The Healthy Environment or All (HEAL) Capacity grant program focuses on enhancing community-led decision making to advancing environmental justice (EJ) and building climate resilience.
Donor Name: Washington State Department of Health
State: Washington
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/05/2024
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
This funding equips communities most impacted by environmental hazards, including but not limited to Native Nations, Black communities, rural communities, youth, low income, unhoused, disabled, LGBTQ+, and/or other communities most vulnerable to climate impacts, with necessary resources needed to collaborate with state agencies on environmental health decisions. The Legislature required the state Department of Health (DOH) to set this grant program based on the Environmental Justice Council (EJC) Climate Commitment Act (CCA) funding recommendations and budget priorities. These grants are supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health.
They offer two funding opportunities to support communities in building capacity to engage in HEAL activities. Eligible organizations may apply to one or both of the following:

Pass-through funding – They invite community-based organizations to sub-grant funds to other community-based organizations working with overburdened communities and vulnerable populations across Washington State to support equitable community engagement and participation in HEAL activities.
Project funding – An organization may apply on its own or in partnership with other organization(s) for funds to build organizational and community capacity to provide guidance and input to:

Environmental Justice Council on implementation of the HEAL Act.
Department of Health on updates to the environmental health disparities map.
State agencies on implementation of the HEAL Act (including environmental justice assessments, budgeting and funding, community, and Tribal engagement).

Funding Information

Total Amount of Funding: $11.6 million
Estimated Funding Range per Award: $250,000 – $1,000,000

Eligibility Criteria
This funding is open to eligible organizations in both rural and urban areas. They hope to reach communities across the state through this funding.

Tribal organizations and Urban Native led non-profits with 501(c)3 status with service areas in WA state are encouraged to apply for either type of funding. These applications will be scored to account for Tribal sovereignty, data sovereignty, and proprietary traditional knowledge protection. Federally recognized Tribes are eligible to apply for the Tribal Heal Capacity reserved for Tribal governments.
Community based organizations with 501(c)3 status are eligible to apply for passthrough funds. Large institutions (i.e. hospitals/community health centers, academic institutions, local health jurisdictions, local government such as city county) are invited to apply in partnership with a 501(c)3 or fiscally sponsored community based organization. It is expected that passthrough fund grantees will spend a reasonable amount of awarded funds on administrative costs associated with establishing and distributing the funds

Organizations receiving pass-through funds must also meet the following qualifications:

Administrative and fiscal capacity to set up and manage pass-through funding.
Capacity to develop and implement a plan for equitably soliciting applications from, selecting, and allocating funding to subgrantee organizations.
Demonstrated ability to work equitably with communities and populations across the state, in particular, those most impacted by environmental injustice.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate and partner with external organizations with accountability and transparency.

For more information, visit Washington State Department of Health.