COVID-Safe Cooling Strategies Grant Program, an initiative of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Mystic River Watershed Association, will fund projects in Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Lawrence, Lynn, and Brockton.
In June, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) announced the award of $750,000 in grants to six municipalities and 12 community-based organizations in Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Lawrence, Lynn and Brockton. Ranging from $15,000 to $50,000, the awards will fund projects and programs designed to mitigate extreme heat impacts that have been exacerbated by COVID-19’s uneven burden on some of the region’s most diverse and economically disadvantaged communities.
Supported by the Barr Foundation and now in its third year, the COVID-Safe Cooling Strategies Grant Program has previously awarded over $1 million in grants for the purchase and distribution of energy efficient air conditioners, box fans, and cooling kits; utility bill assistance; and investments in infrastructure such as public water fountains, urban trees, and splash pads.
“The Covid-Safe Cooling Strategies Grant Program has proven to be an effective tool to help residents in the region’s most vulnerable neighborhoods stay safe during periods of extreme summer heat,” MAPC’s Senior Clean Energy and Climate Planner, Sasha Shyduroff said. “Besides a focus on meeting immediate needs through measures such distributing air conditioners and fans and setting up community cooling stations, the program identifies policy barriers and opportunities to address rising temperatures over the long term at local, state, and regional levels.”
With the Barr Foundation’s support, MAPC and MyRWA created the grant program in 2020 in recognition of the disproportionate impacts of both the pandemic and climate change-induced extreme heat in lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color. In addition to grant funding, MAPC and MyRWA provide technical assistance to grantees, including support with cooling equipment purchases, communication templates, resources in multiple languages and one-on-one help to troubleshoot challenges.
“Focusing on priority populations who face unequal burdens of extreme heat and are still being impacted by the pandemic is critical. What we need next is long-term solutions to address these challenges from the ground up,” said Melanie Gárate, Climate Resiliency Manager at MyRWA. “This year we will focus additional efforts to co-create a new version of this grant program with these communities to meet their long-term needs.”
“Extreme heat is one of the deadliest climate impacts, with disproportionate effects on underserved and divested communities in Greater Boston,” said Kalila Barnett, the Barr Foundation’s Senior Program Officer for Climate Resilience. “We are proud to support MyRWA, MAPC, and several community-based organizations to find and scale responses that keep people safe.”
The 2022 round of COVID-Safe Cooling grants will fund the following projects and programs:
For more information about the COVID-Safe Cooling Program, please visit: https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/extreme-heat/
###
