Check out the latest insights from our program team and grantees.

$5B bill infrastructure bill designed to improve drinking water, sewers, parks and other essential measures considered the largest and most beneficial environmental investment in Michigan in decades. 

The landmark bipartisan infrastructure law to clean up toxic pollution in the Great Lakes is the single most significant restoration of the region’s history. It is also an affirmation of work Joyce supported and our grantees have advanced for decades.

Source
Chicago Tribune Opinion

Report by grantees Elevate and Metropolitan Planning Council examined millions of residential water bills from 2015-2020. The City of Chicago Water Affordability Analysis found that the lowest income households are the most burdened with high water bills.

A landmark environmental project championed by Joyce Foundation grantees and many other partners to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes has received critical federal funds.

New Joyce-funded report by NASBE and Elevate on how states are dealing with the issue of lead in school drinking water and offers recommendations on how to improve.

Fifty years on, Alliance for the Great Lakes expands environmental justice advocacy through inclusion and partnerships.

Grantee
Alliance for the Great Lakes

The Foundation congratulates all of its grantees and coalition partners who worked for years with perseverance and commitment to pass a historic new Illinois law making the state a national leader in the battle against climate change.

Illinois lawmakers mandate that utilities replace toxic lead water lines, a decades old threat. New legislation provides for state grants and technical assistance and prioritizes communities at highest risk–Black and Latino.

Under-resourced communities in Minnesota soon will receive a jolt of financial support for energy efficiency, thanks to newly passed legislation to help the state achieve its decarbonization goals equitably.

The Foundation is excited to announce that Elizabeth Cisar, co-director of our Environment program, has been invited to serve for a year as a senior advisor in the Office of Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Featuring op-ed columns by Elizabeth Cisar, co-director of the Joyce Foundation’s Environment Program, and several Joyce grantees who focus on water issues.

With new funding and approvals, planning and design is moving forward on a long-envisioned, comprehensive project to help block invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.

New study reveals widespread exposure to Superfund sites, decades of environmental racism.

Op-ed: COVID-19 should spark sustainable planning

The challenge is getting through the door. When the COVID-19 crisis hit, it posed a unique problem for accelerating efforts to make household energy more efficient and affordable.

Pandemic creates opportunity for practical, achievable upgrades to our water systems.