Delaware Awards $523,179 in Community Environmental Grants to 12 Projects for 2027
DOVER — Twelve Delaware community projects will receive a total of $523,179 in 2027 from grants awarded through the Community Environmental Project Fund (CEPF), the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced on October 19 (GSM, based on DNREC's official release). The fund supports projects that mitigate pollution, enhance the environment and create recreational opportunities for affected communities.
By state law, DNREC withholds a portion of the money collected through fines and penalties for environmental violations and returns it to the communities where the violations occurred, with grants competitively awarded to organizations. House Bill 210, the Pollution Accountability Act, sponsored in 2025 by Reps. Larry Lambert, Melissa Minor Brown, Frank Burns, Sophie Phillips and Madinah Wilson-Anton along with Sen. Nicole Poore and signed by Governor Matt Meyer, increased the share of penalty funds returned to communities from 25% to 40% and gives preference to projects within two miles of where an environmental violation occurred.
“The penalty money the CEPF program has invested in these community projects, particularly in the last few years, attests to the State's and DNREC's commitment to environmental justice,” said DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson. Dr. Katera Moore, DNREC's environmental justice coordinator, said the program received 60 applications for 2027 funding — the highest number since it began in 2004 — evidence that community groups and municipalities are taking action to improve their quality of life and protect their environment.
Since 2004, the CEPF program has invested $4.76 million in 129 community grant projects across Delaware. In 2025, the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware received $25,000 in CEPF funding to restore its historic 11.5-acre Deerfield Property in Cheswold, Kent County — removing invasive trees, mitigating erosion and beginning reforestation. Tribal Leader Dennis Coker thanked the fund for providing “a solid foundation on which to build renewed appreciation for outdoor spaces.” The list of the 12 projects receiving 2027 grants is available on the state's de.gov/cepf webpage.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 特拉华州 Blackbird State Forest 池塘 / Blackbird pond, Delaware — Delaware Forest Service 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，Wikimedia Commons
