DOEE grant opportunities focus on community solutions
Progressive National Baptist Convention before installation of rainpay rain garden; image: Anacostia Waterfront trust
Progressive National Baptist Convention after installation of rainpay rain garden; image: Anacostia Waterfront trust
Community Stormwater Solutions Grants to support creative improvement of DC’s waterways
Two hundred thousand dollars is available from the Department of Energy and Environment to fund
community-supported and –inspired projects that support efforts to protect and enhance, directly or indirectly, the District’s water bodies and watersheds. Projects should raise awareness and lead to behavior change around watershed- and stormwater-related issues, through education, installation and maintenance of runoff-reducing green infrastructure, art installations, or another means…
DOEE is hosting several public information sessions in advance of the January 25, 2019, 6:00 pm deadline:
Ward 5: December 10, 7:00 pm, Woodridge Library (1801 Hamlin St NE, Meeting Room #2)
Ward 6, December 12, 1:00 pm: DOEE Headquarters (1200 First St NE, Room 509)
Ward 8, January 7, 7:00 pm: Anacostia Library (1800 Good Hope Rd SE, Ora Glover Community Room)
Ward 7, January 8, 7:00 pm: Francis Gregory Library (3660 Alabama Ave. SE, Conference Room #2)
Ward 6, January 9, 1:00 pm: DOEE Headquarters (1200 First St NE, Room 509)
Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge (CRIAC) Nonprofit Relief Program Off-Site Stormwater Mitigation Construction Grant
Up to $270,000 is available in grant funding for organizations to help nonprofits meet the off-site stormwater mitigation requirements of the Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge (CRIAC) Nonprofit Relief Program. Organizations eligible to apply for the grants are nonprofits, including those with IRS 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) determinations; faith-based organizations; government agencies; universities/educational institutions; and private enterprises.
Applicants will provide assistance to nonprofit organizations by constructing green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff.
There will be four rounds of funding; the deadline for the first round is January 11, 2019.
Additional information about the grant opportunity (select “CRIAC Nonprofit Relief Program Off-site Stormwater Mitigation Construction Grant”).
APACC’s interest in the Anacostia River, ergo CRIAC
APACC has written
The Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge (CRIAC) funds needed upgrades to DC Water systems, protecting DC residents from sewage overflows. APACC has supported community voices raising equity concerns about the CRIAC, and agrees that maintaining this critical funding source requires addressing equity issues. In response to public concern the Council of DC funded a financial assistance program as an initial step.
One such voice is that of Danielle Burs:
The DC Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment held a hearing May 22, 2017 to hear from the public about the CRIAC. DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice’s Danielle Burs was one witness. She mentioned two important ideas. The first is the tension between environmental goals and the economics of the charge to individuals and small churches and cemeteries. The second is the data gap which prevented DOEE and DC Water from having a clear picture of how the water rate increase would impact some low-income households. Burs wrote, “many households with low incomes reside in buildings where there is no individual metering, so DC Water doesn’t have the kind of information about them necessary to provide interventions.”