An alliance of grassroots environmental groups risks losing $60 million in federal funding after advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) was designated as one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s “grantmakers” over a year ago, tasked with distributing subgrants for locally led environmental projects. However, among the 11 EPA grantmakers, the CJA is the only group that has yet to receive any funding. The CJA has faced significant criticism for its stance against the Israel-Hamas conflict, and several EPA staffers claim the group has been unfairly targeted as a result.
“We have been deeply disappointed to witness EPA’s current withholding of $60 million to the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA), the only one of the eleven grantees that courageously spoke out against the environmental toll and human rights violations in Palestine,” stated a group of anonymous EPA and Department of Energy employees in an open letter published in December.
The funds could vanish if not allocated before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office. Trump has indicated he would rescind unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act that allocated money for these grants. If his second term mirrors his first, he is likely to dismantle the EPA and reverse environmental protections.
With a deregulatory agenda at the national level, local initiatives become crucial for protecting Americans’ air, water, and climate. These are the types of grassroots efforts that the EPA’s grantmakers are meant to support, and they stand to be jeopardized if the agency fails to distribute the funds in time.
“What this would do is further strip away funds that our communities have been counting on,” states CJA executive director KD Chavez. “We need people to be resourced so that at least on a local level they can conduct cleanup efforts and monitor air quality,” Chavez elaborates, providing examples of potential uses for the funding.
Funding for the EPA’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program derived from the Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated $369 billion for clean energy and climate initiatives. The 11 grantmakers include universities and nonprofit organizations responsible for distributing a total of $600 million to locally directed environmental projects.
This initiative was intended to make it easier for smaller grassroots organizations to access funding, particularly those in heavily polluted areas, which often comprise communities of color in the United States . The CJA consists of around 100 organizations nationwide, many rooted in communities of color, including the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program and the Indigenous Environmental Network.
The CJA was specifically chosen to distribute subgrants to EPA regions 8–10, covering most of the Western US. It also serves as the national grantmaker responsible for outreach to tribal communities. The CJA reports that it has already utilized $1.6 million from its operational budget to establish the infrastructure necessary for community groups to apply for subgrants. It is set to receive $50 million for these subgrants, along with an additional $10 million for technical support.
As of January 3rd, only $461 million of the funding from the grantmaking program had been allocated, according to data from the EPA website, leaving the remaining funds at risk from the incoming Trump administration.
“We question why we have been singled out as an organization. Why have we been labeled as anti-American? Is it due to our leadership comprising working-class individuals from Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities?” asks Chavez.
In the past year, conservative media and certain Republican lawmakers have characterized the CJA as “radicals,” antisemitic, and “anti-American” for its position on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Even before the EPA revealed its selection of the 11 grantmakers, the CJA had issued a statement in October 2023 urging President Joe Biden and Congress to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“I was taken aback to discover that $50 million had been allocated for the Climate Justice Alliance, a group that prominently features a ‘free Palestine’ section on its website. The site includes numerous antisemitic and concerning images,” stated Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) during a hearing with former EPA administrator Michael Regan before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee last July. (Regan resigned from his position in December.)
The CJA has made its ceasefire statement available on its website. “We call upon Biden and the US Congress to advocate for an immediate end to the violence by publicly demanding a ceasefire in the region. We firmly support the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, decolonization, and life,” the statement asserts.
“At its core, the CJA has always been anti-war and pro-communities,” says Chavez. “We are merely collateral damage in a broader conflict against regulatory measures,” they conclude.
The group has also received backlash for its environmental advocacy. A letter from Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Buddy Carter (R-GA) to Regan last May accused the CJA of endorsing “partisan, and in some cases extreme, environmental activism” including “mass organization of climate alarmism protests” and the “litigation of fossil fuel projects.” While the letter similarly criticized other EPA grantmakers, the CJA has faced increased scrutiny as protests in the US against the war in Gaza intensified.
The letter from EPA and DOE staffers, first reported by The Intercept, calls for the agencies to “end their collaboration with Israel until there is a permanent ceasefire” and to “release all designated federal funds to Climate Justice Alliance,” emphasizing the funding’s importance for Indigenous communities and others historically excluded from environmental protections.
According to Chavez, the EPA informed the CJA in a September meeting that it was under investigation by the agency’s office of general counsel (OGC), with no explanation provided. The agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights later indicated that the group should expect funding by January 6th, despite initial expectations that grantmakers could commence distributing subgrants in the summer of 2024.
The EPA has not confirmed the CJA’s claims nor addressed specific inquiries from The Verge regarding an investigation into the CJA. “EPA continues to review the grant for the Climate Justice Alliance,” stated EPA spokesperson Nick Conger in an email to The Verge. “EPA continues to work through its rigorous process to obligate the funds under the Inflation Reduction Act, including the Thriving Communities Grantmakers program.” Conger added that the agency is “on track” to award over 90% of the funding by the end of the Biden administration.
When The Verge inquired how the EPA selected grantmakers for the program, Regan explained that they were chosen for their demonstrated strong governance structure that ensures accountability, and that the agency selected the 11 knowing they would effectively operationalize these resources to reach the communities that need them most.
