Introduction

The People’s Justice40+ Community Benefit Playbook offers low income, rural, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), frontline, and fenceline communities, and community-based organizations that serve these communities, guidance for developing Community Benefit Plans (CBP) that leverage the Justice40 Initiative and the climate, economic, and infrastructure investments of major federal spending bills–such as the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act–to ensure that these federal investments benefit the communities that need them the most. This Playbook is also applicable to other state and local government funded climate, economic, and infrastructure investments that will also be necessary to achieve environmental reparations, build climate resilience, and address health and wealth disparities within low income, rural, BIPOC, frontline and fenceline communities.

This Playbook will give an overview of the Justice40 Initiative, answer a range of questions about the different federal spending bills, and provide a step-by-step guide to building your own CBP. For your community to benefit from these federal investments, your community will need to know:

  • What are the various spending bills?

  • How much money is available?

  • What kind of money is available – are they grants, loans, or cooperative agreements?

  • Who is eligible for the money?

  • How will the money flow from the federal government to state and local governments?

  • How can the money be used and what, if any, are the restrictions?

  • How can you influence how the money is spent?

  • How will this money translate into tangible community benefits?

  • How can you organize your own community benefit strategy and plan to access the money?

  • Where can you get more information and find technical support?

Because this is complicated, fast-moving work, this playbook will be regularly updated so you can stay up-to-date on the changes over the next 1-2 years. Our goal is to simplify this dynamic policy environment as much as possible. One thing is perfectly clear:

THE SUCCESS OF JUSTICE 40 WILL NOT HAPPEN
WITHOUT STRONG COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & ADVOCACY.

The People’s Justice40+ Community Benefit Playbook 2024 Edition

Download Full J40 Playbook

J40 Basics & Federal Funding

The Justice40 Initiative

The Community Benefit Plan

Show me the money: Guide to Federal Spending Bill

Infrastructure Playbooks

The Energy Justice Playbook

The Water Justice Playbook

The Economic Justice
Playbook

The Environmental and Climate Justice Playbook

Transportation Justice Playbook

Community Benefit Playbook And Resources

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Community Benefit Plan

The Anatomy of an Effective Community Workforce Agreement

Sample Community Benefit Agreements

Glossary of Terms

Additional Resources

Contact our team

If you have a questions please reach out to our team :  

Sonia Kikeri:
National Director Of Civic Infrastructure

Ardie Griffin:
Policy Analyst and Legislative Director 

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