• Bureau of Indian Education Community Schoolyards: At the 2022 White House
Tribal Nations Summit, DOI announced a new partnership between the Bureau of
Indian Education (BIE) and Trust for Public Land to create culturally informed
education spaces. This innovative partnership will help fund nine new schoolyards
in Tribal communities that combine nature, physical activity, education, Native
languages, and cultural heritage.
• Urban Bird Treaty Program: In 2022, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Urban
Bird Treaty Program contributed $135,000 to support projects in five cities,
representing more than $460,000 from FWS and its partners that engage
communities in habitat restoration and bird monitoring, education, and recreation
and improve access to nature for diverse and underserved communities.
• Land Use Innovation Grants: The NPS, EPA, and Groundwork USA, a national
nonprofit serving a network of local groundwork trust organizations committed to
improving the natural and built environments of low-resource communities,
launched a new grant initiative to help communities transform brownfields into
parks, trails, and greenspace. The inaugural round of awards totaled nearly
$230,000 and supported six projects in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio,
Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
• Fisheries Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy: NOAA developed a new
Fisheries Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy to increase coordination,
communication, and engagement with underserved and underrepresented groups.
Based on public comments and feedback received, NOAA is revising and finalizing
its strategy for public release.
• Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program: Through this program in
2022, experienced NPS staff provided free, on-location help to 260 communities and
public land managers who are working to create and restore parks, conservation
areas, and brownfields. Completed projects helped restore rivers, wildlife habitats,
and impaired resources; improve outdoor recreation; develop climate resiliency
strategies; and support natural disaster recovery.
• Community Development Block Grants: In fiscal year 2022, the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided $146.4 million in funding directed
by States, cities, and counties to develop and improve parks and recreational
facilities and to plant trees.
Next Steps: The America the Beautiful initiative will continue to build and integrate with
the Biden-Harris administration’s work on the Justice40 Initiative to deliver 40 percent of
the overall benefits from Federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged
communities. Leadership from the newly established interagency Nature in Communities
Committee, which CEQ convenes, will provide information and coordination for nature-
related efforts across the Federal family. Additionally, Federal departments and agencies
will continue to look for effective ways to invest the historic funding available from the