Congressman Ritchie Torres and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a roundtable discussing $50 million in environmental justice grant money to be doled out to local clean energy organizations.

These climate initiatives are funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA’s Justice40 section is specifically focused on uplifting disadvantaged communities impacted by climate change and pollution in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eight federally recognized Native American nations. 

“As many of you know, the IRA is the boldest piece of climate legislation ever conceived anywhere in the world. It’s going to set the United States on a trajectory to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030,” Torres said. “It is the first law in history that is specifically designed to proactively prioritize the lowest income communities — the communities that need the money the most and have been most affected by catastrophic climate change.”

This is broken down into two major sections for nonprofits, churches with a 501(c) status, local government, and community-based organizations in the city and state: the EPA Community Change Grants (CCG) and the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program. 

Track 1 of the CCG grants range from $10 million to $20 million, while Track 2 entails smaller, $1 million to $3 million payouts for organizations. Most of the funding is intended for community-based projects, like local clean-up efforts or workforce development in clean energy, that directly address environmental concerns. 

“The main goal is to reshape communities that are facing deeply rooted environmental issues,” said EPA Region 2 Deputy Regional Administrator Alyssa Arcaya.

Eligibility for who qualifies as “disadvantaged” is determined by a combination of census tract information, income data and historical poverty levels in a neighborhood, energy and housing costs, unemployment and education levels; and proximity to flooding, lead paint, diesel particulate matter exposure, wastewater discharge and underground storage tanks, traffic pollution, and other hazardous risks. 

The application period for CCG is open until Nov. 21. Harlem’s WeACT for Environmental Justice has been appointed as the region’s technical assistance provider to help organizations sign up, fill out applications, find collaborators, and get projects off the ground until 2028. 

The Thriving Communities Grantmaking is run through Fordham University, giving local organizations subgrants ranging from $75,000 to $350,000. Projects will be evaluated by a convened board of organizers of about 20 people from region 2, led by Mothers on the Move Executive Director Wanda Salamán.

“With strong Environmental and Community Activist Leadership, we ensure that everyone in our community has a fair and equitable chance to apply for this funding. It is especially important that disadvantaged communities, often the most affected by environmental and social inequities, are in leadership roles in this process,” said Salamán, who’s originally from Puerto Rico. She’s been a community organizer in the Bronx since she immigrated to the U.S. in 1975. 

“By having a voice in reviewing applications and shaping the direction of these initiatives, we can ensure that the funding reaches those who need it most and that our communities are leading the way toward a more just and sustainable future,” Salamán said. 

The application portal will open for the Thriving Communities Grantmaking online for interested organizations this September. Information on how to apply for grants can be found through the Thriving Communities form.

“I think this is a really important step forward for Fordham to live its social responsibility. That we are an institution, not just in the Bronx, but of the Bronx. We have tremendous resources at our fingertips. We have a big, vibrant university population. We do a lot of teaching, learning, and research, but we also have the infrastructure that allows us to support programs like this to distribute funding and to offer support and technical assistance to community organizations that need it most,” said Dr. Julie L. Gafney, Fordham’s associate vice president of Strategic Mission Initiatives. 

“I’m so excited and I’m so humbled to serve as a partner to the federal government,” she continued. “And as a trusted partner, more importantly, to the organizations here, in the Bronx. Trying to get that funding to the front line communities that are doing the real work on the ground.”

For more information about Community Change Grants, please visit communitychangeta.org/how-do-i-apply. For the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program, please visit Fordham’s website and fill out the form. 

If you need help navigating grant information, contact WE ACT’S EPA Region 2 Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center at www.weact.org/tctac/.

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Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has proven to be a candidate for the National League’s Most Valuable Player award this season. Switched to the leadoff position on May 18 after a slow start, he’s been the catalyst of the New York Mets drive for a wildcard spot. However, an injury to his lower back, which forced him to miss Monday’s 2-1 10-inning win against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field, could be the main reason the Mets don’t earn one of three league wildcard positions.

The Mets’ 11th walk-off victory on a single by outfielder Starling Marte tied them for most in Major League Baseball and improved their record to 82-68 before the second game of the three-game series on Tuesday. The Mets were one game in front of the Atlanta Braves, which were 81-69 before facing the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. The San Diego Padres and Arizona Cardinals, 86-65 and 83-67 respectively when Tuesday’s schedule began, held the top two slots. Yet how much more Lindor will play for the remainder of the regular season, which ends on September 29, is questionable. 

MRI results revealed on Monday showed no structural issues. Lindor’s back has been nagging him for well over a week and the discomfort became more intense as he was running the bases last Friday in an 11-3 win versus the Philadelphia Phillies, causing him to sit out his first game of the season on Saturday. He returned on Sunday but left the field in the second inning.

Lindor has been as important to his team as any player has been to theirs. He began this week ranked  in the top 10 in the league in at least five major categories: home runs, runs scored, hits, slugging percentage, and doubles. 

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, his main competition for MVP, is having a tremendous season. His quest for 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases would make him the first player in history to accomplish that feat. However, the Dodgers were virtually certain to make the playoffs this season when this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Mets. 

Their first-year manager, Carlos Mendoza, who has done an admirable job of guiding the team and should receive some votes for NL Manager of the Year, changed the trajectory of the Mets when he moved Lindor from third to first in the lineup — a bold move — and Lindor rose to the challenge. Lindor, second on the team to first baseman Pete Alonso (32 homers as of Tuesday) with 27 home runs, led the Mets in at-bats (601), batting average (.271), RBI (86), hits (163), and on-base percentage to open the Nationals series.
Defensively, Lindor has had an equally important impact. He is presently fourth in the league with a .980 fielding percentage and has been a stabilizing force in the Mets’ infield. 

It’s often said that health is always a critical part of any team’s fortune. In the midst of a battle to make it back to the postseason after a wildcard appearance in 2022 — a 2-1 series loss to the Padres, the Mets, who have ridden Lindor’s ailing back for the past four months, know it’s just not a baseball cliché.

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he Howard University Bison of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) moved to 2-1 and kept the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) (0-3) still seeking their first win of this season with a 35-21 victory on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the HBCU NY Classic.   Kasey Hawthorne, a fifth year senior running back/wide receiver for Howard, opened the scoring with a three-yard run at 9:43 of the first quarter that gave the Bison a 7-0 lead. Sophomore wide receiver Se’Quan Osborne’s 12-yard touchdown pass from redshirt senior quarterback Jaylon Tolbert, his first of TD throws on the day, put Howard up 14-0 with 5:49 left in the quarter. 

Morehouse sophomore quarterback Miles Scott connected on a 16-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Ajani Williams to cut the deficit to 14-7 at 7:46 of the second quarter, but a little over three minutes later, Tolbert hit freshman tight end Ke’Untae Mosley for a 33-yard touchdown and Howard pushed its lead back to 14. Morehouse would not get closer.

The Maroon Tigers had two fourth quarter touchdowns on passes from Scott — 21 yards to Williams at 8:33 and 27 yards to freshman receiver Kamrin Brunson at 1:54 but it was merely academic by that point.

HBCU football is not just about what happens on the field, but off. Before, during, and after the game, sponsors including Toyota and Walmart, and radio stations like WBLS entertained enthusiastic attendees with giveaways and music.

The Sing Harlem Choir performed the Black National Anthem “Lift Every Voice” before the game and singer and recording artist Honey Bxby performed the national anthem. Actress Marsai Martin handled the pregame coin flip to determine the first possession. Marching bands from each side performed at halftime, and Grammy-winning performer Sean Paul had a 30-minute postgame concert. Hip-hop legend Slick Rick performed at Toyota’s after party at the nearby Dream Wheel at the American Dream retail and entertainment center.

Howard will take on another HBCU this Saturday when they face the Hampton Pirates in the Truth and Service Classic at Audi Field in Washington D.C., before meeting up with the Princeton Tigers on the road on Sept. 28. Morehouse will be in Chicago this Saturday to battle Kentucky State University, before heading home to Atlanta to host Benedict College on Sept. 28.

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* This article was originally published here