(Washington, DC/March 13, 2025) — The Justice Climate Fund (JCF) today issued the following statement regarding the baseless attempt by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cancel JCF’s Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) grant contract.
On March 11, 2025, JCF was notified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that our Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) grant contract, along with the seven other Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) awardees, would be terminated. The EPA’s action was based on the false claims that these contracts were subject to waste, fraud and abuse. This is absolutely untrue, and this baseless attempt to terminate the contract fails to meet the terms and conditions of that agreement.
The EPA’s actions are already having profound impacts on American families. JCF has been forced to pause our first round of CCIA funding, freezing $247M in capitalization and technical assistance grants for community development banks and lenders that are highly regulated and FDIC-insured. These grants are for projects in 38 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico that will generate even greater investments in under-resourced communities across America. This funding provides the necessary capital for projects such as refurbishing churches in Georgia and schools in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Mississippi to make them energy-efficient, and clean energy projects for small businesses in rural Arkansas.
The GGRF program was developed under strict oversight from the EPA, and JCF has consistently met all terms and conditions of our contract to deliver these CCIA grants to our network of roughly 300 community lenders. We are proud to work alongside these trusted community lenders who make loans every day that support essential economic development including affordable housing, schools, healthcare facilities and financing of small American businesses.
JCF and other grant recipients are exploring all options to ensure we can mobilize investments across the country for projects that build energy independence, create healthier communities, generate well-paying jobs, and strengthen our economy.
The Justice Climate Fund (JCF), works with a network of more than 300 community lenders to drive transformative investments focused on reducing pollution and improving public health, access to clean air and water, and clean energy projects that create well-paying jobs and build economic resilience. Our goal is to reach a wide range of communities, from rural Appalachia to urban areas to the Midwest, the Southeast and beyond. Investing in rural and under-resourced communities will have a transformational impact and help leverage even greater investment where it’s needed most.
Media Contact: Press@justiceclimatefund.org