- Asian Pacific Environmental Network
- SouthWest Organizing Project
- Rocky Boy Health Board – Boys and Girls Club of the Bears Paw
- West Harlem Environmental Action
- Freedom Inc.
- Safe Streets Strong Communities
- POWER
- Inner City Struggle
- Padres Unidos
- Indigenous Environmental Network
Asian Pacific Environmental Network 
Over the last sixteen years the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), has made significant strides in the fight for environmental justice and equity for low-income communities of color. Located in Oakland, CA, APEN has established itself as one of the leading environmental justice networks in the country. As a Communities Creating Healthy Environments (CCHE) grantee APEN aims to engage Asian American communities throughout Northern California East Bay, by recruiting and training a large membership base of low-income Asian immigrants and refugee families. Through strategic collaboration with Oakland’s city council and planning commission APEN’s approach will seek to pass policies that will improve the food and recreational environment in Oakland’s predominantly Asian American neighborhoods. For additional information please visit:
SouthWest Organizing Project The SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) was founded in 1980 with a mission to empower the disenfranchised of the southwest to realize racial and gender equality and social and economic justice. Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, SWOP has worked on countless community efforts to create healthy alternatives and to reconnect communities to their land and environment. Most recently, SWOP has aided in raising the state minimum wage to $7.50 an hour and expanding access to health care for uninsured families. SWOP has been a leader locally, regionally and nationally in building a movement for low income people of color to create social change. As a Communities Creating Healthy Environments (CCHE) grantee SWOP will aim to increase access to healthy foods, recreation spaces and water through the implementation of state and local policies. The organization will strive to promote local food production through the transition of city property into urban gardens. Additionally, SWOP is looking to spur new policies within the city that will maintain water as a public good and promote sustainably grown food. For additional information please visit:
Rocky Boy Health Board – Boys and Girls Club of the Bears Paw The Rocky Boy Health Board (RBHB) is located in the state of Montana. As a result of successful base building and organizing with in the Rocky Boy Nation, the Indian Health Service awarded RBHB the Children’s Youth Initiative Program to administer youth health programs. Through the program RBHB established an integrated community outreach strategy approach that promoted learning and encouraged healthy lifestyles. As a Communities Creating Healthy Environments grantee, RBHB will work with the Tribal Business Committee to improve healthy food access and to develop neighborhood parks to increase recreational programs. In addition, RBHB will aim to develop programming to build youth capacity for advocacy related to preventing childhood obesity, changes in school food and recreation policies that increase access to land for healthy food cultivation and increase physical activity within the Rocky Boy Nation. For additionalinformation please visit:
West Harlem Environmental Action West Harlem Environmental Action Inc., (WE ACT) is a non-profit community-based environmental justice organization, dedicated to building community power to fight environmental justice. Based out of Harlem, NY, WE ACT utilizes community organizing, education, training, community based research and public policy development to improve environmental health, in low-income communities of color. The organization has significantly increased awareness about food justice issues in Northern Manhattan over the years. Its successes include shifting the policy frame around childhood lead poisoning and organizing for Harlem residents to have substantial access to Harlem’s waterfront. As a Communities Creating Healthy Environments grantee WE ACT aims to achieve changes in school food policies that will increase student access to healthy, local, quality school food for children in Northern Manhattan. Specifically WE ACT will engage and train youth organizers to develop and implement a policy platform to reform school food standards. For additional information please visit:
Freedom Inc. Freedom, Inc. started as a grassroots women led volunteer organization, primarily working with young Hmong women in Madison, WI. Over the years, Freedom has built its membership beyond the Southeastern community to include Black and Latino communities. In each of the member groups the organization pays particular attention to the political education of young people and building their capacity as organizers. Freedom’s work includes organizing young people to address police harassment, racial profiling, and mobilizing support for the historic Family Unity Act which paved the way for intergenerational work. The organization was also instrumental in eliminating the “sunset clause” a city loitering ordinance which targeted youth of color. As a Communities Creating Healthy Environments grantee Freedom will engage Asian American youth and their families in the Madison area to pass policies that increase access to safe places to play and expand public funding for recreation opportunities. The organization will also aim to develop a community education curriculum on healthy food access and safe places for children to play. For additional information please visit:http://www.myspace.com/freedomincorporated
Safe Streets Strong Communities Safe Streets/Strong Communities (SSSC) started in late 2005 and quickly established itself as the primary grassroots organizing group in New Orleans. Over 75 percent of the organization’s membership are low-income women of color based in New Orleans. SSSC policy victories have primarily been in the area of criminal justice, including advocating for change in how prisoners are managed during hurricanes and changes in procedure regarding police handling of mentally ill. As a Communities Creating Healthy Environments grantee, SSSC will aim to implement new local budget priorities so that recreation and play spaces are adequately funded and accessible in every community. The organization will utilize is grassroots and base building strengths to deliver public forums to create resident trainings and skills workshops to increase understanding of recreation and food issues. SSSC hopes to be instrumental in passing policies that increase public resources for recreation in underserved areas in New Orleans. For additional information please visit:
POWER Since 2005, People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER) has been building grassroots power for low-income homeowners and public housing residents in Bayview Hunters Point in San Francisco, CA. POWER’s movement strategy aims to achieve racial, economic and environmental justice within communities of color. The organization’s winning combination of community organizing, alliance-building and leadership development has mobilized a broad base of members and volunteers for policy advocacy action resulting in several victories. As a Communities Creating Healthy Environments grantee, POWER will aim to increase the community’s oversight of redevelopment activities and improve the city’s overall environmental health by increasing access to safe green spaces, recreation areas and locally grown produce for families, youth and workers. For additional information please visit:
Inner City Struggle Inner City Struggle (ICS), based out of East Los Angeles, California, organizes youth, parents and residents of all ages for equitable opportunities in education for children. The work has been instrumental in advocating for schools that anchor communities, promote healthy behaviors and provide a gateway for resources and services. As a Communities Creating Healthy Environments grantee ICS seeks to change school policies that will allow for safe places to play and better access to healthy foods for students in East Los Angeles. The organization aims to increase youth physical activity during and after school with the establishment of Health Empowerment Zones in several of the East Los Angeles public schools. As a result of substantial organizing and base building the organization hopes to see higher graduation rates, higher school retention rates, and a decrease in community violence in the East Los Angeles community. For additional information please visit:
Padres Unidos Padres Unidos is a multi-issue organization that primarily works with Latin American families in Denver, Colo. The organization’s membership includes 4,000 individuals with a core of 100 Latino leaders. Padres & Jóvenes, the organization’s youth initiative, works with eleven school-based chapters in Denver to build a strong base for implementing change in Denver’s public school system. As a Communities Creating Healthy Environments grantee, Padres Unidos will work to develop new policies for Denver public schools, to increase access to healthy foods and physical activity for low-income youth of color. In order to shift policy change, Padres Unidos will host public forums and community planning meetings to advocate for new policy initiatives. For additional information please visit:
Indigenous Environmental Network Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) has been in existence since 1990 and is based out of Northern Minnesota. The organization continues its strong involvement in community activism and mobilization on a variety of issues around environmental justice. IEN has affected policy change on tribal lands, national and international arenas. The organization has worked on hundreds of initiatives and has built a network of indigenous people and grassroots organizations working to achieve environmental and social justice. IEN’s latest successes include policy change around pollution on tribal lands and lowering standards for toxic exposure. The organization continues to highlight the health impacts on oil refineries being placed throughout tribal communities. IEN will utilize the Communities Creating Healthy Environments grant to increase access to healthy, local and wild foods for Native Americans in Northern Minnesota. The implementation of policy change will allow for the increase use of locally grown foods by tribal Nations. In addition IEN aims to create a food council that will bridge gaps in the local food system and increase access to healthy foods. For additional information please visit:
