Cohort Learning

The Northwest Environmental Justice Center is building community capacity by connecting current and emerging EJ leaders to a community of practice through our Cohort Learning tracks. Over the course of one year, cohort members will participate in training, webinars, networking opportunities, and 1:1 coaching, guided by our experienced facilitators. Learn more about our upcoming cohorts!

Learn more and be added to the waitlist below!

Next Cohort Session for the Environmental Justice Leadership Institute

Energy Justice

January 29, 2025, 5:00-7:00 PM PST

Cohorts will run Summer 2024 through Spring 2025. Scheduling will be based on instructor and cohort participant availability.

Money: Finding it and Using it

Want to demystify and better access federal, state, and private funding for your environmental and energy justice work? Want to be part of a cohort learning network with peer support in using money to create the change your communities want in the world? This learning opportunity, “Money: Finding It, and Using It” is designed to bring you together with similar Tribes and community-based organizations in the Northwest to find, apply for, receive, and successfully use a wide variety of funding sources for a community project you have identified. The course will cover the basics (e.g., navigating Grants.gov and SAM registration) to how to make sense of the variety of funding sources and their pros and cons; the strategies for successfully making your case to funders and getting them to center your community needs; and the systems that can help with reporting and funding compliance in ways that tell your story and let you focus on the work with communities.

Registration for the 2024-2025 cohort has closed. Sign up for our waitlist below in case a spot opens up or to be notified when the 2025-2026 cohort will be accepting applications.

  • Participants who complete this course will be able to:

    • Assess your organization’s overall readiness in applying for and receiving a federal, state or private grant - gain resources to help you get there.

    • Use the tools to quickly navigate to the government and private funding sources best for you and your project.

    • Successfully scope a project, and build a compelling story and case for funding it.

    • Negotiate the reporting and compliance requirements of funding sources to sync with community needs and your capacity (the best as is possible).

  • The course is designed for a cohort of 20-30 participants who have A) identified one or more project concepts they would like to fund, B) a desire to connect and help their peers across the Northwest access and use funding, and C) a wide range of fundraising and finance expertise. Tribal governments, organizations, or groups interested in this course should designate a single individual to participate in the cohort. Our team will meet you where you are, and adapt learning material to support the funding and finance journey you want.

Applications are currently closed for this 2024-2025 Cohort Session!

Still interested? Be added to our waitlist!

Environmental Justice Leadership Institute

The Environmental Justice Leadership Institute is a series of 6 webinars on Environmental, Water, Transportation, Land, Energy, and Air Quality/ Climate justice focuses. The sessions will be a mix of education, forming connections, activities and include possible guest speakers.

Series Dates & Times

  • Environmental Justice: May 29, 2024, 5:00-7:00 PM PST

  • Water Justice: July 31, 2024, 5:00-7:00 PM PST

  • Transportation Justice: September 25, 2024, 5:00-7:00 PM PST

  • Air Quality & Climate Justice: November 20, 2024, 5:00-7:00 PM PST

  • Energy Justice: January 29, 2025, 5:00-7:00 PM PST

  • Land Justice: March 26, 2025, 5:00-7:00 PM PST

  • Participants in the Environmental Justice Leadership Institute will be able to:

    • Define environmental justice and define their own experiences of environmental injustice.

    • Feel empowered to learn about and speak up about environmental justice issues in their area.

    • Begin to build their own roadmap to advocate for their environmental justice.

    • Define the main issues of Water, Air, Energy, Transportation, Climate Change, and Land justice focuses.

    • Define the basics of a just transition framework.

  • This series is designed for frontline community members and organizations from Alaska, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon who:

    • Want to take action in their community on environmental justice issues.

    • Want to learn more about the historical precedent of environmental justice issues.

    • Are interested in creating community around environmental work.

    • Are looking for ways to engage their communities about environmental problems.

    • Are just starting their environmental justice journey.

Register for any or all of the Environmental Justice Leadership Institute series.

Issue to Action: How to Turn an Idea into Policy

This course will include foundational learning for environmental justice, understanding the policy landscapes that exist, and ultimately supporting cohort members to move from issue to action—turning ideas into policy. Each member will create a vision, identify policy pathways, and develop a policy statement and plan for actualizing policy to get wins for community.

From a process standpoint, participants can expect to come into a space where they are co-creating the experience, including recognizing and highly valuing personal experience and experiential learning. Cohort members will be encouraged to actively participate, and at times stretch into their collective growth zones. We will be centering on our relationships, connection and well-being through a commitment to belonging and mutual respect.

Registration for the 2024-2025 cohort has closed. Sign up for our waitlist below in case a spot opens up or to be notified when the 2025-2026 cohort will be accepting applications.

  • Participants in this cohort will be able to:

    • Identify issues of concern.

    • Apply an equity/EJ lens to those issues.

    • Develop a policy vision.

    • Identify and evaluate policy pathways.

    • Ground truth options with community.

    • Develop a policy statement and plan and check against initial vision.

  • Those who will benefit the most from this cohort will be folks who are in roles, in organizations, groups or communities, that are interested in engaging in policy solutions to address issues your community experiences, and those that are responsible for or have influence to lead policy work in organizations, groups, or communities. Ideally, cohort members will come into the course with an issue or concern already identified. Organizations or groups interested in this course should designate a single individual to participate in the cohort.

Applications are currently closed for this 2024-2025 Cohort Session!

Still interested? Be added to our waitlist!

Registration for the 2024-2025 “Money: Finding it and Using it” and “Issues to Action: How to Turn an Idea into Policy” Cohorts have closed.

Sign up for our waitlist in case a spot opens up or to be notified when the 2025-2026 cohort will be accepting applications.