The Environmental Justice (EJ) Impact Grant Program marks a historic milestone for Michigan. Thanks to support from the Michigan Legislature and Governor Whitmer, a $20 million appropriation in the state’s fiscal year 2024 budget established the program.
The EJ Impact Grants are the state’s first directly focused environmental justice grants.
Managed by the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate, the program centers community-led solutions that prioritize public health, environmental resilience, and long-term equity across the state.
EJ Impact Grant-funded projects will address a wide range of challenges including the following - and more!
Improved Air Quality Project
Adrian High School will improve indoor air quality by replacing its old HVAC system in a community that has faced long-standing health challenges. With a $500,000 investment, the project will cover new equipment, installation, and expert services. These upgrades will help lower health risks for students and staff and create a safer, more resilient school environment.
The Avalon Village Healing House
Avalon Village is converting a blighted Highland Park home into a community healing and wellness clinic, offering essential health services to residents. The project supports long-overdue improvements in a neighborhood where resources have been limited. Rooted in their mission to restore and uplift their community, Avalon Village continues to turn neglected spaces into places of care. This clinic marks a meaningful step forward for local well-being and connection.
The Green Revolution in Highland Park: A Youth Environmental Leadership & Eco-Friendly Community Project
B.A.S.S. Inc. will launch a Green Revolution in Highland Park by building urban gardens and green spaces while training local youth to lead environmental change. Young participants will get mentorship, learn about environmental justice, and work on projects like rooftop gardens and clean energy. The project empowers youth, lowers the community’s carbon footprint, and supports Michigan’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
Interventions to Decrease Asthma in a High-Risk Environmental Justice Community
The A 4 Asthma Program will support, educate, train, and provide resources to residents of Benton Harbor and Berrien County, where asthma is a serious concern. The project partners will conduct air monitoring, create resources to educate households about asthma triggers, and implement interventions to reduce these triggers. This initiative will have an immediate impact on asthma symptoms and contribute to long-term improvements in asthma health outcomes.
Residents in Southwest Detroit receive portable air filter units for cleaner indoor air.
Healthy Spaces Support Healthy Minds
The Boggs School is undertaking a community improvement project to enhance the health and well-being of students, staff, and their families. This effort combines environmental justice education, pollution monitoring at the school, and a staged retrofit of the 20,000-square-foot building where educational programming takes place—all as part of a long-term plan to create a sustainable campus.
Community Air Quality Monitoring, Improvement, & Education Project
Bridging Communities will help seniors in Detroit’s 48217 area by improving indoor air quality and making homes safer. The project will collect air data, provide air cleaning tools, and offer educational programs to raise awareness. These efforts will help older adults stay in their homes longer and make informed choices about their health and environment, while building a stronger, more resilient community.
HOPE Mobile Services
CFDI is launching a mobile health program to bring behavioral care directly to Detroit neighborhoods. Working with local block clubs and community partners, the project will support 400 youth, adults, and families each year. By using proven methods, it aims to improve mental health, reduce hospital visits and jail time, and help people stay connected to their communities.
Clean Air for Children Program
Child Care Resource & Referral of Kalamazoo (also known as Southwest Child Care Resources) will launch a program to improve air quality in underserved childcare centers and home- based programs. It will provide air monitors, cleaning tools, and educational materials to help keep the air safe for kids and staff. Focused on Michigan counties, the project aims to reduce health risks and create safer, more equal childcare spaces.
Bobo Brazil Community Center Blight Remediation and Redevelopment Project
Benton Harbor will transform and revitalize the blighted downtown building of the Bobo Brazil Community Center. A resilience hub offering recreation, community engagement, and health promotion. Guided by extensive community input, the project will address blight while enhancing quality of life and strengthening neighborhood connections.
Marquette County residents enjoying the Silver Lead Creek Greenway in KI Sawyer.
Flint In-Home Plumbing
This City of Flint will partner with the Greater Flint Health Coalition and Local Initiatives Support Corporation to abate in-home lead and galvanized plumbing. Public Health Navigators from Greater Flint Health Coalition will provide targeted outreach to residents whose water has tested positive for lead in the past and will support the Lead Based Paint Hazard Program to complement ongoing work on residential walls and windows.
GR Urban Agriculture
The City of Grand Rapids will expand support for community organizations leading urban agriculture efforts in local parks, particularly within neighborhoods facing environmental justice challenges. This project will scale urban agriculture citywide, helping deliver lower food costs, cleaner air, healthier food practices, and educational opportunities to disadvantaged residents.
Blight Remediation of 525 N. 24th St., Springfield
The City of Springfield will clean up a property near a neighborhood that’s been unsafe for years. Large piles of shredded plastic left behind by a failed waste program have caused health and air quality problems, including fires. This project will remove the plastic and safely dispose of it in a proper landfill, making the area safer and improving life for nearby residents.
Improved Air Quality and Equality
Covert Elementary School will upgrade its old ventilation systems to create a healthier environment for students, including early education and migrant children—the largest group in the state.
Improvements include new air units, tools to reduce germs and mold, and sensors to control air flow and humidity. The school will also follow EPA guidelines to manage indoor air quality and protect student health.
Building Resilient Environmental Infrastructure at D-Town Farm
This project will strengthen D-Town Farm, a community farm committed to improving food security for Detroit’s Black community. Planned upgrades include an environmental landscape assessment, flood mitigation, renewable energy installations, enhancements to the rainwater retention pond, composting infrastructure, and improvements to community spaces.
Centers for Family Development team members and participants partner for meeting health needs in Detroit.
Green Schoolyards at Salina
The Salina Green Schoolyards Initiative will transform school grounds into vibrant, green spaces that promote health, environmental education, and recreation. This nature-based project will serve as a community hub, fostering environmental stewardship and addressing environmental justice by providing equitable access to healthy green environments.
Lower Eastside Environmental Justice Impact Program (EJIP)
Detroit Future City is leading a collaborative, community-driven initiative to foster healthier lifestyles and a cleaner environment in the historically underserved and environmentally burdened neighborhoods of Poletown East and McDougall Hunt in Detroit’s Lower Eastside. The project includes tree planting and maintenance, along with expanding local walking paths to enhance outdoor recreation, strengthen community ties, and support long-term environmental resilience.
DPSCD IAQ Improvements through CSD-1 Repairs
DPSCD plans to repair 28 boiler systems in up to 47 K-12 school locations in Detroit, ensuring that the buildings are properly heated during the winter season, and that temperatures are adequate for students to have a healthy and comfortable environment in which to learn. This project will also deploy new facilities and maintenance software to improve managing the heating, cooling, and indoor air quality at DPSCD schools.
The DREAM Center
Dream of Detroit will build the DREAM Center, a flexible community space on the city’s West Side. The 1,760-square-foot center will include a digital lab, pop-up shops, an arts venue, a courtyard, and a small park. It will host classes, events, and support local businesses—serving as a spark for growth and revitalization along Woodrow Wilson Street.
Stoudamire Wellness Campus
Eastside Community Network is creating a Wellness Campus in Detroit’s Lower East Side by connecting the Stoudamire Wellness Hub to Manz Playfield. The project will clean up polluted land and add green buffers to protect residents from traffic and industrial pollution. This new outdoor space will offer a safe, peaceful environment that supports health and brings the community together.
Residents of Pullman celebrate the grand opening of a new nature playscape and pavilion.
Climate Resilient SW Detroit Homes
This project will upgrade 10 homes in Southwest Detroit to improve health, lower costs, and prepare for emergencies. Upgrades will include solar panels, better air systems, mold cleanup, sump pumps, and replacing gas appliances with electric ones. Driven by the community, the project responds to serious challenges in the area—like flooding, pollution, and climate risks.
Food Sovereignty Initiative
This project will support Black and People of Color farmers and strengthen Flint’s local food system. It will build on tools like the Flint Eats App and the Food Policy Council to fight food insecurity and boost economic opportunity. Plans include hosting a regional food summit, improving the app to map food sites across Michigan, growing urban gardens, and helping farmers with funding and training.
Flint Community Lab Water Analysis Project
The Flint Community Lab will grow its work to improve water safety and education after the Flint water crisis. The project will train new interns, add bacteria testing, and expand outreach through schools and universities. By giving residents tools to protect their water and promoting STEM education, the Lab supports public health and environmental justice in Flint.
Longway Planetarium - Asbestos Abatement Project
The Flint Institute of Science and History will remove asbestos from the Longway Planetarium to keep visitors safe. Licensed contractors will replace materials like floor tiles, duct insulation, and ceiling tiles. This project will protect the health of about 60,000 people each year, including students and families from the Flint area.
Whaley Park Soil & Water Testing, Outreach & Education
The Flint River Watershed Coalition is investigating the recurring contamination affecting soil and water near the Whaley Park outfall. The project involves analyzing samples to identify pollutants, tracing discharge sources, and developing a targeted remediation strategy. In parallel, they are introducing community education programs to raise awareness about pollution and the role of storm drains.
Benton Harbor residents get information and access to resources to address asthma concerns.
Imlay City EV Rides
Four County Community Foundation will provide three minivans — including one for wheelchair users—to help Imlay City residents get to medical appointments. In a community where many homes lack cars and public transit isn’t available, this service will reduce missed appointments and improve health. The project helps remove transportation barriers and supports better care in underserved neighborhoods.
Detroit-Hamtramck Environmental Health Project
The Great Lakes Environmental Law Center will establish an air quality monitoring network and implement public health interventions in Detroit- Hamtramck neighborhoods. Partnering with JustAir and local leaders, the project will deploy monitoring equipment, collect data, and develop strategies to reduce environmental health risks. This initiative aims to empower community residents with actionable insights to improve air quality and public health outcomes in vulnerable areas.
Grand Traverse Band Community Revitalization
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is working to clean up blighted properties on tribal lands. The project will remove junk vehicles, unsafe buildings, and leftover debris to make neighborhoods safer and cleaner. These efforts help protect health, support property values, and ensure safe living conditions for the tribal community.
Restoration and Climate Resiliency of the Grassroots Detroiters Community Center
Grassroots Detroiters are revitalizing a flood-damaged facility in the heart of the 48207–11 ZIP code area, transforming it into a vibrant community hub built on green construction principles. This restored space will not only support food distribution services but also host recreational programming for residents of all ages. With sustainability and equity at its core, this initiative is a step toward building resilience, fostering community pride, and creating lasting impact for Detroit families.
Redevelopment of Vacant, Contaminated Site - Broadway Street, Muskegon Heights
Hackley Community Care will turn a vacant property in Muskegon Heights into a new community hub. The project includes building a health center and adding services like a daycare, job training programs, a commercial kitchen, and a library. This effort will transform a once-blighted site into a vibrant space for health, learning, and economic growth.
The blighted Bobo Brazil Community Center is being revived as a resilience hub and recreation site for Benton Harbor residents.
Baseline Metals Survey
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community will develop a tool to track metal levels in local streams. Over one year, water samples will be collected every two weeks from the Silver and Slate River watersheds—areas important for traditional tribal hunting, fishing, and gathering near Huron Bay. The project will test for 23 different metals to help protect water quality and support these activities.
Silver Lead Creek Greenway Trail
Marquette County will build a 1.3-mile walking and biking trail to connect Little Trout Lake Park with the KI Sawyer Fitness Strip.
Located in the center of KI Sawyer, the trail will give residents safe and scenic access to parks, jobs, schools, and services. This project supports wellness, mobility, and stronger community ties in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Hubbard Richard: Clean Air, Healthy Homes, Greener Communities
Mexicantown Community Development Corporation will help improve air quality in Detroit’s Hubbard Richard neighborhood, where traffic from the Ambassador Bridge causes pollution. The project will install air monitors, give residents home air filters, study a former bus depot site, and plant new trees to clean the air and soil. These efforts will support safer land use and a healthier community.
Resilient Roots
The Resilient Roots project will help residents take action on environmental and public health issues. It includes a Community Stewards Institute, a webinar series, and 24 improvement projects. The team will also create a plan to guide future efforts. By building trust and teamwork among residents, agencies, and health groups, the initiative aims to support long-term community resilience.
The Otsego Story Project: Uplifting Voices and Improving Public Health
The Otsego Story Project, led by Michigan State University and Justice for Otsego, will collect and share the stories of Otsego residents to raise awareness about health concerns linked to local contamination. The project will use these narratives to inform community driven environmental sampling and analysis efforts. By increasing awareness of toxic exposures and engaging young people, the project aims to improve public health and empower the community for a healthier future.
Blighted properties owned by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi are being cleaned up and restored with native plants.
Advancing Wellbeing Equity: Environmental Justice in North Flint (AWE)
The North Flint Neighborhood Action Council will train young residents to map out what helps or hurts wellbeing in their community. Using a trusted national framework, they will work with local elders to share their findings with neighbors and leaders. These results will help guide decisions and investments that make the community safer, more stable, and more connected— especially by adding more green spaces.
Partnering to Create Lead Free Homes in Oakland County
Oakland County will reduce lead exposure in older homes in communities like Pontiac, Hazel Park, and Farmington. The project will bring health and housing departments together, fund lead removal, and offer grants or loans for home repairs. It focuses on protecting vulnerable residents—especially children under six—from lead-related health risks.
Playscape/Recreation Area on Remediated Site in Pullman
People Helping People will remediate arsenic and lead contaminated soil on its Pullman, MI campus, transforming 2.5 acres into safe, green recreational spaces. The project includes a nature playscape and covered pavilion, promoting physical and mental health for over 200 youth and residents. By reclaiming polluted land for communal wellness and play, this initiative turns an environmental hazard into a vibrant community asset.
Addressing Historic Dumping & Blight Conditions on Tribal Properties
Since its federal recognition was restored in 1994, the Pokagon Band has acquired properties that benefit tribal citizens and protect historically important lands. Some of these properties have unsafe buildings and discarded materials. This project will check for dangerous materials like asbestos and lead, clean them up, and remove unsafe structures and debris. The goal is to make tribal lands safer and healthier for the community.
Equitably Resourcing Residents to Positively Lead and Sustainably Impact Environment
RiA will expand its resident-led community center to strengthen existing partnerships with Jackson’s Black Food Sovereignty Coalition (BFS) and Young People of Purpose (YPOP). Building on momentum from a recent food insecurity evaluation funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and a thriving local garden, this initiative will launch intentional programming to advance public health, social equity, and environmental justice across Jackson.
Visitors to the Longway Planetarium at the Flint Institute of Science & History will enjoy a cleaner and safer space after abatement of historical asbestos in the building.
Environmental Health Inequities for Older Adults by Built Environment Improvements
St. Patrick Senior Center will improve air quality for older adults in Southwest Detroit by upgrading HVAC systems and offering health-focused education. The project will create a plan to manage indoor air quality that fits the community’s needs and share it with others. Over 300 seniors will learn how clean air can support better health and well-being.
Trusting Our Tap - Mobilizing Community to Understand Context/Data of Water Quality
We the People of Detroit will help residents in Southwest and Eastside Detroit better understand and trust their tap water. Through community presentations, the project will share findings from a major study with Stanford University and others, combining scientific data with local experiences. Youth from WPD will be trained in data visualization and research skills, learning how to study water quality and present results in ways that empower their communities.
Climate READY Detroit: Fostering Healthy Homes for a Sustainable Future
Wayne State University Center for Urban Studies proposes a community-driven strategy—including door-to-door education, expanded monitoring of indoor and outdoor air pollutants, and targeted household interventions—to reduce environmental burdens tied to flooding, asthma triggers, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Detroit’s 48214 and 48215 ZIP codes.
Addressing Disparities in Cancer Care and Community Health Impact for the American Indian Population in Michigan
The YesRx project helps people in underserved Michigan communities receive free cancer medicine while protecting the environment. It connects 50 cancer drug programs to make sure patients receive treatment quickly and safely. By reusing unused medicine, it also keeps harmful waste out of land and water. The project focuses on helping American Indian communities in 57 counties and aims to improve health and the environment across the state.
