Pictured Marilyn Hemingway, CEO/Founder of the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce and Foundation. 

Gullah Geechee Chamber Foundation is one of ten BIPOC-led organizations across the nation to receive up to $20,000 in funding for local projects in communities disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis and environmental injustice

(Georgetown, SC) – The Climate Reality Project is awarding individual grants of up to $20,000 to 10 organizations leading the fight for environmental and climate justice, as part of the organization’s Climate Justice For All Grants.

“We are honored to be one of ten organizations nationally and the only recipient in the South Carolina to receive grant funding from the Climate Reality Project to address climate change, and environmental and racial justice issues impacting the Gullah community,” said Marilyn Hemingway, CEO/Founder of the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce and Foundation, “This grant will allow us to restart our Gullah Geechee Environment & Energy Conference in Charleston in October of this year.”

In response to a groundswell of grassroots activism on environmental and racial justice issues, Climate Reality established the Climate Justice For All Grants to help empower the vital work of BIPOC communities, frontline and historically marginalized groups, and youth activists working to call attention to the links between racial and climate justice. The 10 grant recipients announced mark the second class of grantees since the program’s creation last year.

“Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities have been advocating for solutions to fossil fuel pollution and the climate crisis for decades, but all too often their work has been overlooked and underfunded,” said former Vice President Al Gore, founder and chairman of The Climate Reality Project. “As we continue the fight against the climate crisis, environmental, institutional, and systemic racism, we should lift up and amplify the voices of leaders in these communities and support the important work they are doing on-the-ground in their communities. The 10 recipients of the Climate Justice for All Grants are incredible examples of the power of grassroots activism, and we are proud to support their vital work to ensure equity for all communities fighting the climate crisis.”

More than 150 grant applicants submitted proposals for the Climate Justice For All Grants, detailing proposed projects and initiatives seeking to benefit local communities in the United States. Applicants were required to demonstrate that their project aims to pursue one or more of the following goals:

• Engage and empower communities to fight for climate justice.
• Further community resilience to climate change or environmental injustices.
• Demonstrate the relationship between health, climate, and race.
• Increase awareness on the impacts of climate change.
• Develop local solutions to combat the climate crisis.
• Work toward achieving a just transition to a green economy.

The Gullah Geechee Chamber Foundation is one of ten organizations supported by the Climate Justice For All Grants which will help fund project-based climate initiatives between April and October of this year. The Foundation’s project is listed below:

• The Gullah Geechee Chamber Foundation will enhance climate change awareness and environmental literacy amongst BIPOC and frontline communities in coastal South Carolina. By organizing an Environmental and Energy Conference, Gullah Geechee African American, rural, and low-income residents will be empowered to advocate for sustainable solutions to the effects of climate change in their communities.

For more information about the Climate Justice for All grants and this year’s recipients, please visit: https://www.climaterealityproject.org/climatejusticegrants.

ABOUT THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT

Founded by Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore, The Climate Reality Project is working to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society. With a global movement more than 5 million strong and a grassroots network of trained Climate Reality Leader activists, we are spreading the truth about the climate crisis and building popular support for clean energy solutions. For more information, visit climaterealityproject.org or follow us on Twitter at @ClimateReality.

The Gullah Geechee Chamber Foundation was founded in 2020 to seek funds to support the education programs of the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 2018, the Gullah Geechee Chamber creates global awareness profitability and sustainability of African American businesses and other entities in the Gullah community. For more information, visit www.GullahGeecheeChamber.org or follow us on Twitter at @GullahGeChamber