Capacity Building Projects
The Capacity Building Project program provides funding for local organizations to grow their engagement in environmental health. Each year, the Environmental Health Sciences Center (EHSC) will provide up to $10,000 for one or two Capacity Building Projects addressing environmental health problems in the greater Rochester region. Applications open in the fall and are due in January for projects running April – December. Nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply.
The overall goals for the Capacity Building Project program are to build community capacity to address local environmental health problems and identify opportunities for future partnerships with the EHSC.
- We aim to help groups identify, understand, and address situations where an environmental factor or condition directly impacts human health outcomes.
- This program is designed to foster two-way exchange between the EHSC and the awardee related to environmental health knowledge or skills.
Interested in applying?
Connect with us: We’d love to hear from you! We encourage all potential applicants to contact us to discuss your idea or project. Send a brief paragraph or any questions about your idea to Rebecca_Lauzon@urmc.rochester.edu to start the conversation. The earlier you are in the process the better, but we encourage you to reach out anytime.
Review the Request for Applications: Find details on how to apply, what can and cannot be funded, and application requirements and criteria for selection.
Learn more about us: Read about our work on the Community Engagement Core and EHSC websites.
Read about past projects: Keep reading below to learn about past funded projects.
Applications are due January 15th, 2027
Past Projects
2025 – Worker Justice Center of New York
The Worker Justice Center of New York (WJCNY) focused on developing capacity to help farmworkers prevent negative health effects from air pollution and extreme temperatures. Farmworkers are particularly vulnerable to extreme temperatures and poor air quality, and outdoor air pollution and occupational health of farmworkers have been identified as key community environmental health priorities for the Finger Lakes region.
WJCNY staff worked closely with CEC staff and EHSC researchers to create a new resource about heat illness and air pollution to share with farmworkers. They also adapted resources about cold stress from experts in other regions for NYS. Both resources were distributed to farmworkers in Monroe County and other parts of NYS. WJCNY staff also received training on heat and cold illnesses from Finger Lakes Occupational Health Services, further increasing staff capacity to engage with farmworker concerns on these topics.
The resources developed during this project will be incorporated into WJCNY’s toolkit for ongoing and future outreach and shared with other organizations working on the intersection of heat and air quality.
2024 – Rochester Ecology Partners
Rochester Ecology Partners (REP) sought to expand their understanding of environmental health issues facing communities in and around Rochester. They held meetings and conducted surveys with their network of community members and partners to gather information about environmental health concerns and priorities in Monroe County. CEC and REP staff worked closely together on complementary efforts to assess community environmental health priorities. REP found that the community’s top priorities are pollution, housing quality and environmental exposures, and drinking water quality.
The project also helped expand the Greater Rochester Environmental Community Hub, an initiative that seeks to understand and connect the work of organizations dedicated to community and environmental well-being. REP’s ongoing and future plans include additional work to understand specific community concerns, fostering partnerships, incorporating environmental health into future programming, and grant proposals to sustain future work.
2023 – Rochester Museum and Science Center
The Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC) hosted 2 days of school group visits for climate themed programming and an additional 2 days of related public programming, including both in-house and community group presenters. CEC and RMSC staff jointly identified air and health as a topic of interest for additional partnering, including training floor staff on air sensors, installing a PurpleAir sensor at RMSC, and a public lecture by an EHSC researcher on air quality and health. Since project completion, RMSC has continued to build their capacity in this area by joining the EHSC Community Advisory Board and creating a new science encounter around air sensors that is integrated into programming on climate, air quality, and health.
2022 – Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County (CCE) partnered with the Marketview Heights Neighborhood Association and City of Rochester Forestry Division to canvass households in a neighborhood with interest in expanding its limited tree canopy. Informed by urban forestry initiatives in other cities, CCE and community volunteers surveyed residents and identified 30 locations for planting new trees with community buy-in. Throughout this process, CCE built their connections with the community, city, and other stakeholders interested in promoting urban forestry in Rochester. Since project completion, they have continued to build their capacity in this area by developing a K-12 tree education curriculum, grant proposals to sustain related work, and serving on the advisory committee to update the City of Rochester’s Urban Forestry Plan.