Last updated: April 2025

In April 2025, the Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI) at UC Berkeley—a nationally respected research center focused on advancing equity, justice, and inclusion—released a landmark report evaluating California’s Equitable Community Revitalization Grant (ECRG). The report, Greater Social Equity in Brownfields Cleanup and Reuse, confirms what many California communities have experienced firsthand: ECRG is one of the most effective and equity-centered environmental cleanup programs in the country.

OBI’s endorsement matters. Known for its deep analysis of structural inequality and systems change, the Institute’s findings affirm that ECRG isn’t just working—it’s reshaping how brownfield cleanup, environmental justice, land use, and redevelopment can be aligned to serve communities first.

“Overall, these findings demonstrate that ECRG is funding more equitable and community-based projects than previous non-ECRG approaches.” — Othering & Belonging Institute, 2025

The report highlights several key accomplishments:

99% of ECRG projects are led by public agencies or nonprofits, compared to just 44% of non-ECRG projects. This shift ensures that funding supports entities grounded in public interest, not private speculation.

Projects are concentrated in California’s most impacted neighborhoods, including communities of color and low-income areas with high pollution burdens—precisely where cleanup and investment are most urgent. “ECRG projects are far more likely to serve communities of color and low-income communities and to be situated in areas with higher pollution burdens.”

ECRG is helping address California’s housing crisis by supporting the transformation of formerly contaminated land into affordable homes. More than half—51%—of all ECRG-funded projects include affordable housing components, compared to just 18% in comparable efforts outside the program under DTSC’s voluntary agreements. “This illustrates how ECRG can serve as a policy tool for advancing housing justice alongside environmental remediation.”

From transit-adjacent housing in urban cores to new units in underserved rural areas, ECRG is helping to unlock land that has long been left idle due to contamination—land that now holds the promise of homes, opportunity, and stability for working families.

The report also commends ECRG’s structure, including its use of CalEnviroScreen, deep investment in grantee success, and support for effective community engagement—all tools that empower residents and local leaders to define what revitalization looks like in their own neighborhoods.

The Othering & Belonging Institute’s analysis affirms what we’ve long believed: environmental cleanup can be a catalyst for justice. ECRG isn’t just a brownfield grant—it is a blueprint for equitable transformation. With the right tools and intention, public agencies can rebuild not only land, but trust, opportunity, and belonging. Read the full report here.