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, triba...
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