Environmental Equity Information Institute (E2I2) and Visibility Outreach Touch Engage South Arkansas (VOTE SoAR) Selected for Project Funding through Climate Smart Community Initiative (CSCI) The project, entitled “Where It Floods Matters,” will enhance ongoing community-led flood resiliency efforts in Hempstead County and Lafayette County, Arkansas.
FULTON – E2I2 and VOTE SoAR are pleased to announce that they have been selected as two recipients of the twenty-eight new grant awards totaling over $3 million through the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI). This achievement is a result of a newly formed coalition between community leadership in Fulton, McNab, Stamps, and Lewisville, the Clinton School of Public Service, and the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center.
CSCI funding will support the year-long grassroots-led flooding resiliency project, “Where It Floods Matters,” bringing together community knowledge and scientific expertise to translate flood data into tools that residents can actually use, including education resources, adaptation strategies, and decision-support materials developed with, and for, the people who need them most. In a region not accustomed to this level of institutional visibility and investment, this award is a recognition that community-led solutions work.
For VOTE SoAR, this award represents a critical step forward in addressing the longstanding flood risks faced by the communities of Fulton and McNab in Hempstead County, Arkansas. As a grassroots organization rooted in creating a foundation of safety and stability, VOTE SoAR has spent years working alongside residents whose lives have been shaped by flooding and whose voices have too often been left out of the decisions that affect them most.
“This is what it looks like when science meets community,” said Cydnee Harris, Project Manager for Environmental Programs at VOTE SoAR. “We are proud to be 1 of only 3 projects in the entire southern USA and one of few rural projects awarded. Our work centers the people of South Arkansas, their lived experiences and their resilience, in building a safer future.”
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VOTE SoAR is a fiscally sponsored community project of Southern Vision Alliance based in Hempstead County, Arkansas, focused on environmental justice, civic engagement, and equitable resource distribution in rural South Arkansas. Learn more and sign up for updates at votesoar.org.
E2I2 is an environmental justice 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization and climate adaptation practitioner based in Atlanta, Georgia, that partners with communities to translate climate, environmental, and health data into community-driven action. Learn more and sign up for project updates at e2i2.org.
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VOTE SoAR, founded and based in Hempstead County, is a fiscally sponsored community project of Southern Vision Alliance focused on environmental justice, civic engagement, and equitable resource distribution in rural South Arkansas. Residents can learn more at thrivingearthexchange.org/project/fulton-arkansas and sign up for VOTE SoAR updates at votesoar.org.