$390,000 awarded to 13 community-based organizations to expand environmental justice and community resilience impact in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — The City’s Office of Sustainability is excited to announce the 2026 grant recipients of the Community Resilience and Environmental Justice (CREJ) Fund. The awarded projects will address climate emergency preparedness, circularity and waste reduction, energy burden, heat resilience, food sovereignty, and land security.
This year, the CREJ Fund is resourcing 13 community-based organizations working to change the systems and built environment conditions affecting their communities and increase resilience to climate change with two-year $30,000 grant awards. All organizations are in Philadelphia and serving Philadelphians facing environmental injustices.
In addition to grant awards, this year’s CREJ recipients will have access to a suite of wraparound services including strategic planning, project planning, team coaching, grant writing, media development, and more to support organizational capacity building. Recipients will also have access to complimentary energy assessments through a new partnership with PECO and PGW.
This year’s 13 grant recipients of the CREJ Fund include:
- African Cultural Alliance of North American (ACANA)
- Bartram’s Garden
- Fair Amount Food Forest
- Fernhill Food Forest, fiscally sponsored by Friends of Fernhill Park
- Get Fresh Daily, fiscally sponsored by CultureWorks of Greater Philadelphia
- Karen Community Association of Philadelphia (KCAP), fiscally sponsored by Movement Alliance Project
- The Lighthouse Inc.
- The MasterMind Cooperative
- Neighborhood Bike Works
- Nueva Esperanza Housing and Economic Development (NEHED)
- Phase 3 Training Corp
- VietLead
- Women in Dialogue
“With the third year of the CREJ Fund, we are continuing our investment into community organizations promoting a cleaner, greener Philadelphia with economic opportunity for all,” said Elizabeth Lankenau, Director of the Office of Sustainability. “This year, we are excited to build on our wraparound services to include media and communications support. These services will provide community leaders with the tools to capture and communicate the impact of their work to audiences across Philadelphia.”
The CREJ Fund is supported by the Office of Sustainability, Philadelphia Water Department, and William Penn Foundation. Residents and City staff served as the review committee recommending finalists. The CREJ Fund is fiscally administered by the Philadelphia City Fund. The application is expected to open again in Fall 2027 on the Philadelphia City Fund’s website.
About the City’s Office of Sustainability
The Office of Sustainability (OOS) works with partners around the city to improve quality of life in all Philadelphia neighborhoods. OOS works to advance environmental justice, progress Philadelphia’s climate and energy goals, and prepare the city for a hotter and wetter future. For more information, please visit phila.gov/sustainability.
About the Philadelphia City Fund
The Philadelphia City Fund is an independent charitable organization which serves as the dedicated fiscal sponsor for the City of Philadelphia and leverages public-private partnerships in collaboration with the City, the philanthropic community, and the residents of Philadelphia.
About William Penn Foundation
The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is committed to expanding access to resources and opportunities that promote a more vital and just city and region for all. We do this through funding programs in the Philadelphia region in arts and culture, children and families, democracy and civic initiatives, environment and public space, and workforce training and services. Learn more at www.williampennfoundation.org.