The Solutions Project: Justice40 Accelerator Virtual Press Call

The Solutions Project, a US nonprofit that funds & amplifies climate justice solutions created by frontline communities, invites journalists to a virtual event on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at 12:30 pm ET.

White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Brenda Mallory and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Principal Deputy Director for the Office of State and Community Energy Programs Dr. Tony G. Reames will highlight how President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative is advancing environmental justice and supporting innovative climate solutions led by disadvantaged communities. This represents a shift from the status quo, as historically, small community-based organizations  — often serving communities of color — have frequently faced barriers to accessing government funding opportunities.

The press call will be hosted by the Justice40 Accelerator, which is privately funded and independent of the federal government. The Justice40 Accelerator shares information, resources, and capacity with cohorts of frontline community organizations to support them as they formulate projects and apply to federal funding opportunities.

In the last two years, the Justice40 Accelerator has provided technical assistance to community-based organizations that successfully secured nearly $40 million in funding for their community-led climate solutions. This equates to an 80% success rate for the Justice40 Accelerator in helping cohort members craft winning funding proposals, including approximately:

• $22,300,000 from the EPA to nine cohort members
• $6,429,000 from DOE to eight cohort members
• $3,376,100 from USDA to three cohort members
• $1,600,000 from DOT to one cohort member
• $340,000 from HUD to one cohort member
• $5,064,000 from state agencies to three cohort members

During the press call, Justice40 Accelerator program leaders and cohort members will discuss:

• How Justice40 Accelerator cohort members are implementing climate solutions fueled by federal government funding to create more sustainable, equitable, and resilient communities
• Why it’s important for the public to see ways that the Justice40 Initiative is delivering for disadvantaged communities
• How other frontline climate groups can build on and replicate this success in receiving transformative funding from federal programs in the Justice40 Initiative

To RSVP for the press conference and/or to schedule interviews with Justice40 Accelerator participants, contact Carina Daniels at carina@storyandreach.com or 510-847-1617.

Location:  Virtual (RSVP here)

Speakers:

• Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
• Dr. Tony G. Reames, Principal Deputy Director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs
• Nathaniel Smith, Partnership for Southern Equity (Atlanta, GA)
• Naomi Davis, Blacks in Green (Chicago, IL)
• Eric Simpson, West Georgia Farmers’ Cooperative (Hamilton, GA)
• Cherie Brooks, Power52 (Columbia, MD)
• Briana Parker, Justice40 Accelerator (Austin, TX)

About the Justice40 Initiative:

The Biden-Harris administration’s Justice40 Initiative has made it a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. For more information, please see the White House’s website. For information about open funding opportunities, including in Justice40 covered programs visit: grants.gov and search for “Justice40.”

About the Justice40 Accelerator:

The Justice40 Accelerator helps grassroots organizations grow their climate projects so they can access billions of government dollars dedicated to empowering communities most impacted by the climate crisis. It was founded by Elevate, Groundswell, Hummingbird Firm, Partnership for Southern Equity, and The Solutions Project to ensure frontline organizations receive direct investments from the federal government’s Justice40 Initiative.