Environmental Justice Project

2024 Request for Proposals

Inspired by the original 2016 Greenbuild Los Angeles Legacy Project, the U.S. Green Building Council of Los Angeles (USGBC-LA) launched its Legacy Project initiative to support the escalation of sustainable built environments for all communities in our region. As of 2023, USGBC-LA has renamed this project The Environmental Justice Project to better align with our goals and vision for this annual impact.

USGBC-LA’s Environmental Justice Project initiative is designed to be a means of service and education that enhances our communities and offers perpetual gains. Projects are required to be community based, replicable, and supported with clearly defined sustainability goals.

The 2024 Environmental Justice Project will be awarded to the project that is best able to accelerate sustainability in a local community in the areas of resilience, building and occupant health, or innovation in conservation. A resilience project helps buildings, landscapes, communities, and regions better respond to natural and manmade shocks and stressors, such as sea level rise, increased frequency of heat waves or civil unrest.

A building or occupant health project leverages the built environment as a way to proactively improve the health of the people inside, or impacted, by utilizing healthy materials, improving air quality or amplifying access to light, clean water or green space. A project that is innovative in conservation showcases thought provoking and potentially catalytic approaches to reducing energy, water, waste or carbon in our built environment.

With your participation, we can continue a growing tradition of partnering with deserving local organizations working to improve and empower their communities. To that end, the USGBC-LA Legacy Project Committee (LP Committee) invites you to submit a proposal for the 2024 Environmental Justice Project! The selected project will receive $20,000 in funding and expert project support from USGBC-LA’s wide network of professionals.

Issuance of RFP – Friday, August 18, 2023
Deadline for Submission of Questions – Friday, September 15, 2023
Posted Responses to Questions – Friday, September 22, 2023
Proposal Submission Due Date – Monday, November 6, 2023
Finalists Selected and Notified – Monday, November 20, 2023
Final Presentations/Judging* – Week of November 27, 2023
2024 Awardee Notified – Week of December 5, 2023
MOU Signed – Week of January 8, 2024
Project Kickoff – Week of January 15, 2024
Project Completion & Ribbon Cutting – October 2024

* Interview times will be determined following the selection of project finalists and will be based on the availability of the LP Committee Selection Panel and finalist project teams.

Respondents will be required to submit all RFP questions and responses to the USGBC-LA LP Committee via the web forms listed below.

2024 Environmental Justice Project Questions Form

2024 Environmental Justice Project RFP Response Form

Submission of Questions

All interested parties will have the opportunity to submit clarifying questions regarding the RFP process and project intent. All questions must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, September 15, 2023 via the Environmental Justice Project web form The LP Committee will issue responses and clarifications for public review on the USGBC-LA website, usgbc-la.org/programs/environmental-justice-project-news, on Friday, September 22, 2023.

The LP Committee will also host several information sessions for prospective respondents and project supporters to learn more about the Environmental Justice Project process and intent. Meeting dates will be listed on the USGBC-LA website at usgbc-la.org/programs/environmental-justice-project-news/.

Submission of Proposals

All proposals must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. PST on Monday, November 6, 2023 to be considered for the 2024 Environmental Justice Project award. Proposals must be submitted electronically via the 2024 Environmental Justice Project RFP Response web form.

The USGBC-LA Legacy Project Committee will review all timely proposals that satisfy the RFP requirements and notify the Environmental Justice Project finalists no later than Monday, November 20, 2023. All project finalists will be notified via email. Finalists will then have the opportunity to present their proposed project in-person to the LP Committee Selection Panel. The in-person presentations will be scheduled based on the joint availability of LP Committee Selection panelists and finalists project team members. The LP Committee Selection Panel will vote to determine the 2023 Environmental Justice Project awardee, following the interview process. The selected project will be announced the week of December 5, 2023.

Project Criteria

Proposals must address and include the following mandatory criteria:

Deliverable on budget and on time by November 2024 (25 points)

Demonstrate the proposed project will be completed, and available for public use, no later than November 30, 2024. Provide a complete project budget and outline the project team’s budget management plan.

Addresses resilience, building and occupant health, or innovation in conservation (25 points)

Clearly outline how the proposed project falls within at least one of the categories defined in this RFP.

Serves varied socio-economic backgrounds and is community supported (20 points)

Demonstrate how the proposed project will serve various population groups, including populations affected by systemic inequities. People experiencing inequity, including racial and ethnic minorities, older adults, immigrant communities, LGBTQ+ and those impacted by homelessness, can be less equipped to anticipate, cope with, resist or recover from the impacts of climate change and other environmental ills. Provide evidence that the project is supported by the community it intends to serve and addresses that community’s needs and/or concerns.

Contains an educational aspect (20 points)

Summarize how the project will serve as an ongoing means of education for the principles and practices of environmental sustainability and resilience. Detail which segments of the community are targeted for educational engagement, such as children, homeowners or veterans.

Project location is publicly accessible or includes a plan to allow and encourage public access to the project (20 points)

Demonstrate how the project will incorporate and encourage ongoing public engagement, intentional and meaningful interactions that provide opportunities for mutual learning. Define project engagement goals, relevant data and means of measurement, if any.

Permanent and enduring (10 points)

Provide evidence that the project will be a perpetual fixture or program in the community with relevant insights into the soundness and solvency of the proposed project and team.

Easily maintained over time (10 points)

Establish how the project will be sustained annually with minimal external inputs beyond the initial Environmental Justice Project award. Consider sources of ongoing financial support as well as labor, and designate the parties responsible for ensuring the project’s continued service.

Scalable and/or replicable (10 points)

Outline how the proposed project idea can be expanded and/or replicated by the submitting project team, or external parties, to serve additional communities in the Greater Los Angeles area or beyond.

Inspirational (5 points)

Demonstrate how the project incorporates aspect(s) that promote mental and emotional well-being and growth. Detail how hope, creativity, beauty, happiness, innovation or other such intangibles are a part of the project.

Vibrant (5 points)

Convey how the project will invite engagement within the proposed community in an inclusive manner. Outline how the project will foster connection between project users and provide opportunities for active and dynamic participation, taking into account accessibility and other accommodations as needed for those with disabilities.

I. Project Introduction

Respondents shall provide a Project Introduction, which highlights key components of the project. The Project Introduction includes the following:

The title of the project.
The location of the project.
The vision for the project.
The project’s target audience.
How the target audience will benefit from the proposed project?
How the proposed project fits within the existing neighborhood fabric and fills a need not currently met?

II. Project Team

Identify the project’s lead organizer and key team members, including any community partners. Include a brief description of each individual or organization, their role and their experience on similar projects. Up to five (5) team members can be included via the submittal form.

Full name.
Contact’s phone number.
Contact’s email.
Team member’s biography or description of organization.

III. Project Details

Provide complete answers for each of the questions below. Teams are also able to provide visual representations of the proposed project or site in this section. A minimum of four (4) images are recommended, to cover all elevations. Maximum of six (6) visual representations can be submitted.

Which of the Sustainable Categories above (Section A) are addressed by the project?
How is the Project Criteria above (Section B) addressed by the project? (400 words max)
Why was the location selected and how does this project contribute to the local community? (200 words max)
How does this project promote sustainability within the local community?
Describe the potential growth and future opportunities of the project.
Describe any past projects your organization has undertaken that are similar to the one proposed. Include the role played in the past project.

VI. Proposal Exhibits

Provide a detailed project schedule, include key dates, milestones and dependencies. Provide the anticipated start date and completion date for the project. Project completion date should be in November 2024. Download and Complete Exhibit X (first tab)

V. Project Cost & Funding

The award for the 2024 Environmental Justice Project is $20,000. Please provide a project cost breakdown, including construction costs. Please indicate additional funding commitments this project plans to secure or has secured. Complete Exhibit Y (second tab)

Describe the yearly-anticipated budget that will be required to keep this project operational after 2024. Include details on how this will be funded. Complete Exhibit Z (third tab)

Proposal Checklist

All questions answered.
Project Schedule, Exhibit X.
Project Cost Estimate, Exhibit Y.
Project M&O Cost Estimate, Exhibit Z.
Resume/CV or 200-word biography of key personnel with projects completed.
Up to six (6) visual representations of the project and site.
All attachments formatted as a “.pdf” document.
All submissions and supporting documents electronically submitted via the 2024 Environmental Justice Project web form.

Upon selection, the 2024 Environmental Justice Project award team and USGBC-LA will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) solidifying the specifics of the project and completion terms.

USGBC-LA reserves the right to withdraw the award of Environmental Justice Project and associated award money, at any time, and without penalty, should the project fail to deliver on the promises and timeline listed in the proposal. Only qualifying, timely submission of entries during the RFP phase will be entitled to review. Submissions for the Environmental Justice Project will only be accepted via the 2024 Environmental Justice Project web form and will be a confidential submission. The submitting team is responsible for executing the project and delivering it to completion on time. The submitting team will hold harmless USGBC-LA for any timeline disruption caused due to its actions or unforeseen conditions.

Insurance requirements will be discussed with the selected project teams on a case-by-case basis.

Interested in supporting the 2024 Environmental Justice Project? Please contact Ben Stapleton, USGBC-LA Executive Director, at ben@usgbc-la.org with questions or proposals.