Resident Climate Action Grants Bring Homegrown Solutions to NYCHA
A crisp September afternoon at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden turned into a celebration of community-driven climate action as residents from all five boroughs gathered for the 2025 NYCHA Resident Climate Action Grants Showcase.
Held on September 23 during Climate Week NYC, the event highlighted 17 resident-led projects tackling climate change close to home — from new community gardens and composting programs to storytelling workshops and art installations. The Afro-Caribbean collective I AM caribBEING provided live music that underscored the upbeat, collaborative spirit of the day.
Launched in 2022, the Resident Climate Action Grants program gives NYCHA residents up to $5,000 to put their ideas into practice. This year’s awardees — selected on Earth Day 2025 by an independent committee led by The New York Climate Exchange — have already made a difference in the lives of an estimated 40,000 residents citywide.
Their work spans all five boroughs: five projects in Manhattan, four in Brooklyn, three in the Bronx, three in Queens, and two on Staten Island. Funding came from the Public Housing Community Fund (PHCF), the Exchange, Rise Light & Power, and a 1%-for-the-Planet contribution from design firm Post Company.
Among this year’s initiatives: expanding urban farms and gardens; offering composting and recycling workshops; training youth for green jobs; improving indoor air quality; mitigating pests; and using storytelling, public art, and live performance to bring neighbors into the climate conversation.
“The Climate Action Grant program has been an incredible success, empowering NYCHA residents to make a meaningful difference in both their communities and the environment,” said Alex Zablocki, PHCF’s Executive Director. “By giving residents a creative outlet with real-world impact, we advance climate justice while building problem-solving skills for long-term success.”
“This Climate Week gathering celebrated the leadership and impact of resident-led projects — in their own words — that address climate challenges across all five boroughs,” added Vicki Cerullo, The Exchange’s Director of Urban Engagement. “Supporting local action builds resilient communities in New York City and beyond.”
Siobhan Watson, NYCHA’s Vice President of Sustainability, called the projects a complement to the Authority’s larger climate goals: “These efforts cultivate resident climate leadership and show creative ideas that could inform future initiatives Authority-wide.”
Post Company, which learned of PHCF through the 1% for the Planet network, sees the grants as aligned with its own philosophy of community-driven design.
“Rather than designing solutions for communities, the program gives residents the resources to design solutions themselves,” said Mary Grace Tate, Post Company’s Director of Development and Marketing. “Residents are not passive recipients but the true architects of climate resilience in their neighborhoods.”
The grant program traces its origins to NYCHA’s 2021 Sustainability Agenda, which set goals for healthier, energy-efficient homes. That same year, NYCHA launched a Climate Action Network workshop series to raise awareness of energy and sustainability issues. Feedback from those workshops pointed to the need for seed-funding that lets residents take the lead — resulting in the first Resident Climate Action Grants, announced during Climate Week 2022.
Now in its third year, the program has become a catalyst for gardens, urban farms, youth job training, public health improvements, and educational campaigns that collectively cut emissions, strengthen neighborhood networks, and bring tangible benefits to thousands of NYCHA households.
As the late-day sun fell across the Botanic Garden’s Great Lawn, attendees traded contacts and discussed future proposals — demonstrating that the grants nurture not just gardens and compost bins but also enduring partnerships among neighbors, nonprofits, and City agencies.
More information about the Climate Action Grants program is available at communityfund.nyc/climate-action. Residents interested in starting or expanding a NYCHA garden or farm can reach NYCHA’s Farms and Gardens team at gardens@nycha.nyc.gov.