OHIO CLIMATE JUSTICE FUND ANNOUNCES
FALL/WINTER 2023 GRANT AWARD RECIPIENTS
Community organizations ready to lead conversations around equitable climate solutions
(Ohio) The Ohio Climate Justice Fund (OCJF) announced the recipients of its fourth round of grants designed to build power through community conversations centering on environmental justice and equitable climate solutions.
The Ohio Climate Justice Fund, which launched in 2021, is an initiative investing in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) organizations in Ohio, working at the intersection of racial justice and climate action. The OCJF was created to provide resources and build the power necessary to influence policy change and help move Ohio toward a just and inclusive clean energy economy.
Efforts to advance a clean energy future have historically excluded diverse voices, and nonprofit organizations led by people of color receive only a fraction of the philanthropic investment that White-led organizations receive. Comprised of an advisory board of Ohio environmental advocates and leaders who advise and guide investments, the OCJF has now awarded nearly $1 million in grants to local nonprofits.
The grant award recipients include:
Black Women in Nature
Intercity Yacht Club
Green Environmental Outreach
Columbus Stand Up
Thrive Mahoning Valley
“All of the OCJF grantees announced today are well-prepared and eager to increase the number of informed, credible voices in a people-powered campaign for clean energy,” said SeMia Bray, MBA, of the Ohio Climate Justice Fund. “Our goal is to grow and diversify the broad movement of support for clean energy and to engage community members across Ohio in a conversation about the urgent need for equitable policies that meet consumer needs.”
Launched with seed funding and support from The George Gund Foundation, the U.S. Energy Foundation, and The Cleveland Foundation, all grantees are BIPOC led organizations that will implement the Listen. Lead. Share. (LLS) Campaign. Partner organizations will prioritize intentional and authentic community listening as the first step in organizing grassroots engagement in support of equitable clean energy policies.
“Every member of the OCJF advisory board is deeply committed to advancing an equitable clean future for all Ohioans,” said Crystal Davis, an OCJF advisory board member. “We look forward to working with these important partners on community listening sessions and hearing from Ohioans about their vision for energy opportunities and climate action centered in environmental justice.”
Conversations facilitated through the LLS Campaign will also put quality jobs and economic opportunity at the forefront of discussions. The solutions to climate change offer major new economic opportunities in clean energy and transportation technologies that offer Ohioans – most especially those who have historically been denied access – the opportunity to work in emerging industries that can’t be outsourced.
The OCJF’s grant application portal will reopen for another round of funding for Spring/Summer 2024. Additional information about the Fund can be found on the Ohio Climate Justice Fund website.