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Media Release

Enthusiastic response to CEC’s call for proposals under its NAPECA grant program

Montreal, 9 September 2015—The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has received more than 500 innovative proposals for funding under its C$1.3 million North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA) grant program.

The proposals for tackling local environmental challenges range from ideas on how to reduce the health risks from exposure to toxic substances, to topics such as species and habitat conservation, environmental education, and efficient water management.

“I thank all those who took the time and effort to develop and submit a proposal for NAPECA funding,” said CEC Executive Director Irasema Coronado. “NAPECA projects are as grass-roots as you can get and we look forward to working with grant recipients to help advance their ideas for improving their local environments.”

The NAPECA grant program is designed to support nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations in Canada, Mexico and the United States that work with local communities to create a shared sense of responsibility for stewardship of the environment. For 2015–2016, the CEC’s governing Council agreed that the focus of the NAPECA proposals is Sustainable Communities/Urban Initiatives.

Proposals for this latest round of NAPECA funding were submitted by nongovernmental and environmental organizations, academic institutions, community associations, and indigenous groups or communities from across North America.

The CEC will review the proposals submitted and announce the funding recipients in early December, with project work set to begin in January 2016.

For more information on the NAPECA grant program visit www.cec.org/napeca.

About the CEC

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was established in 1994 by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, a parallel environmental agreement to NAFTA. As of 2020, the CEC is recognized and maintained by the Environmental Cooperation Agreement, in parallel with the new Free Trade Agreement of North America. The CEC brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including the general public, Indigenous people, youth, nongovernmental organizations, academia, and the business sector, to seek solutions to protect North America’s shared environment while supporting sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations

The CEC is governed and funded equally by the Government of Canada through Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Government of the United States of Mexico through the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, and the Government of the United States of America through the Environmental Protection Agency.

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