As a result, hundreds of environmental justice grants were cancelled by the EPA. Among these were 21 projects designed to improve climate, farming, and food resilience in underserved communities across the United States.
The organizations guiding these projects now face a significant loss of funding, ranging from $155,000 to $20 million each, according to federal documents obtained by Civil Eats through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
After Trump’s executive order, some funds were immediately frozen, with organizations receiving little to no communication from the EPA as to why or for how long. Between late March and early May, the groups began receiving letters notifying them that their grants had been terminated.
To find the cancelled climate, farming, and food equity grants, Civil Eats examined a list of 400 environmental justice grants slated for termination, published by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and cross-referenced the list with hundreds of grant descriptions made public by the EPA. Through FOIA requests, we verified that each of the 21 projects below had been terminated.
When asked why these equity grants had been cancelled, the EPA press office told Civil Eats in an email, “Maybe the Biden-Harris Administration shouldn’t have forced their radical agenda of wasteful DEI programs and ‘environmental justice’ preferencing on the EPA’s core mission. The Trump EPA will continue to work with states, tribes, and communities to support projects that advance the agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment.”
EPA’s Canceled Climate, Farming, and Food Equity Projects
Building Climate Resilient Communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley
Recipient: Pueblo Unido, CDC
State: California
Grant Program: Community Change Grant Program
Grant Amount: $18.8 million
Project Description: Pueblo Unido planned to use the funding to build four geothermal, solar-powered greenhouses in California’s Eastern Coachella Valley, supporting vertical hydroponic farming and offering training and jobs for “controlled environment agriculture” workers. Project plans included a nursery to propagate native tree seedlings for free distribution to the community.
Denver Urban Gardens Dig Deeper Initiative
Recipient: Denver Urban Gardens
State: Colorado
Grant Program: Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program
Grant Amount: $500,000
Project Description: The Dig Deeper Initiative aimed to address environmental justice issues through planting community gardens and food forests in West Denver neighborhoods. The green spaces were meant to decrease the urban “heat island” effect, improve overall air quality, and increase residents’ access to fresh, healthy foods.
Drying Seaweed Using Waste Heat
Recipient: Prince William Sound Science Technology Institute
State: Alaska
Grant Program: Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program
Grant Amount: $477,135
Project Description: This project planned to explore whether waste heat from a diesel power plant could be used efficiently to dry large quantities of seaweed. The goal was to eliminate processing roadblocks, grow the local mariculture industry, and increase food security.
Engaging Communities for a Resilient and Sustainable Waco and McLennan County
Recipient: Mission Waco, Mission World
State: Texas
Grant Program: Community Change Grant Program
Grant Amount: $18.9 million
Project Description: Mission Waco and its partners planned to divert food waste from landfills by expanding residential and commercial composting programs in McLennan County and its largest city, Waco. They also planned to create numerous internship, training, and professional development opportunities focused on food-waste diversion.
From Food Waste to Opportunity
Recipient: Rhode Island Food Policy Council
State: Rhode Island
Grant Program: Community Change Grant Program
Grant Amount: $18.7 million
Project Description: Rhode Island Food Policy Council planned to address food waste in Rhode Island through a multilevel approach. In collaboration with a coalition of organizations, the project intended to increase and improve composting infrastructure and support programs that would redirect edible food to nonprofits rather than landfills.
