Land Together’s EPA Grant has been illegally terminated

On May 1st, along with many of our peers and allies advancing environmental justice around the country, Land Together received notice that the Environmental Protection Agency has terminated critical funding to our organization. The rationale EPA provided for canceling our grant is that “the objectives of the award are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities”. 

Withheld funding totals nearly 90% of the promised $1.5 million over three years. The $500,000 annual grant amount constitutes more than 17% of Land Together’s operations budget, and includes funding for 7 of our 9 prison environmental justice training programs and a new statewide Prison Environmental Justice Advisory Board.  
 
People in prison face daily environmental hazards including overcrowding, water and soil contamination, aging infrastructure, inadequate cooling and heating, exposure to toxic waste, lack of climate-related emergency preparedness, and more. Land Together’s multifaceted EPA initiative was designed to improve environmental conditions for the more than 90,000 people incarcerated in environmentally hazardous California state prisons and build the capacity of people in prison and reentry to have a meaningful voice in government decision-making processes that directly impact their lives. 
 
We know Land Together’s experience is not unique in this moment. Every day, more and more nonprofits are facing increasing fiscal uncertainty as the U.S. government cuts longstanding programs and grant funding. According to court documents, the EPA alone has cancelled, or is in the process of cancelling, nearly 800 environmental justice grants awarded during the last administration. 
 
The EPA grant cancellations are just one of many actions from the current administration that is harmful to the environment, including loosening air and water quality regulations; laying off scientists and researchers; ramping up coal production; opening national forests for industrial logging; narrowing protections for endangered species and dismissing hundreds of scientists working on a major national climate report, among many others.  Trump's proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year would slash $5 billion from the agency tasked with protecting the nation's health and environment — by far the largest cut in the EPA's history, representing approximately 55% of its 2025 budget.

“It is a direct assault on public health, scientific integrity, and environmental justice. Let’s be clear: this is not restructuring. This is sabotage. These cuts will lead to dirtier air, unsafe drinking water, slower toxic cleanups, and a weaker response to environmental disasters. Communities across the country, especially low-income neighborhoods, rural areas, and communities of color, will bear the brunt of this harm. These are communities already overburdened by pollution, climate risks, and systemic neglect. This budget abandons them.”
- Michelle Roos, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Network. 
 
Elected officials in California, including Sen. Adam Schiff and Sen. Alex Padilla, have condemned the administration's grant cancellations, which they say is an illegal clawing back of congressionally appropriated funds. Legal actions are already underway to challenge EPA and other federal grant terminations, and Land Together has been meeting regularly with EPA grantees from across the country to strategize collective responses. Additionally,  Land Together staff and board members have been working tirelessly to identify emergency funding to ensure the sustainability of our core programs, regardless of the outcome of legal actions. 
 
We may not have all the answers today, but together we’ll navigate the path forward. We are asking that you consider one action today — for Land Together or another nonprofit organization close to your heart that has been impacted by federal cuts — whether you make a donation, speak out on social media, or sign up to volunteer.  
 
The cancellation of Land Together’s EPA grant puts lives at risk. Incarcerated people have very little agency over most aspects of their lives, including their exposure to harmful and even potentially lethal conditions. With the help of supporters like you, Land Together will continue to advocate for the safety and wellbeing of incarcerated people as we explore every possible avenue to compete this vital project. 
 
If you are able, please consider donating to Land Together today to help us weather this storm and fortify our long-term sustainability.  

In community, 

Andrew Winn
Executive Director