On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008, which created the federal Justice40 Initiative, a whole-of-government effort to deliver at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from Federal investments in climate and clean energy to “disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.” Climate and clean energy investments were broadly defined to include: clean energy and energy efficiency; clean transit; affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and the development of critical clean water infrastructure. On July 20, 2021, the Office of Management and Budget issued interim guidance to help Federal agencies deliver on the Justice40 Initiative. Various Federal agencies started working on their specific implementation plans, and 21 agencies were identified for a pilot program that fast-tracked their implementation. In January 2023, the White House issued additional guidance and delivered a screening tool to help agencies identify disadvantaged communities and develop their “covered programs” (programs that fall within the scope of the Justice40 Initiative). More information about the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative can be found here.

The Justice40 Accelerator seeks to radically reimagine the existing government resource delivery system as a restorative and reparative framework that better supports Black and historically disinvested communities of color. Through a 12-month cohort experience, the Justice40 Accelerator supports climate and environmental justice organizations in building their capacity, partnerships, and readiness to access government funding to implement community-designed solutions. Participants in the Justice40 Accelerator have access to a suite of offerings and opportunities for active, voluntary participation to support the process of learning about and preparing to apply for government funding: 

• $25,000 unrestricted philanthropically-funded grant to support participation and project development
• One-on-one technical assistance and Justice40 Accelerator program Navigator support 
• Government grant preparation workshops
• Peer-to-peer learning sessions
• Informational sessions with government agency officials 
• Curated notices of funding opportunities

The Justice40 Accelerator is a community of peer organizations from across the U.S. that are driving community-led solutions to benefit those who are at the frontlines of climate, environmental, and social injustices. Once the 12-month active programming concludes, organizations are encouraged to stay engaged in our relational network to support, mentor, partner, and advocate for each other. 

No. The Justice40 Accelerator is completely independent of the federal Justice40 Initiative. It is designed, however, to support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) led nonprofits, non-governmental organizations, and fiscally sponsored initiatives working at the frontlines of environmental crises and advancing community-driven climate solutions in having greater access to government funding opportunities. Funding for the Justice40 Accelerator is provided by private philanthropic organizations, including but not limited to Builders Initiative, JPB Foundation, David & Lucille Packard Foundation, and The Solutions Project.

The Justice40 Accelerator is designed to serve community-based organizations that are:

• Grounded in, benefiting, and accountable to communities that are on the frontlines of environmental and climate crises; 
• Interested in applying for government funding for climate-focused projects such as clean energy and energy efficiency; clean transit; affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and the development of critical clean water infrastructure in the near-to-medium term; and,
• Able to benefit from the capacity-building support provided by the Justice40 Accelerator. 

For a full list of our Justice40 Accelerator Cohort Members, please see our Chronicle of the Cohort page.

The application window for the 2024 Justice40 Accelerator cohort was open on June 1, 2023 and closed on August 6, 2023. We are not accepting any applications at this time. Reviewers, made up entirely of current cohort members, will be selecting applicants for cohort 3 through September 2023. The Accelerator team will notify all applicants by October 1. We expect this application cycle to be competitive, similar to our previous application cycles. If you have questions about your submitted application, please contact [email protected]

The 2021 Justice40 Accelerator Application Process was conducted by an external committee of seven individual reviewers selected by the Justice40 Accelerator Core Team. The process was managed by Climate Innovation. 

Criteria considered during the selection process included:

• The proposed project addresses the disproportionately high and adverse human health, environmental, economic and other cumulative impacts of climate change on under-resourced and overburdened communities.
• The proposed project aligns with/advances the federal Justice40 Initiative priorities.
• The applicant demonstrates that internal leadership structure and decision-making is accountable to frontline communities (and reflective of).
• The proposed project improves quality of life in impacted communities through dynamic combination of community-driven planning and solutions.

Below is the list of reviewers and their affiliations:

Adrienne Rice, Sustainable Futures

Isaac Sevier, NEWHAB

Miya Yoshitani, Asian Pacific Environmental Network

Mike Harrington, The New School - Tishman Environment and Design Center

Angela Mahecha, The New School - Tishman Environment and Design Center

Shiva Patel, Justice Capital

Joey Shea, Interface

If your organization is interested in supporting the Justice40 Accelerator as a Funder, Capacity Building Partner, or Technical Assistance provider (paid or in-kind) please fill out our interest form. We are looking for organizations with a deep commitment to racial equity and working towards realizing a Just Transition to support our programming and our Cohort members in a restorative, non-extractive way.