The Heartland Environmental Justice Center relies on our partners’ outstanding assistance and expertise to accomplish our work across the region. In our Partners Corner, you can read up on recent projects and events our partners have been working on.

Environmental Protection Network (EPN)
Center for Rural Affairs
Kansas Rural Center
Community Engineering Corps

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Environmental Protection Network (EPN)
EPN and the RE-AMP Network

EPN became a formal member of the RE-AMP network and worked with them to offer a general session and Q&A hour on Community Change Grants for RE-AMP network members. EPN and RE-AMP are also working together to support a grants guide for local governments in the Midwest.

Through this collaboration, EPN has been able to assist communities in previously less engaged states and brainstorm with other network groups from those states, such as the Center for Rural Affairs (based in Lyons, NE). Through this partnership, EPN has been able to boost its regional profile, and RE-AMP can leverage the expertise of our 650+ EPA alumni volunteers to benefit their network.

Center for Rural Affairs (Nebraska)
New Grant Application Guide for Rural Communities

Applying for federal grants can be an intimidating and time-consuming process, especially for rural communities that may have limited capacity to complete the application process.

With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, unprecedented amounts of funding are available to rural communities for infrastructure, energy, and conservation projects. However, accessing these funds still proves challenging for many rural communities.

This is why the Center for Rural Affairs has created a free “Grant Application Guide for Rural Communities.” The guide demystifies the federal funding application process by walking you through the various stages and providing tips to make your applications more competitive.

Kansas Rural Center
Community Feedback Event Held for New Central Topeka Grocery Oasis

Kansas Rural Center helped organize and host an event to gather community feedback for a new Central Topeka Grocery Oasis store. The event was an opportunity to gather feedback from the community on the new store.

“The food insecurity in two of our census blocks here [in Topeka] is among the worst in the nation,” said Marge Aherns, chair of the Central Topeka Grocery Oasis. “We’d like to create a building that can be used as a model for other food deserts.”

WIBW Topeka covered the event. View Video

Community Engineering Corps
Greenwood Cemetery Access Road Improvements

Community Engineering Corps is working on road improvements that will help with cemetery access for a community in St. Louis County, Missouri. The community is categorized as a high-priority area based on census data like income and multiple climate change, energy, health, housing, and workforce development burden thresholds.

The project includes surveying and engineering design for a paved access road and associated drainage system within Greenwood Cemetery, a historical landmark for the community which experiences annual issues with erosion, rutting, and washouts from rain and storm events. The designs are complete and are currently undergoing the CECorps quality control process.

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Visit our partners page to view a full list of Heartland Environmental Justice Center partners and learn more about their organizations and services.