To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Community Change Grant Application
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to apply for and accept, if awarded, an Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant (Community Change Grant) in an amount not to exceed $20 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
2. APPROVE a Partnership Agreement between Contra Costa County and Urban Tilth as Lead Applicant and Statutory Partner, respectively, for the Community Change Grant and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to execute the Partnership Agreement.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no impact to the General Fund. This one-time grant funding will be used to implement a number of priority projects developed by community-based organizations in North Richmond, including a community resiliency center at the Urban Tilth farm. Grant funding will cover all costs for project management and administration by staff from the Department of Conservation and Development.
BACKGROUND:
The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act created the Environmental and Climate Justice Program (ECJP). Under this program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was provided $2.8 billion to award grants to help impacted communities address a wide range of environmental and climate justice issues. The Community Change Grants complement other grant programs that EPA launched as part of ECJP. Approximately $2 billion will be awarded across the country as Community Change Grants.
EPA has been accepting applications on a rolling basis since November 2023; the application window closes November 21, 2024.
The Community Change Grant program requires a partnership between community-based organizations (CBOs) and a local government, tribal government, or institution of higher education. Funds must be directed to communities that have been historically underinvested in and are overburdened by pollution (the County’s draft General Plan and Climate Action Plan refer to these areas as “Impacted Communities”). Activities under the grants should fall under the following categories:
• Climate resilience and adaptation
• Mitigation of climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood heater emissions, and wildfires
• Community-led air and other pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation
• Investments in low- and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure
• Workforce development that supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants
• Reducing indoor toxics and air pollution
• Facilitating the engagement of disadvantaged communities in state and federal advisory groups, workshops, rulemakings, and other public processes.
Several CBOs in North Richmond, working under the leadership of Urban Tilth, have joined together to develop a suite of projects for a Community Change Grant application. The County will work with these groups as the Lead Applicant for the project. All projects under the Community Change Grant must be completed within three years.
Projects anticipated to be included in the grant application include:
|
Project Sponsor |
Project Description |
Requested Grant Funding |
|
Urban Tilth |
Community Resilience Center |
$5,500,000 |
|
Urban Tilth |
Verde K-12 CalFire School Greening Project |
$4,000,000 |
|
The Watershed Project |
Urban Tree Canopy Project |
$200,000 |
|
The Watershed Project |
Youth Internship for Nature-Based Solutions for North Richmond |
$300,000 |
|
Richmond LAND |
North Richmond Tiny Home Ecovillage |
$3,000,000 |
|
Community Housing Development Corporation |
Las Deltas Housing Rehab Project |
$2,086,905 |
|
Contra Costa County |
Residential Energy Efficiency All-Electric Building Retrofit Rebate Programs |
$1,000,000 |
|
Contra Costa County |
Grant Administration |
$2,000,000 |
|
Contra Costa County and/or Urban Tilth |
Project Management |
$1,913,095 |
|
Total |
|
$20,000,000 |
Note: Project list may be modified for the final grant application.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the recommendations are not approved, the County will not partner with community-based organizations to apply for a U.S. EPA Community Change Grant in an amount not to exceed $20 million.