WE ACT for Environmental Justice

WE ACT for Environmental Justice builds healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and low-income residents participate meaningfully in creating environmental health and protection policies and practices. In addition to place-based organizing and advocacy in Northern Manhattan, WE ACT plays leadership roles at the national level on the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum, a national coalition of 54 organizations across 22 states; serves on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council; and houses a Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center, which helps underserved and overburdened communities in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands to access federal resources. (Substrategy: U.S. National Policy)

WE ACT for Environmental Justice works to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. This organizational effectiveness grant will improve the advocacy skills of new staff to increase their knowledge of the rules and regulations surrounding policy advocacy and increase WE ACT's ability to advance environmental justice policies to protect the health of all communities. (Substrategy: Philanthropic Capacity)

The Clean Power, Clean Air, Cleaner Communities campaign is a national effort by local environmental justice groups to promote healthier communities through increased use of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and decreased reliance on fossil fuels. Funding from the Hewlett Foundation will support West Harlem Environmental Action’s Federal Policy Office to connect environmental justice groups with state policymakers, with the aim of ensuring that vulnerable communities are a part of state energy policy debates and implementation plans.