The Environmental Mitigation Community Fund was created to ensure that the results of a May 24, 2023, consent order and agreement with Shell include an investment in Western Pennsylvania communities impacted by the violations at the Shell Facility. It is one of the largest funds in Pennsylvania history to be created from environmental enforcement settlement.
Organizations applying for funding must:
- Located in Beaver County.
- If an application based outside of Beaver County wishes to seek funding for a proposed Community project, it must apply in partnership with a qualifying organization based in Beaver County.
Provide one or more of the following:
- Benefits to the environment.
- Benefits to health.
- Benefits to quality of life.
Special considerations:
- A Community Project that provides for regular, independent, testing of the air quality in the vicinity of the Shell Cracker Plant.
- Community Project focusing on meaningful community education and engagement that fosters civic participation, and to design strategies seeking to improve the health and/or quality of life of the communities near to the Facility, with an emphasis on current and future mitigation of the environmental impacts from the Shell Cracker Plant.
Prohibited activities:
- Lobbying of any sort, including but not limited to public entities, private entities and individuals, or political activities such as fundraising or advertising for a political party, campaign or election.
- Advocacy directly against Shell Chemical Appalachia, LLC., any government entity, or any private and/or public organization.
- Legal advice, services, or representation, or support services for litigation and/or potential legal action, whether against a private entity or public entity; though legal advice sought for completion of a Community Project may be approved by the Advisory Board (such as contracting, subcontracting and purchasing).
- Promote or enable hate, discrimination or violence against any individual, group, organization, or other entity or are otherwise against the funding prohibitions enumerated by The Pittsburgh Foundation.
Please direct questions about the criteria to Kelly Uranker at urankerk [at] pghfdn.org (urankerk[at]pghfdn[dot]org).
The application period closed on Feb. 29, 2024.