Northwest Environmental Justice Center’s First Year (and What’s Next!)
This graph shows some of the environmental issues that communities are facing in Region 10. The issues are based on technical assistance request topic areas. Often, one request addressed multiple issues. We know that this list is not exhaustive or complete, and we add issue areas as recurring themes arise. For example, we added food sovereignty because of the number of groups working on community gardens, subsistence lifeways, and other food-related justice issues. Climate resilience is a large topic area that serves as a catch-all for any work that groups identify as building resilience in the face of climate change. About 26% of environmental issues we saw through our technical assistance requests were related to climate resilience. The other most common issues were related to water (14%), energy (10%), and air (9%). These topic areas can help us advocate for environmental justice funding opportunities and craft topic-specific technical assistance for the region.
The Northwest Environmental Justice Center is looking back at its first of five years funded by the EPA’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program. Co-led by Willamette Partnership and Portland State University, the Center celebrated its first anniversary in June 2024.
During its first year of operation, the Northwest Environmental Justice Center received 75 technical assistance requests from frontline communities addressing environmental and energy justice issues in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. These communities teamed up with our Center to receive free, direct technical assistance and training. As we reflect on all that these communities accomplished while working with the Center this past year, we know it wouldn’t have been possible without our network of diverse partners who mobilized quickly and earnestly to help the Center reach its first year’s goals.
Community Engagement and Organizing
No time was wasted setting up the Northwest Environmental Justice Center. Private funds allowed the Center to begin early technical assistance and organizing while award negotiations with the EPA were underway. In the first six months, the Center assembled its leadership team, created an online presence, and mobilized state organizers who spread the word that we were ready to work alongside communities confronting environmental and energy justice (EJ) issues across the region.
As a result, the Center was able to surpass its engagement goals. We estimate that we connected with at least 1000 people over 100 activities within the first year. But it’s not the number that counts. What’s most important is the quality and depth of our connections. Our investment in high-quality relationship building means that we connected with communities through in-person participation in cultural events, 1:1 meetings with community leaders and advocates, culturally specific gatherings, and other events that met people where they were. In doing so, we are already seeing the ripple effects of word-of-mouth referrals through informal social networks and community connections.
One example of an engagement activity was our launch event, which brought over 120 people working on EJ issues in the Northwest together to share stories, address systemic issues, build trust, spark new relationships, and show up with revolutionary joy and laughter. During the event, we were able to engage EPA’s Regional Administrator, Casey Sixkiller, directly with community-based organizations working on environmental justice.
Cohort Learning
We are proud to announce the successful launch of our cohort learning. Our cohort series supports community capacity by connecting current and emerging EJ leaders through educational and leadership development programs. Cohort members participate in trainings, webinars, networking opportunities, and 1:1 coaching, guided by experienced facilitators. We launched two cohorts in our first year – one on how to find and access funding for EJ and another on turning ideas into political action – as well as a webinar series on environmental justice leadership.
Peer-to-peer learning is encouraged and inspiring. After a cohort session about building relationships with funders, one member was inspired to create a collaborative group to connect with private philanthropic funders for their cause. They shared their idea with the cohort, welcoming other members to join.
Technical Assistance
The 75 technical assistance requests from Year 1 came from community-based organizations (CBOs), non-profits, Tribal government, local government, Alaskan Native villages, and Indigenous-led organizations. The majority of technical assistance requested was for funding support, such as federal, state, and private grants. We helped over 40 groups identify and understand Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) and prepare grant applications. For example, we helped Serve Ethiopians Washington successfully receive a $350,000 capacity grant and set up a financial management system to manage the largest grant they’ve received to date. Altogether, groups working with the Center have applied for $130M total, $18 million has successfully been awarded, while the remaining amount is pending notice.
Other examples of technical assistance included:
Supporting storytelling and communication needs, like creating two-page documents about their organization’s mission, goals, and projects for funders, public officials, and other stakeholders they wanted to reach.
Navigating policy options and state agency contacts to increase community power and engage in systems change.
Growing organizational capacity by co-facilitating decision-making processes and designing efficiencies for administrative and financial systems.
Staying Accountable
Peer-to-peer learning is encouraged and inspiring. After a cohort session about building relationships with funders, one member was inspired to create a collaborative group to connect with private philanthropic funders for their cause. They shared their idea with the cohort, welcoming other members to join. Fátima Bravo for Fine Acts x OBI
As part of our commitment to communities, we must hold our work accountable to providing the services and outcomes communities want from us, represent the diversity of communities across the Northwest, and create the transformation and justice they seek. We crafted the first annual accountability memo for the EPA that shares feedback about the barriers that exist to accessing funding for EJ in our region. While the Center drew from its own experience this first year, we will be writing all subsequent memos based on the feedback from cohort participants, technical assistance recipients, and the Community Leadership Assembly. Our goal is to help make funding and technical assistance more accessible and attainable for EJ communities in the future.
What’s Next
The Northwest Environmental Justice Center is looking forward to expanding its efforts across the region in its second year, with a focus on outreach and technical assistance to EJ communities in Idaho and Alaska. Looking ahead, we plan to boost our outreach outside of Oregon and continue scanning the region for hard-to-reach communities working on local solutions.
This year, we will be recruiting for our Community Leadership Assembly, a group of EJ leaders who will set Center priorities and support EJ in the region. We’re also looking forward to introducing two new Cohort Learning tracks: Energy Justice and Tribal Governance.
Finally, as we continue to provide technical assistance across the breadth of funding opportunities, we’re excited to help EJ communities with a new funding opportunity opening up this October, called Thriving Communities Grantmakers. Reach out to us here if you’re interested.
We want to thank everyone who helped make this year possible. From all of our subawardees, subcontractors, and partners to our technical assistance and cohort participants: thank you for your partnership. To the EPA, DOE, and private funders: thank you for investing in environmental and energy justice. And to all the local leaders who have been working on environmental justice since before it was called environmental justice, we offer immense gratitude to you. We could not do this work without the generations before us, and we continue to support environmental justice for now and the generations that come next.
In Solidarity,
Northwest Environmental Justice Center