Track I applications must address the following six requirements:
Applications must include at least one project aligned with at least one of the Climate Action Strategies as described below. The Climate Action Strategies focus on strengthening the community’s climate resilience and / or reducing GHG emissions. Climate Action Strategies should be responsive to the community challenges described in the Community Vision Description.
Applications must include at least one project aligned with at least one of the Pollution Reduction Strategy as described below. The Pollution Reduction Strategy can include monitoring, prevention, reduction, and remediation activities that support community efforts to address quantifiable and health-harming pollutants. Pollution Reduction Strategies range broadly depending on the type and pathway of pollution (e.g., indoor, or outdoor air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution). Pollution Reduction Strategies should be responsive to the community challenges described in the Community Vision Description.
Successful implementation of environmental and climate justice projects requires relationships among an ecosystem of community leaders and members along with partners across varied sectors. To help ensure that the community itself drives project development and implementation, applicants must submit a Community Engagement and Collaborative Governance Plan which should demonstrate how the applicant will inform, respond to, and engage community members throughout project development and implementation. This plan should include a Collaborative Governance Structure, which describes the roles and responsibilities of the Lead Applicant, Collaborating Entities, and community residents in implementing the project.
Community Engagement and Collaborative Governance Plan
Applicants must submit a Community Strength Plan that describes how their proposed projects will enhance the overall strength and economic prosperity of the community, including maximizing the benefits of the projects for existing residents and minimizing potential risks associated with investing significant resources into the Project Area. This should include strategies for how the projects will promote inclusive economic development, drive benefits of the projects to existing residents, and proactively address unintended displacement consequences. This plan should speak to how the projects will enhance the overall wellbeing of the community, ensuring existing community members receive the benefits of these investments and can build on those benefits for future generations
Given the statutory requirement that all Community Change Grants must be completed within three years, applicants must describe how they will be able to initiate grant performance upon award, or generally no later than 120 days after award, so they can successfully complete the grant within the three-year period of performance.
Applicants must submit a Compliance Plan that describes how they will: (1) ensure compliance with the grant’s terms and conditions, including 2 CFR § 200.302(b) (financial management), 2 CFR § 200.303 (internal controls), and 2 CFR § 200.332 (requirements for pass-through entities); and (2) manage broader legal and compliance risks.