News Releases from Region 10

EPA Awards Environmental Justice Grant to El Centro de la Raza of Seattle, Washington

Up to $120,000 in grant funds to support “Beacon Hill Environmental Health Collaboration” project to reduce air and noise pollution in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded an Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving grant to El Centro de la Raza, a community group based in Seattle, Washington. El Centro de la Raza will receive up to $120,000 over two years to support the “Beacon Hill Environmental Health Collaboration” project to reduce air and noise pollution in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood.

El Centro de la Raza’s Beacon Hill Environmental Health Collaboration is a community empowerment project that aims to improve the neighborhood’s environmental health through educational outreach, engagement, and capacity building. The project will inform Beacon Hill’s diverse residents about the neighborhood’s air and noise pollution issues and engage community leaders in addressing these problems. The neighborhood is located in close proximity to high traffic roadways and airports and experiences higher rates of cardiovascular, respiratory and other illness, as well as elevated rates of childhood asthma hospitalizations, than other Seattle areas. The project will be implemented in a cross-culturally and linguistically-competent manner to engage and improve the health of as many residents as possible. El Centro de la Raza’s project partners include Seattle and King County Environmental Health and Services Division, University of Washington School of Public Health and School of Engineering, Asian Counseling and Referral Service, International Community Health Services, and Beacon Hill Merchants Association and other organizations.

EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement program provides funding for non-profit and tribal organizations to partner with stakeholders from across industry, government, and academia to develop and implement solutions that significantly address environmental and/or public health issues in America’s low income and minority communities. The neighborhoods and communities participating in these projects have been impacted by environmental harms plaguing their local areas.

More information about EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving grants program: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-grants-funding-and-technical-assistance.