Dear Community,

Thank you for tuning into our January newsletter and Happy New Year! There is a lot going on in the environmental justice (EJ) world and we are hoping to bring you the latest events and updates — all in one place. Please submit newsletter feedback and idea topics to DEEP.EJ@ct.gov or the linked form below.  

For this newsletter edition, we are highlighting the last call for applications to the DEEP Climate Resilience Fund 2026! Application periods close for some funding categories on January 15, 2026.

The open application period is closing soon for this year’s Notice of Funding Opportunity, which is offering funding categories that can support community and energy resilience projects at any stage of development. This opportunity is open to municipal governments, local public utilities, non-governmental organizations, Tribal nations, and other eligible entities. See funding categories for additional information on eligibility.
 
Applications for the Planning, Advancement, and Matching Funds categories are due January 15, 2026. Applications for the Energy Resilience Construction RFP are due May 8, 2026. 

Gratefully yours,

Office of Equity and Environmental Justice

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS 

New Haven has broken ground on Connecticut’s first networked geothermal system. The project is designed to provide low-emission heating and cooling to the historic Union Station and roughly 1,000 units of public housing. This will serve as a pilot for the city’s goal to decarbonize all municipal buildings by 2030. For more information, click here.

The new and finalized Release Characterization Guidance (RCG) is set to replace the Site Characterization Guidance on March 1, 2026. The RCG promotes the same scientific method of inquiry as the SCGD, using the conceptual site modeling process to characterize individual releases. It also includes a chapter on site-wide characterization for use with the Property Transfer Program, the 133y and 133x Voluntary Programs, and Brownfield Programs. This guidance was developed as part of the release-based regulation development process, which included DEEP, the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Release-Based Working Group, and stakeholders. For more information, click here.

Governor Lamont, Governor Healy, Governor Hochul, and Governor McKee released a joint statement regarding the Trump Administration's announcement pausing offshore wind leases. To learn more, click here. 

CEEJAC NEWS

Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council (CEEJAC) within DEEP, established by Governor Lamont’s 21-3 Executive Order, advises the Commissioner of DEEP on current and historic environmental injustice, pollution reduction, energy equity, climate change mitigation and resiliency, health disparities, and racial inequity. All are welcome to attend and participate in CEEJAC meetings.

Please Join CEEJAC at Our Upcoming Meeting: 
CEEJAC Spring Quarterly Meeting (Virtual)
Wednesday, March 18 | 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Register for Zoom Meeting Link

CEEJAC Fall Quarterly Meeting (In-Person)
Wednesday, September 16 | 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Location: TBD

CEEJAC Winter Quarterly Meeting (Virtual)
Wednesday, December 16 | 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Register for Zoom Meeting Link

FEATURED EVENTS

Yale's Financing and Deploying Clean Energy Certificate program | Applications open January 5th
This 10-month online program designed to train professionals with cutting-edge expertise in policy, finance, and clean technology. The key objective of this program is to grow a powerful network of clean energy experts at the forefront of our energy transition, and help professionals understand the interplay of the financial, technological, and socioeconomic drivers in financing and deploying clean energy. For more information, click here. 

Optimizing for Equity | January 14 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Virtual
The 2026 Sustainable CT Virtual Equity Training Series is a free, practical, action-focused learning experience where Participants will work with scenario-based coaching and peer learning, using real challenges from their communities such as budgeting tradeoffs, policy revisions, resident engagement tension, and team dynamics. Attendance is capped at 35. Great for Elected officials, municipal staff, and Sustainability Team members

January 14, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Equity in Action, From Principles to Practice
January 28, 10 a.m. -12:30 p.m. - Building Trust and Cross-Town Coalitions
February 11, 10 am. - 12:30 p.m. - Measuring What Matters and Sustaining Momentum

Attendance at all three sessions is required.

UConn CLEAR: Understanding Connecticut's Wildfire Ecology, Forest Health, and Planning for a Changing Future | January 15, 2026 | 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm (Online)
During the webinar, UConn's Fire Chief Chris Renshaw and Emily Wilson will explain the situation through the story map and discuss what Connecticut fire departments and residents can do. The story map and map viewer explain the overlapping conditions of fire ecology, forest health, changing weather, and housing density, and compare them to recent brush fires across the state. To learn more, click here.

Annual Environmental Summit| January 21 | 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM | CT State Community College (Capital Campus)
Advocates, lawmakers, policy experts and community members come together to advance Connecticut’s environmental future. The Summit is an annual event for education and collaboration in support of Connecticut’s environmental movement. To learn more, click here. 

Other Events 

• 1/10/26 (Washington): Education staff from the Institute for American Indian Studies will be leading a workshop where students will learn skills that will help them to build an exhibit for their Connecticut History Day competitions. For more information, click here.
• 2/7/26 (Torrington): 20th Anniversary of Winter Festival at Burr Pond State Park in Torrington. Activities include ice fishing, story times, Search and Rescue dog demonstrations, hiking, ice sculptures, marshmallow roasting, bonfires, furs & pelts displays and live animals. For more information, click here.   

Tribal News

The Senate passed the BADGES for Native Communities Act to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP). This aims at enhancing federal law enforcement reporting and support for tribal law enforcement. For more information, click

The U.S. Treasury and IRS have finalized two historic tribal tax regulations that confirm tribal government-owned businesses and general welfare benefits, such as housing and small-business grants, are not subject to federal income tax. These rules remove decades of financial uncertainty, allowing tribal nations to strengthen their economic self-reliance and better fund essential services for their citizens. For more information, click here.

Events 

Energy Workforce Development and Capacity Building Webinar | January 6th
Attendees will learn about opportunities associated with energy-related workforce development and capacity building. This includes fundamentals of energy baseline training, energy auditing, solar modeling and site assessments, and air source heat pump deployment. This session serves as a kickoff to a four-part series where energy auditing, solar modeling, and heat pumps will be addressed in greater detail in subsequent webinars. To learn more, click here.

Through The Strands of Time: Finger Weaving Workshop | January 25
For thousands of years, Indigenous communities in North America have been weaving various fibers to make everything from shelter, to fishing equipment, to clothing, to hunting gear, and works of art and continued to do so through the integration of new materials brought through European contact. Join an educator from the Institute for American Indian Studies to learn more about Native American history and culture while you make your very own woven bracelet. For more information, click here.

We hope to include more Tribal related news, funding opportunities, and resources to include in the EJ newsletter. Please reach out to Danielle Russell (danielle.russell@ct.gov) with any resources you'd like featured. 

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

For funding for environmental justice projects around New England, explore the new EJ Funding and Financing Navigator. 

For DEEP grant programs, explore DEEP's Grants and Financial Assistance page. 

• 1/15/26 deadline: DEEP Climate Resilience Fund is making available up to $44 million in state and federal funds to support planning, project advancement, and construction to help Connecticut’s communities build resilience to extreme weather.
  • Eligible entities: Municipal governments, Councils of Government, neighborhood organizations, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, public utilities, state and federally recognized Tribal nations.
  • Funding amount: $25,000 to $250,000 but may be adjusted
  • Contact: DEEP.ClimateResilience@ct.gov. For more information, click here.

Note: Applicants should submit Letters of Interest as soon as possible if they will be seeking implementation funds under the new Deployment funding category, which includes the Matching Funds for Community Resilience program and the Draft Energy Construction RFP. For details on how to submit Letters of Interest, please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity and Draft Energy Construction RFP announcement. 

• 1/23/26 deadline: SWIFR Grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia through the EPA will assist local waste management authorities by supporting improvements to local post-consumer materials management, including municipal recycling programs, and assisting local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems.
  • Eligible entities: Indian Tribes as defined in 33 U.S.C. 4201 and section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, including Alaskan Native Villages and former Indian reservations in Oklahoma. Intertribal consortia are also eligible to apply.
  • Funding amount: $100,000 to $1.5 million per award
  • Contact: SWIFRTribal@epa.gov
• Rolling deadline: New England Grassroots Environment Fund provides funding for groups launching new projects or starting to significantly change the direction of an existing project.  
  • Eligible entities: Groups doing local, grassroots work in CT, ME, MA, NH, RI or VT. 501c3 status is not required. 
  • Funding amount: $500 - $1,000.  
  • Contact: Tess Beem, tess@grassrootsfund.org. For more information, click here. 
• Rolling deadline: Ben & Jerry's Foundation Grassroots Organizing National Grant Program provides support to community-based, grassroots organizations confronting social and environmental injustice.
  • Eligible entities: 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organizations 
  • Funding: Two-year unrestricted, general operating support grants of up to $30,000 per year, with an average grant size of $20,000 per year, to small (budgets under $350,000), constituent-led grassroots organizations throughout the U.S. and its territories.
  • Contact: Dana Jeffery at info@benandjerrysfoundation.org 802-495-1378. For more information, click here.

FEATURED JOBS

• 1/7/2026: Environmental Trainee; Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 

Click here to read past DEEP Equity & EJ Newsletters

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact us at (860) 418-5910 or deep.accommodations@ct.gov if you: have a disability and need a communication aid or service; have limited proficiency in English and may need information in another language; or if you wish to file an ADA or Title VI discrimination complaint. Any person needing a hearing accommodation may call the State of Connecticut relay number - 711. In order to facilitate efforts to provide an accommodation, please request all accommodations as soon as possible following notice of any agency hearing, meeting, program or event. 

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