The Environmental Justice for New England (EJforNE) program is administering a total of $48 million in grant funding to support organizations addressing environmental and public health challenges in underserved communities across New England. These grants are specifically designed to aid efforts in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The initiative supports a variety of organizations, including community-based and environmental justice groups, nonprofits, Tribal governments, and entities representing rural, Indigenous, and capacity-constrained communities.
Applicants can pursue funding through one of three main tiers—Assessment, Planning, and Implementation projects—or through a dedicated Seed Fund. The Seed Fund is tailored for smaller, community-based organizations with limited staff capacity, specifically those with four or fewer full-time staff members. Seed grants are capped at $75,000 and are intended to provide foundational support for groups that may lack the infrastructure to compete for larger funding streams. Additional details about each tier’s focus and eligibility are provided in the request for proposal (RFP).
The first round of grant applications closed on March 7, 2025, at 5 PM Eastern Time. The second round is expected to open on April 18, 2025. The application portal is inactive between March 8 and April 18, but the RFP remains accessible during this time. Applications may only be submitted in English, despite the availability of the RFP and related materials in multiple languages. EJforNE will resume open office hours and question support when the second round begins. Applicants who submitted incomplete Seed Grant applications by February 28, 2025, will receive a one-time notification to correct any deficiencies.
To qualify, applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), though nonprofit status (501(c)(3)) is not required. Fiscal sponsorship is permitted, with the fiscal sponsor acting as the official sub-awardee responsible for reporting. Seed Fund grants are not available to local governments, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit philanthropic or civic organizations. Additionally, individuals, for-profit entities, and state governments are ineligible for any grant tier.
Technical assistance is available throughout the application process, including webinars, office hours, and resources for developing a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), if the project involves data collection or usage. QAPP materials are available in several languages, and specific requirements must be met for projects involving data-driven decision-making.
For further information or support, applicants are encouraged to contact EJforNE through the program's website. Specific contact details were not provided in the source.
