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EPA Awards Environmental Justice Grant to Hope Program, Inc., Bronx, New York NEW YORK (October 22, 2020) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an award of $119,995 in an Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement to Hope Program, Inc. located in the Bronx, New York. The EPA funding will support work to reduce air pollution and to assist individuals in preparing for permanent job placement. Today's agreement is one of 18 community-based organizations selected nationwide, totaling $2.1 million in funding distributed this year under EJCPS Cooperative Agreements. "Urban and disadvantaged communities are often disproportionately affected by environmental health risks, and at EPA we are working to reverse this trend," said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. "EPA's environmental justice grants help address the big challenges that many of New York's underserved communities face." Hope Program, Inc. (Bronx, New York) has been selected to receive $119,995 to help combat air pollution through rooftop coating and to provide jobs for local residents. The project builds on HOPE's existing implementation of the NYC CoolRoofs program, which provides a training and career support for 70 New Yorkers annually, while reducing emissions of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter by painting rooftops with a reflective coating that improves buildings' energy efficiency. The project will allow the program to coat an additional 100,000 square feet of rooftops on industrial buildings in the South Bronx, an area facing a particularly heavy environmental burden. The EJCPS Cooperative Agreement Program provides funding for non-profit and tribal organizations to partner with stakeholders from across industry, government, and academia to develop and implement solutions that significantly address environmental and/or public health issues in their communities. These projects support local problem solving through the development of sustainable partnerships. This program provides funds for community driven solutions to local, environmental problems. Qualified Opportunity Zones are census tracts of low-income and distressed communities designated by state governors and certified by the Department of Treasury. These are areas where new investment may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. As of April 2019, there were more than 8,700 designated Qualified Opportunity Zones located in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and five United States territories. For a description of all winners nationwide, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-collaborative-problem-solving-cooperative-agreement-4 For more information about EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/environmental-justice/environmental-justice-collaborative-problem-solving-cooperative-agreement-0 Learn more about Opportunity Zones by visiting the federal Opportunity Zones website. Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2 20-084
 
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