Pro Bono Environmental Justice Fund
AEC Pro Bono Fund to Provide Expert Services to Environmental Justice Groups
Exciting opportunity for Massachusetts based NGOs: Explore our MassCEC grant-supported initiative and join us in driving positive change for a sustainable future! Click here to learn more.
Spring 2025 decisions for the AEC Pro Bono Fund have been put on hold until further notice as we did not receive the funding needed for this round of projects. With that said, we are still interested in hearing about the needs of community-based organizations and encourage them to reach out to us as we continue to actively seek funding to support these projects in the future. If you are interested in supporting the AEC Pro Bono Fund, please consider donating below!
AEC is accepting applications on a rolling basis to provide pro bono analysis, research, testimony, policy briefs, or detailed reports to Environmental Justice groups on topics including energy economics, climate and other environmental impacts, and diversity, equity, and inclusion analysis.
Criteria for choosing projects to provide services from this fund are as follows (please address each point in your 1-2 page cover letter): (1) applicant is a community-based organization addressing Environmental Justice issues; (2) specific expert services needed are within AEC's skills and experience to provide (please review our website); (3) there is a planned, public use for the work in an advocacy campaign or as part of intervening in a utility commission (or similar) docket; and (4) there is an individual (for example a staff or board member of the applicant organization) designated by the applicant as their project-liaison for this work. Each application will be thoroughly reviewed by AEC staff and graded on a four-point scale in each of the above listed areas. To ensure a fair and consistent process, our staff will follow an established rubric when reviewing applications.
To apply: Please send a letter to probonofund@aeclinic.org describing your request for pro bono expert services in detail and addressing points 1 through 4 above.
Please submit application letters by March 31 for April decisions and September 30 for October decisions.
Pro Bono Fund Projects
Impact of Refinery Row on the City of Corpus Christi
On behalf of the Indigenous Peoples of the Coastal Bend (IPCB), this Applied Economics Clinic (AEC) report summarizes the economic impact of the petroleum industry in Nueces County, Texas and the negative impacts of the polluting facilities located in the City of Corpus Christi and its “Refinery Row” district. While major petroleum companies have promised economic benefits, Corpus Christi's petroleum refineries employ less than 2 percent of the City's workforce. In the absence of more stringent reporting requirements and enforcement actions, Refinery Row releases high levels of harmful pollutants with minor consequences while nearby neighborhoods suffer higher rates of asthma and cancer prevalence rates than other areas in Corpus Christi.
This report was funded through AEC's Pro Bono Fund, which provides pro bono analysis, research, testimony, policy briefs, or detailed reports to Environmental Justice groups on topics including energy economics, climate and other environmental impacts, and diversity, equity, and inclusion analysis.
April 2022 Pro Bono Environmental Justice Fund Awardees
After carefully reviewing numerous entries, we are proud to announce the first awardees of our AEC Pro Bono Fund: the Indigenous Peoples of the Coastal Bend (IPCB) and the Minnesota Environmental Justice Table. We thank each organization that took the time to apply, and we look forward to working with these two incredible organizations.
The Indigenous Peoples of the Coastal Bend (IPCB) are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and they are a grassroots collective of 4+ local Indigenous Tribal affiliated communities (Karankawa, Lipan Apache, Coahlitechan, and Mexica diaspora) from the coastal region of so-called South Texas. The IPCB are leading community organizers fighting on multiple fronts, including campaigns against exploitative fossil fuel industry projects, fights against erasure and genocide, and projects for education and cultural reclamation. Recently, the organization focused its efforts to block construction of a new oil storage and export terminal on Corpus Christi Bay. AEC will support the IPCB’s benefits analysis of environmental burdens related to energy justice for Nueces County and the City of Corpus Christi.
The Minnesota Environmental Justice Table is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it is a community and grassroots coalition advocating for environmental justice, fair development, and self-determination in overburdened communities, specifically those most affected by the climate crisis, environmental injustice, and structural racism. The Table commits substantial resources to addressing waste incineration, which contributes to climate change and disproportionately burdens minority and low-income communities with pollution. AEC will support in research related to the Table’s economic analysis of the viability of the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC).
Does your organization need testimony, research, or other expert assistance for an environmental justice project? Our Pro Bono Fund application is now open, and we will accept applications on a rolling basis until September 30. Apply today!