Community-based and Tribal organizations throughout King County and Washington state are being awarded $2.5 million of Climate Commitment Act funds to “promote the health of communities disproportionately impacted by the harmful consequences of climate change and support environmental justice.”
The funds are from two Department of Health (DOH) programs, with $1.1 million from the Workplace Safety Grant Program and $1.4 million from the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Capacity Grant Program.
The Workplace Safety Grant Program is awarding funding to nine organizations to “support the health and safety of workers affected by extreme heat and cold, wildfire smoke, drought, flooding and other climate impacts. This round of funding focused on projects supporting and educating agricultural workers.”
These include: Wakulima USA in Kent, Reclaim in Snoqualmie, Evergreen Social Impact in Bothell, Columbia Valley Community Health in Wenatchee, Community for the Advancement of Family Education (CAFÉ) in Wenatchee, Latino Civic Alliance in Seattle, Patriarchs of Progression in Spokane Valley Semillero de Ideas in Richland and Unidos Nueva Alianza Foundation in Ephrata.
“The Workplace Safety funds from DOH will support the health and safety of Wakulima USA farmers,” said Maura Kizito, Wakulima USA development director. “Wakulima USA will host one community event to share clear, practical information on how farmers can protect themselves and their families during extreme weather and climate-related conditions. Through this gathering, farmers will gain the knowledge and skills needed to stay safe and prepared during climate disasters, such as extreme heat, cold, wildfire smoke, drought, and flooding. The event will focus on simple, actionable steps farmers can use in their daily work and home environments. This effort will strengthen awareness, preparedness, and overall safety within the farming community and provide protective equipment. Materials on climate-related risks and safety practices will be translated into Swahili, so the information is accessible and culturally relevant to our community.”
For the HEAL Capacity Grant, the Washington State Coalition of African Community Leaders in Renton and Front & Centered in Seattle have been selected to receive pass-through funds, which will be sub-granted to smaller organizations.
The other HEAL Capacity Grant recipients are New Americans Alliance for Policy and Research in Kent, African Community Housing & Development in SeaTac, Key Tech Labs in Seattle and Muslim American Youth Foundation in Burien.
With HEAL Capacity funding these organizations will better provide guidance to the Environmental Justice Council on implementation of the HEAL Act, the DOH on updates to the Environmental Health Disparities (EHD) Map, and to other state agencies.
“With these Climate Commitment Act funds, we continue to put frontline communities at the center of our climate justice work,” said Lauren Jenks, DOH Environmental Public Health assistant secretary. “We continue to build trust, mutual respect, and lasting relationships when we prioritize the people, voices, and experiences from communities. And we do this while addressing immediate environmental and health impacts.”
To learn more, visit climate.wa.gov.
