Climate and Equity 2022 Grantees Announced
CIRCA is pleased to announce the results of the first round of grants under the Climate & Equity Grant Program. CIRCA and CT DEEP partnered on this grant program in response to recommendation number one from the Governor’s Council on Climate Change Recommendations Report in January 2021, to provide funding to support community-based organizations aligned with environmental justice, climate change adaptation, and mitigation work across the state.
Six community-based organizations have been selected to receive grants for projects that will increase the capacity of vulnerable communities in New Haven, Hartford, Norwalk, and Waterbury to mitigate, plan for, and respond to climate change. These grantees were selected from a large pool of competitive applicants based on criteria including the degree to which the project is community-driven, the relevance of the project to Connecticut’s climate goals, the clarity and feasibility of the project work plan, and the potential of the project to directly lead to a lasting increase in the capacity of vulnerable communities to respond to climate change and its impacts. The six grantees and projects are listed below:
- Center for Latino Progress (Hartford): Funding for the BiCi Co. Plan for Active Travel and Health (BiCi PATH) project to provide free, refurbished shop-quality bicycles to increase carbon-neutral mobility in the Frog Hollow, Parkville, and South Hartford communities, accompanied by an air monitoring program for community education. ($50,000)
- Clean Water Fund (Waterbury): Funding for a local outreach coordinator to increase access to energy efficiency programs for Waterbury residents, in collaboration with the Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury and I Heart My Home. ($50,000) Read the Clean Water Fund's final grantee report here.
- Colt Park Foundation (Hartford): Funding to plant drought-resistant trees in Colt Park to mitigate the urban heat island effect experienced by the Barry Square Neighborhood and the CSS/CON Neighborhood Revitalization Zone. ($6,000) Read the Colt Park Foundation's final grantee report here.
- New Haven Leon Sister City Project (New Haven): Funding for youth participation in climate action planning for New Haven public schools, accompanied by a summer public art project. ($8,960) Read the New Haven Leon Sister City Project's final grantee report here.
- Nonprofit Accountability Group (Hartford): Funding for an environmental justice community organizer to facilitate monthly engagement events, listening sessions, and letter-writing, ultimately leading to the creation of a community climate plan for the City of Hartford with particular attention to addressing racial disparities currently present in environmental justice movements. ($50,000)
- Pollinator Pathway (Norwalk): Funding for shrub and tree planting, in collaboration with the Stepping Stones Museum for Children’s youth enrichment program, to increase the urban tree canopy in the South Norwalk/Norwalk Center area. ($10,000) Read the Pollinator Pathway's final grantee report here.
Funding for this grant program comes from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Overview of Climate and Equity Grant Program
In collaboration with CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) requested grant proposals for projects that increase the capacity of vulnerable communities to mitigate, plan for, and respond to climate change impacts. This funding supports the recommendations of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3).
This grant program was open to community-based organizations, tribal governments, and tribal organizations. Funds can be used for planning, capacity-building, or education projects that advance community-scale climate adaptation and/or climate mitigation efforts. Applications closed November 18th, 2022.
A virtual office hour to answer questions about this grant program was held at noon on Monday, November 14th, on a drop-in basis.
Full Request for Applications and Helpful Documents
To read or download the full Request for Applications, which contains more detailed information on program goals, eligible project activities, application evaluations, and more, please click the button below.
A webinar about this grant opportunity was held on Tuesday, October 25th, 2022 at 12 pm. The slides and recording are available below.
Questions? Check out our FAQ document below:
Working on your application and want to know more about what we're looking for in each section of the application? Below you can find an explainer document walking you through the application, a work plan template, and a budget template.
Still have questions? Please contact CIRCA Community Resilience Planner Mary Buchanan at mary.buchanan@uconn.edu