Five Western New York community-based organizations are receiving grants from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to advance their environmental justice work.
In all, 32 organizations statewide are receiving a combined $6 million in DEC Environmental Justice Community Impact Grants. Approximately one million dollars are being split by the five local recipients.
“We will be able to continue to focus on practical, community driven solutions, teaching residents how to safely grow in urban soils, making fresh healthy, affordable, accessible produce available and helping people understand the connections between our food system and climate change,” said Diane Picard, executive director of the Massachusetts Avenue Project, one of the recipients of grant money.
Here’s how the local grants are being distributed:
· Clean Air Coalition, $198,945 for its Buffalo Neighborhood Hubs Project (BNHP), which trains residents in disaster preparedness and pollution prevention skills, and connecting them with weatherization upgrades, workforce training, and outdoor air monitoring.
· Fillmore Forward, $200,000 for its Roots to Rise program, which transforms neglected spaces into inclusive gardens, promoting health, neighborhood connection, and food access.
· Massachusetts Avenue Project, $184,500 for its Buffalo Food Justice Project, which expands healthy food access and creates 120 youth jobs in sustainable agriculture, promoting safe soil, water, and urban growing practices while advocating for municipal policies supporting climate and food justice.
· North Tonawanda Botanical Garden, $198,119 for its Native Plant/Habitat Restoration and Grant Writing Capacity Building Project.
· Providence Farm Collective, $199,862 for its Empowering Community Organization Farms for Fresh Food Access program, which offers access to farmland and training for 150 farmers to meet the demand fresh food.
DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton, when announcing the grants during a visit to Massachusetts Avenue Project’s facilities, explained that she and her peers needed to come to Buffalo to announce the statewide grants.
“We chose Buffalo in particular to announce this because of the $6 million that we're putting out for this for this grant today, almost a million dollars are right here in Buffalo,” she said. “I think that really speaks to the just the incredible spirit here. So much is happening, and so much pride in Buffalo to support our communities, and especially to address and tackle environmental justice.”