The federal Environmental Protection Agency has canceled a $3 million grant to South Williamsburg-based nonprofit El Puente, halting a planned environmental justice initiative and disrupting months of community-based planning, according to the Brooklyn Paper.
“The people impacted should be the people making decisions,” said Asenhat Gómez, interim executive director of El Puente.
The long-standing grassroots organization had planned to use the funds to better involve underrepresented residents in local environmental decision-making. The initiative, funded through the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, aimed to create Environmental Advisory Boards that would engage communities typically excluded from policy conversations about climate resilience and land use, the paper said.
The EPA terminated the grant in May, citing a shift in funding priorities under President Donald Trump and newly appointed EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. The agency stated that the project no longer aligned with its core mission, part of a wider rollback of programs tied to environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
El Puente's funding was one of hundreds of EPA grants recently revoked and effectively ends programs launched under the previous administration’s $3 billion commitment to support disadvantaged communities through climate resilience and public health initiatives.
Locally, the loss means El Puente must pause its efforts to equip residents, particularly those in NYCHA developments and schools with the knowledge and tools to advocate for environmental improvements. The canceled grant would have supported new hires, outreach efforts and training to help residents integrate with Community Boards 1 and 4, which influence local zoning and land-use decisions, the paper reported.
Planning had been underway since January. Staff were interviewed, community events were held and the organization was preparing to launch. But by February, the grant was frozen. Although briefly unfrozen following litigation in April, the uncertainty made it difficult for El Puente to move forward.
With the grant now officially canceled, five job offers have been rescinded and communication from the EPA has ceased. The program officer who worked with El Puente was reportedly dismissed before the funding decision was made.
El Puente has not identified a new source to replace the lost funds. The organization is now appealing to philanthropies and community donors to help bridge the gap, though support remains uncertain amid broader cuts to arts and community programming.
Despite the setback, El Puente says its mission continues. But without restored funding, the vision of a more inclusive environmental future in South Williamsburg remains on hold, the paper said.
