizations that historically struggled to receive federal funding.
Additional Background:
From day one of his administration, President Biden has made achieving environmental justice a top priority. And in August 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the Inflation Reduction Act into law, creating the largest investment in environmental and climate justice in U.S. history. EPA received $3 billion in appropriations to provide grants and technical assistance for activities advancing environmental and climate justice.
Under the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA has launched and expanded innovative programs to provide more support than ever before to communities that unjustly bear the burdens of environmental harm and pollution. This includes the $177 million for the creation of 16 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs) to remove barriers to federal resources and help communities pursue funding opportunities like those made available through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. EPA has also launched and will award funds through the $550 million Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program before the end of 2023.
To learn more about environmental justice at EPA, visit our website. To learn more about open grant opportunities, please visit the Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grant Program website.