WE ACT 4 Change is building power, holding elected leaders accountable, and fighting to achieve environmental and climate justice in Northern Manhattan and beyond.
Vote For Environmental Justice
It has become increasingly clear that relying on the politicians in office is no longer sufficient to advance environmental and climate justice initiatives. We also need to have a voice in who gets elected to these positions, to ensure that they are willing to take action on these issues.
That is why we have launched WE ACT 4 Change Inc., a political organization affiliated with WE ACT for Environmental Justice, in 2020. As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit registered in New York State, WE ACT 4 Change can take direct political action, which is not something WE ACT for Environmental Justice can do as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
The goal of WE ACT 4 Change is to build and leverage political power in our fight to achieve environmental and climate justice for communities in Northern Manhattan. We will use it to engage in voter and civic engagement activities as well as ranking and endorsing political candidates. We will also use it to lobby for policies and programs as well as hold elected officials accountable.
We have already begun our voter engagement work in New York City, conducting candidate forums, hiring and training canvassers for a get-out-the-vote campaign, and developing the city’s first environmental justice candidate report card. We will also use this new entity to advocate for state and federal policies that advance climate justice.
The New York State GAP Fund: Quantifying Unmet Need
WE ACT 4 Change commissioned the Fiscal Policy Institute to develop a brief demonstrating the need to pass New York State’s Green Affordable Pre-Electrification (GAP) Fund, which would provide funding and technical assistance for low- to moderate-income homes and buildings in need of a wide-range of currently unfunded retrofits that are necessary for healthy buildings and the achievement of New York’s climate mandates. Click here to learn more and download the brief.