Volunteers at the anti-hunger nonprofit Gather cook up nutritious meals using donated surplus ingredients. Photo: Tania Marino
July 17, 2025 (Boston, MA) – Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) has filed an amicus brief in federal court on behalf of 17 community-based organizations and local governments whose Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant funding was abruptly terminated by the Trump administration. Filed in Appalachian Voices v. EPA in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the brief supports a motion to restore funding while litigation proceeds – and lays bare the devastating impact these cuts have had on frontline communities.
“These groups are the beating heart of environmental justice work across our country,” said Britteny Jenkins, CLF’s vice president for environmental justice. “Cutting their funding isn’t just bureaucratic cruelty – it’s a targeted strike on the people most impacted by pollution and climate change. When you cut off the grassroots, you cut off progress, well, at its roots.”
The organizations represented by CLF are subrecipients of EPA grants – trusted local partners tapped by primary grantees to carry out on-the-ground work of public health, education, climate resilience, and pollution reduction. Many serve communities that have historically fought numerous environmental challenges – and several are based here in New England.
“When our neighbors in New Hampshire or Vermont or across the country lose funding to address food insecurity, monitor air quality, or educate youth about lead exposure, we all lose,” added Jenkins. “This is not just their fight. Our communities are interconnected. An attack on one is a setback for all.”
Though not formal plaintiffs in the case, the subrecipients’ work has been at risk of pausing critical community work, losing staff capacity, and unraveling progress made through years of dedicated effort. In some cases, that work has been completely stopped.
CLF is providing pro bono legal counsel to these organizations, urging the court to recognize both the urgent harm and the national stakes.
Additional quotes can be found below.
Experts are available for further comment.
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Organization quotes
“The Thriving Communities grant would have supported the scaling of Gather’s food recovery initiative called Seacoast Waste Not, which rescues quality surplus food from participating restaurants, caterers, cafeterias, food brokers, and food manufacturers across New Hampshire, southern Maine, and northern Massachusetts. This recovered food would have doubled the number of well-balanced meals Gather makes and distributes to hungry residents in our region. Food waste in our landfills is a serious problem and a major source of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. In diverting this food from our overflowing landfills, Gather would have significantly decreased the amount of carbon methane emissions. Investing in food recovery is smart, strategic, and cost-effective.”
– Anne Hayes, Executive Director, Gather
“The termination of the EPA’s Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program is not just a bureaucratic setback—it’s a direct blow to frontline communities who have historically borne the brunt of environmental injustice. This decision undermines years of trust-building between government and grassroots organizations, and it jeopardizes urgently needed investments in environmental health, economic opportunity, and racial equity. ECC stands with our partners in calling on the court to restore these critical funds, so that communities most impacted by pollution and climate change can lead in shaping the solutions they need and deserve.”
– Meishka L. Mitchell, President and CEO, Emerald Cities Collaborative
“This funding helped us empower residents to lead real change in their communities, addressing food insecurity in an area heavily burdened by lead and zinc contamination from the Tri‑State Mining District. Its sudden revocation pulled the rug out from under the people working hardest to build a healthier, more resilient future in places that have long been overlooked.”
– Jody Love, President and CEO, Healthy Bourbon County Action Team
“Renewing this grant program is imperative for the health of the USDN organization and the positive impact our members have on their respective communities. Climate change affects us all, but it disproportionately impacts underserved communities. The Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program was critical to helping our local government practitioners most effectively engage their communities, scale EPA projects, deliver teaching assistance, and elevate success stories of government-community partnerships.”
– Deneine Christa Powell, CEO, Urban Sustainability Directors Network