Advocacy is designed to make people take action. It starts with communication and ends with results. There are many tools for advocacy such as Speaking: Voice your concerns at school board or town meetings, talk with your state and national legislators, give testimony on bills you care about, Writing: Write letters to your legislators, to the editor of your local newspaper, write testimony on a bill, create a blog or social media campaign, write a grant; Acting: Build a coalition - find partners (individuals and organizations) in your community or across your state/region, go to their meetings, start a petition, organize or attend a demonstration, develop an ecojustice action project.
How to Contact your Legislator
For Connecticut: To find your local legislator: https://www.cga.ct.gov/
The Connecticut General Assembly website provides bill status information, calendars, journals, committee members, minutes, vote tallies: https://www.cga.ct.gov/
For Congress: www.senate.gov and www.house.gov
Tips for communicating and building a relationship with your legislator
Your voice will be most effective if you build a relationship with your legislator. Regular communication is key.
Tips increasing the effectiveness of meeting with your legislator
To increase the impact of your letters:
Tips for communicating by phone with your legislator
Link to: How to Give Testimony for Pending Bill
Link to: Media Planning Considerations: A checklist from the Praxis Project
Advocacy Network
Collaborative Center for Justice
Energy Justice Network
Natural Resource Defense Council
Power Shift Network
New Haven Environmental Network
The Praxis Project
Grants
EPA Grants
Information about applying for EPA government grant
The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program
The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program supports and empowers communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues. The program is designed to help communities understand and address exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks. Environmental Justice Small Grants fund projects up to $30,000, depending on the availability of funds in a given year. All projects are associated with at least one qualified environmental statute.
EPA Environmental Education Grants - Proposals are due in April.
New England EPA grants and Projects
Other National Grants
The Praxis Project Fiscal Sponsorship - to build healthy communities
Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund
Ayrshire Foundation
Nellie Mae Education Foundation
American Cancer Society Change Grant Program
National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) - information on a variety of environmental grants
Grants in Connecticut
Hartford Foundation
Jeffrey P. Ossen Foundation
Connecticut Community Foundation - Waterbury and Litchfield Hills
Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut
Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation
How to Contact your Legislator
For Connecticut: To find your local legislator: https://www.cga.ct.gov/
The Connecticut General Assembly website provides bill status information, calendars, journals, committee members, minutes, vote tallies: https://www.cga.ct.gov/
For Congress: www.senate.gov and www.house.gov
Tips for communicating and building a relationship with your legislator
Your voice will be most effective if you build a relationship with your legislator. Regular communication is key.
- Meeting with your legislator is most effective. Let them see your face and hear your voice
- Old fashioned letter writing or phone calls are the next most effective.
- Emails and signing petitions are easier to do but make less of an impact
Tips increasing the effectiveness of meeting with your legislator
- Gather a group of voters with different backgrounds who share your position
- Prepare for the meeting
- Meet with your group prior to the scheduled meeting to define the purpose of the visit and determine who will say what.
- Prepare two presentations: a 15 minute and a 5 minute.
- Know the facts and the policy maker’s record.
- Use the websites above to schedule an appointment with your legislator.
- Tell the scheduler the topic and the names of those planning to attend.
- Schedule a meeting. Confirm the visit by phone the previous day.
- During your visit, be clear, positive and constructive. Share from your experience.
- Ask the policy maker to state her/his position.
- Leave a written summary(one page) with your name, address and phone number, or a business card if you have one.
- Follow the visit with a prompt thank you note.
- Know that meetings with staff assistants can be effective.
To increase the impact of your letters:
- Write an original letter. If using a template personalize it. Share why you are concerned about what you want the policy maker to do.Make sure it doesn't look like a form letter
- Include your name & address in the body of the letter (envelopes are often discarded).
- Include groups you are involved with. This lets them know there are more people who feel the same
- Be brief – one page at the most
- If you are writing about proposed legislation, state the bill name and number.
- Be polite and reasonable. Thank the policy maker.
Tips for communicating by phone with your legislator
- Ask the person who answers the phone for the name and title of the staff person who works on your issue. Ask to speak to this person or leave a message on the answering machine.
- State your name, your address and include any affiliations with organizations that will add to your voice.
- Identify the issue/bill you wish to address.
- Briefly and clearly state your position. Ask where the policy maker stands on the issue.
- Ask the name of the person assisting you. Thank her/him by name.
Link to: How to Give Testimony for Pending Bill
Link to: Media Planning Considerations: A checklist from the Praxis Project
Advocacy Network
Collaborative Center for Justice
Energy Justice Network
Natural Resource Defense Council
Power Shift Network
New Haven Environmental Network
The Praxis Project
Grants
EPA Grants
Information about applying for EPA government grant
The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program
- The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (CPS) Cooperative Agreement Program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations working on or planning to work on projects to address local environmental and/or public health issues in their communities, using EPA's "Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model." Site has resources such as their EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model Guide (2008) and Case Studies from the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Program Applications Due in February
The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program supports and empowers communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues. The program is designed to help communities understand and address exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks. Environmental Justice Small Grants fund projects up to $30,000, depending on the availability of funds in a given year. All projects are associated with at least one qualified environmental statute.
EPA Environmental Education Grants - Proposals are due in April.
New England EPA grants and Projects
Other National Grants
The Praxis Project Fiscal Sponsorship - to build healthy communities
Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund
Ayrshire Foundation
Nellie Mae Education Foundation
American Cancer Society Change Grant Program
National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) - information on a variety of environmental grants
Grants in Connecticut
Hartford Foundation
Jeffrey P. Ossen Foundation
Connecticut Community Foundation - Waterbury and Litchfield Hills
Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut
Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation
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