The federal government is cancelling a nearly $500,000 environmental justice grant for Greater Cincinnati’s regional climate collaborative.

Green Umbrella received the funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to help community members address environmental risks in their neighborhoods, Executive Director Ryan Mooney-Bullock says.

It planned to work with Cincinnati residents in the Beekman Corridor to manage stormwater and overland flooding; in Newport, Kentucky, to create a resilience map; and in Aurora, Indiana, to introduce climate action concepts.

Now, Green Umbrella is unsure if those projects can happenat all.

“The loss of that funding means that we don’t have committed resources for our staff time or for our partners to engage in that work,” Mooney-Bullock said.

Green Umbrella’s grant was one of 400 terminated by the EPA and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to an agency release. The EPA cited changing priorities in its decision to cancel the funding.

“It was really just a huge hit to organizations across the country that are working to make sure that people who live in communities that have poor environmental quality are able to have an opportunity to improve those and to protect their own health and wellbeing,” Mooney-Bullock said.

The local organization is planning on disputing the cancellation.

In the meantime, Mooney-Bullock says she’s looking to fill funding gaps left by the cuts. Federal grants made up 40% of the organization’s $2.5 million operating budget this year.

“We are really starting to have conversations with local funders, regional funders, national funders, around how do we step up in a private way to meet some of these needs?” Mooney-Bullock said.

She says Green Umbrella is focusing on the climate and environmental projects it has funding for, while navigating changes made by the federal government.

“Ultimately, we’re committed to making sure that local communities in Greater Cincinnati are able to start doing the type of planning that they need to do to reduce their emissions and also to prepare for the impacts of climate change, because climate change isn’t slowing down just because the government refuses to talk about it, it’s still here,” Mooney-Bullock said.

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