The Con Edison is currently seeking social justice grant proposals to empower communities to address climate resiliency.
Donor Name: Con Edison
State: New York
City: New York City and Westchester
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/03/2024
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Con Edison is seeking to support organizations whose mission and purpose focus on actionable social justice programming. Their initiatives should be centered in, created for, and implemented by disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities.
Proposals should address the intersectional issues of extreme heat & humidity, extreme weather events, and/or precipitation & flooding with the outcome of building and advancing resiliency in these areas.
Con Edison will prioritize proposals from organizations/organizational partnerships that:

Center and emerge from communities that have been historically marginalized and disadvantaged, including educational institutions who can demonstrate an extensive history of community partnerships.
Have a history of organizing around justice issues (environmental justice and/or climate justice preferred).
Have a strong leadership team (staff, board, volunteers) that reflects the demographic make-up of their communities.
Are highly engaged and interactive with the identified community members and able to demonstrate a high level of community input into the project/plan.
Clearly stated policy and advocacy goals related to the disproportionate climate impacts within the communities they serve.
Can demonstrate that their project will have meaningful impact for their communities.

Funding Information
A total of up to $1M will be available for seed funding of programs across successful grantees in the first year, with proposed programs beginning their work in July 2024.
Priority Populations
Every program that Con Edison will be considering for support under the Social Justice focus area must serve disadvantaged and/or historically marginalized communities across Con Edison territory.
New York State’s Climate Justice Working Group has highlighted criteria for disadvantaged communities which includes:

Communities of color (racial and ethnic minorities)
Those exposed by potential pollution exposures
Those impacted by land use associated with historical discrimination and divestment
Those exposed to potential climate change risks
Low- and Moderate-Income communities
Those with poor health outcomes and sensitivities
Housing energy and communications.

What Programs Qualify? (includes, but not limited to):

Programs and efforts to build awareness, understanding of environmental and climate burdens, and action to address climate change preparation and mitigation while serving historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities
Programs that address the impact of climate-driven extreme temperatures on vulnerable populations through the implementation of skills-based trainings centered on community preparedness, organizing, and advocacy
Programs that educate communities on the urban heat island and that provide the unique perspective of those communities to policy makers and other leaders
Efforts that convene community leadership across sectors to consider and build plans for climate change impact and urban heat mitigation in targeted communities
Project must be located within the state of New York with a priority for the five boroughs and Westchester within CECONY service territories and in historically marginalized and state-designated disadvantaged communities.

Eligibility Criteria 

Have a track record and mission of working with and for disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities to improve the quality of life of residents and community-based needs.
Project must serve beneficiaries located within the state of New York with a priority for the five boroughs and Westchester, within Con Edison’s service territories and historically marginalized and state designated disadvantaged community.
Organizations must be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable entity, as described in Section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code. In a collective group scenario, a designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit is required as the fiscal agent for funding.

For more information, visit Con Edison.