The city of Dayton and University of Dayton are accepting proposals for funding through their new sustainability initiative called the Climate Resilience Fund.
Applications are open and will be accepted through April 30. Up to $40,000 in grant funding will be awarded this year for projects that aim to address climate-related needs and environmental injustices. They’re looking to nonprofits and non-governmental organizations for proposals.
Both the university’s Hanley Sustainability Institute and city’s Office of Sustainability committed to each contribute $20,000 to the fund annually for three years, or $120,000 total.
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An optional virtual meeting with information on the fund will be held on March 3.
More information on the program can be found online at daytonohio.gov/sustainability.
According to the city, “the funding contributed by the City of Dayton's Office of Sustainability is made possible by the City's participation in an electric aggregation program through Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council and does not draw from the City's general fund.”
Tim Pritchard, sustainability specialist with the city of Dayton, said it can be hard for younger organizations to fund these types of projects.
“There's certainly a need, especially in this time, as we're recognizing a changing climate and challenges that come along with that and the impact that's being realized by the least fortunate populations among us,” Pritchard said.
Pritchard defines climate resilience “as any effort to mitigate challenges or vulnerabilities posed by climate change,” he said.
Projects in that area could include:
- Insulation or LED light installations to improve energy efficiency, which can lead to greenhouse gas reduction
- Native grass and shrub plantings in areas prone to runoff in the wake of increased storms
- Waste diversion like composting, which can reduce what’s in landfills, leading to reduced emissions
He defines environmental justice as work “towards a more fair and equitable place to live based on the environmental challenges present and helping to reduce environmental challenges in places they exist, especially for communities that bear the most significant impact from them,” he said.
Projects in that area could include:
- Investments in community gardens and local food producers to mitigate food deserts
- Improving access to green spaces and parks to increase community connectedness
- Community clean-ups in areas with blight and illegal dumping
Since the beginning of Trump’s second term in office, federal agencies walked back on billions of dollars of investments nationwide meant for climate change mitigation efforts, including a residential solar program Dayton was slated to receive $9 million from.
Pritchard said the Climate Resilience Fund was something the two institutions intended on funding regardless of those changes.
“It’s really targeted for organizations that may have had a hard time accessing federal grant opportunities to begin with. So this particular opportunity, I would say, is relatively independent of the federal political climate,” Pritchard said.
Pritchard said the city and University of Dayton will assemble a grant selection committee later this winter.
