BUILD YOUR OWN
RESOURCE LIBRARY
Podcasts
Cities Thriving on Lighting, Episode 2 – Simplicity by design in smart lightingSponsored by Paradox Engineering
Cities Thriving on Lighting, Episode 1 – Lighting as the backbone of the smart citySponsored by Paradox Engineering
Opinions
Transforming indoor public safety with smart sensor networksSponsored by Motorola Solutions
Philadelphia opens resilience and environmental justice fund
The fund aims to change the systems and built environment conditions that affect environmental justice and increase community resilience to climate change.
At a glance
Who: City of Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability; Philadelphia City Fund.
What: The Office of Sustainability, in partnership with the Philadelphia City Fund, has opened the 2026 Community Resilience and Environmental Justice (CREJ) funding opportunity.
Why: It aims to change the systems and built environment conditions that affect environmental justice communities and increase frontline community resilience to climate change.
When: Organisations can apply by 5 June 2026 to be considered.
Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability, in partnership with the Philadelphia City Fund, has announced the opening of the 2026 Community Resilience and Environmental Justice (CREJ) funding opportunity.
Organisations can apply by 5 June 2026, to be considered for $30,000 grants supporting environmental justice initiatives.
Frontline community resilience
The City reports the primary goal of the CREJ Fund is to change the systems and built environment conditions that affect environmental justice communities and increase frontline community resilience to climate change.
The CREJ Fund will award $30,000 grants with a two-year grant agreement to focus on 12 projects across the following tracks:
- Circularity and waste reduction
- Climate emergency preparedness
- Energy burden and heat resilience
- Food sovereignty and land security
- Indoor air quality.
The CREJ Fund is supported by the Office of Sustainability Division of Environmental Justice (EJ), Philadelphia Water Department, and William Penn Foundation. The EJ Division works to improve access to environmental health data, information and resources, and support community organisations with grants, technical assistance, educational programming and networking opportunities.
“We look forward to seeing this continued investment in community organisations facilitate a safer, cleaner, and greener Philadelphia”
“This year’s five application tracks recognise and respond to the priority environmental burdens and community assets raised by residents in OOS’ environmental justice community workshops,” said Elizabeth Lankenau, director of the Office of Sustainability.
“We look forward to seeing this continued investment in community organisations facilitate a safer, cleaner, and greener Philadelphia.”
Read More
To be eligible for a grant from the CREJ Fund, organisations must be:
- Located in Philadelphia and serving Philadelphians experiencing environmental injustices
- Led by, in partnership with, and/or serving people most affected by the problem or issue that is being addressed
- A 501(c)3 nonprofit, faith-based institution, childcare centre, or senior centre
- All other community-based organisations must be working with a 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor
- Working on a project that advances the CREJ Fund goal of changing the systems and built environment conditions that affect EJ communities and increasing frontline community resilience to climate change.
The Office of Sustainability (OOS) works with partners around the city to improve quality of life in all Philadelphia neighbourhoods. OOS works to advance environmental justice, progress Philadelphia’s climate and energy goals, and prepare the city for a hotter and wetter future.
The Philadelphia City Fund is an independent charitable organisation which serves as the dedicated fiscal sponsor for the City of Philadelphia and leverages public-private partnerships in collaboration with the City, the philanthropic community, and the residents of Philadelphia.
The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is committed to expanding access to resources and opportunities that promote a more vital and just city and region for all. It does this through funding programmes in the Philadelphia region in arts and culture, children and families, democracy and civic initiatives, environment and public space, and workforce training and services.
Why not try these links to see what our SmartCitiesWorld AI can tell you.
(Please note this is an experimental service)
How will CREJ grant funds be allocated across the five project tracks?What eligibility criteria determine organisations' qualification for CREJ grants?How will success and community resilience outcomes be measured and reported?Which technical assistance or capacity-building supports accompany the two-year grants?How can projects ensure long-term sustainability beyond the $30,000 grant period?air qualityclimate actionClimate change/Resilienceeconomic developmentEnergy & EnvironmentGovernance and CitizeninclusivityParks and green spacePeople and SkillsPhiladelphiaRecreational spaceurban spacewaste
Latest City Profile
SmartCitiesWorld Newsletters (Daily/Weekly)
You may also like these related articles...
BECOME A MEMBER
© 2026 SmartCitiesWorld
Smart Cities World Ltd, 37 Lombard Street, London, EC3V 9BQ