The Kresge Foundation has awarded $18.675 million in new grants to 32 organizations addressing the interconnected challenges of climate change, health and equity in cities across the United States.

The second phase of Kresge’s Climate Change, Health & Equity (CCHE) Initiative builds on its initial five-year, $30 million effort launched in 2018 to address climate change and protect people’s health and wellbeing from its impacts, particularly in low-wealth and communities of color disproportionately affected by extreme heat, flooding, air and water pollution and chronic and infectious disease.

Our changing climate not only impacts our physical and mental health, but also has an economic cost in terms of increased health care expenses, lost productivity due to days out of work and school and recovery costs due to a rising number of natural disasters.

The next phase of CCHE aims to strengthen a unified movement for climate justice and health equity by advancing community-driven solutions and supporting national movement building through a network of community-based organizations, health institutions, public health departments and health practitioners.

With an expanded focus on Kresge’s priority cities – Detroit, Fresno, Memphis and New Orleans – the current initiative also seeks to elevate cultural and creative strategies as key tools in advancing community-driven solutions.

“The human health impacts of climate change are profound, and while climate change affects us all, it hits some communities harder than others. The pollution that creates dangerous heat waves and severe storms causes the most harm in communities already experiencing persistent health inequities, like lack of access to safe housing and quality health care, as well as chronic illnesses and respiratory disease, said Shamar Bibbins, Kresge Environment Program managing director. “Equitable solutions must be driven by the communities most affected, and doing so in partnership with trusted health practitioners and institutions can amplify local innovations and build broader momentum for change.”

“Long-term change in cities requires strong and sustained cross-sector partnerships. Working together, we ensure that all of us, no matter who we are or where we live, have the opportunity to be healthy and to thrive. Climate action is fundamentally a public health imperative—offering transformative opportunities to reduce mental health burdens, chronic diseases, and infectious disease spread while advancing health equity for all,” said Monica Valdes Lupi, Kresge Health Program managing director.

In addition to the 32 new grant awards, the next phase of CCHE will also provide nearly $4.5 million in additional grant funding to support peer learning and technical assistance for grantee partners.

Funding was awarded to the following community-based organizations:

• Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Oakland, CA
• Catalyst Miami, Miami, FL
• Center for Transforming Communities, Memphis, TN
• Coalition for Environment, Equity and Resilience, Houston, TX
• Coalition of Communities of Color, Portland, OR
• Eastside Community Network, Detroit, MI
• Environmental Health Coalition, San Diego, CA
• Environmental Health Watch, Cleveland, OH
• Fairmount Indigo CDC, Boston, MA
• Faith in the Valley, Fresno, CA
• Fresno Building Healthy Communities, Fresno, CA
• Go Austin Vamos Austin, Austin TX
• Homewood Children’s Village, Pittsburgh, PA
• Knowledge Quest, Memphis, TN
• Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, Fresno CA
• Louisiana Green Corp, New Orleans, LA
• Partnership for Southern Equity, Atlanta, GA
• Physicians for Social Responsibility LA , Los Angeles, CA
• Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, Springfield MA
• Sông Community Development Corporation, New Orleans, LA
• Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition, Detroit, MI
• Sprout NOLA, New Orleans, LA
• UPROSE, Inc., Brooklyn, NY
• West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc., New York City
• The Works, Inc., Memphis, TN

National health partners include:

• Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
• Bay Area Regional Inequities Initiative
• Essential Hospitals Institute
• Health Care Without Harm
• National Association of Community Health Centers
• National Medical Association
• The Medical Consortium on Climate and Health