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Each year, the Caucus directs some pass through grants to build capacity of and support frontline organizations to effectively engage in federal policy advocacy. The program provides frontline water and climate leaders an on-ramp and funding support to understand and navigate the federal landscape, as well as connect and advocate for their local policy priorities at the national scale.

These grants are structured differently than other WECR grants in that they support a cohort of organizations in a year-long peer learning and skills building program, anchored by PolicyLink. Federal Cohort grants support frontline staff time for learning and priority setting, policy work planning, training and peer learning sessions, and materials development. 

Program participants are matched with another Caucus member as a policy advisor for 1:1 support throughout the year. In addition to these monthly strategic advising meetings, the Cohort gathers for bi-monthly peer learning exchanges to demystify federal policies and processes, and engages in quarterly federal policy training on key topics. As the year progresses, participants shape policy recommendations and key messaging, meet with Congressional and federal agency representatives (during our annual DC Advocacy Week and in virtual follow-ups), strategize with other advocates around the country working on similar priorities, and develop communications materials for policymakers and other advocates.   

Organizations participating and advising vary from year-to-year, as do policy priorities. Topics may include water affordability, water quality, climate resilience, and more.

     

“A window is opening! We have begun detangling water at the federal level and now understand how that affects our work on the ground - and how we can affect greater change back up.”

—2024 Participant

2025 Federal Policy Cohort

Coalition for Environment, Equity & Resilience (CEER)

Coalition for the Environment, Equity, and Resilience (CEER) is a Houston-based non-profit that works to raise awareness of the connections between pollution, place, and the public's health. CEER envisions a region that is equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically strong—where residents have the opportunity to live, work, learn, play, and pray free from environmental hazards.

Policy Priority: Increasing federal investment in water infrastructure funding, water affordability, and nature-based solutions to strengthen water security and resilience for coastal and port communities. Short term: Ensure that federal resilience funding–CDBG-DR, SRFs, and FEMA’s BRIC program–reaches coastal and port communities. Long-term: Secure permanent, dedicated federal funding for coastal and port resilience, nature-based solutions, and water infrastructure while ensuring frontline communities have a direct role in decision-making and resource allocation.

Participation Goals: Assess federal funding gaps, strengthen frontline community advocacy, and advance federal funding solutions and policies, expand influence with federal lawmakers and agencies, and refine messaging and public engagement strategies.

Deliverables: 
Federal Funding to Address Rising Disaster Threats (Leave Behind for Policymakers, April 2025)

Policy Advisor: Julian Gonzalez, Earthjustice

Communities for a Better Environment

Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) builds people power in California’s communities of color and low income communities to achieve environmental health and justice by preventing and reducing pollution and building green, healthy and sustainable communities and environments. CBE provides residents in heavily polluted urban communities in California with organizing skills, leadership training and legal, scientific and technical assistance, so that they can successfully confront threats to their health and well-being. 

Policy Priority: Prevention of and accountability for PFAS pollution in drinking water and source waters (surface/groundwater), particularly in Southeast Los Angeles.

Participation Goals: Understand what advocacy in the federal space looks like. Identify and learn how proposed bills get implemented. Elevate community led research to make federal changes.

Deliverables: 
PFAS Removal and Prevention for Public Health (Leave Behind for Policymakers, April 2025)

Policy Advisor: Alexandra Campbell-Ferrari,Center for Water Security & Cooperation
 

Giniw Collective

Giniw Collective is a Native-led environmental organization committed to protecting lands and waters, and building the world we wish to see. They are engaged in food sovereignty, ecosystem management, and outdoors education at their LandBack space, Bald Rock Camp. 

Policy Priority: Enforcement of Indigenous water and land sovereignty, and mitigating water contamination from lithium and copper sulfide mining.

Participation Goals: Understand which federal champions that care about water quality are still in this administration and what options are available to push solutions in a Republican trifecta. Bolster support for clean waters among state delegations to support federal action.

Deliverables: Water Potability in Northern Minnesota: Protect the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness from Sulfide Mining (Leave Behind for Policymakers, April 2025)

Policy Advisor: Max Gomberg, WECR Consultant
 

West Street Recovery

West Street Recovery (WSR) is a community based disaster recovery organization that works in Northeast Houston and Harris County Texas. Our mission is to connect communities to the resources that they need to not only rebuild after climate disasters but to build communities that are resilient,  secure and stronger than before. We help families prepare for and recover from natural disasters and organize for policies that improve disaster recovery processes and programs. WSR also works to ensure that governments invest in Infrastructure to protect the communities who are most vulnerable to disasters. 

Policy Priority: Maintain critical funding and staffing for FEMA disaster recovery and mitigation programs. Increase access to FEMA funds, transparency around funding decisions, and ensure fairness in delivery of federal assistance following disasters.  

Participation Goals: Understand key components of the Stafford Act and what room there is for change to support equity goals. Identify pathways to improve post-disaster processes at FEMA. Develop a federal campaign strategy with community members and that leverages community based research in Houston. Build a community “audit” or monitoring system in advance of storms that can be used to track what EMA is doing by household after a disaster.

Deliverables: Improving Recovery, Building Resilience, and Helping Communities Thrive: Reforms to Make FEMA Dollars Efficient and Effective (Leave Behind for Policymakers, April 2025).

Policy Advisors: Erin Kanzig and Campbell Simmons, River Network
 

2024 Federal Policy Cohort


In 2024, WECR Caucus Steering Committee members selected five teams through a competitive application cycle to receive a total of $200,000 to participate in our inaugural 2024 Federal Policy Cohort. This year’s Cohort is focusing on diverse policy priorities in frontline communities in the Southern, Western, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. 
 

Bayou City Waterkeeper & The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans

As Co-Chairs of the WECR Southern Water Regional Workgroup (hyperlink to Regional WG page), Bayou City Waterkeeper in Houston, TX and The Water Collaborative in New Orleans, LA are leading frontline communities across the South in development of regional policy priorities and intersectional solutions for water and climate justice. 

Policy Priority: The two organizations have teamed up in the Federal Policy Cohort to elevate the visibility, investment, and national buy-in toward Southern water/climate policies, particularly ensuring Southern communities receive and are involved in federal funding streams. Read more.

Participation Goals: Identify federal resources (including, but not limited to, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s addition to State Revolving Funds); provide insight on ways for Southern communities to access these funds; build relationships and policy levers with key federal champions; and create spaces to empower frontline leaders in policy advocacy efforts across the South. 

Policy Advisor: Julian Gonzalez, Earthjustice

Deliverables: 

Choices Interlinking

Choices Interlinking works at the intersection of climate change, environmental justice, and social justice in Arizona and Texas to seek systemic solutions to longstanding problems of racial inequities, especially those impacting underserved marginalized youth and young adults of color.

Policy Priority: Reparations pathways and accountability mechanisms for equitable access to clean water, air, safe affordable housing, and just treatment under the law. Read more.

Participation Goals: Better understand how different federal programs and policies can be used to reduce or eliminate systemic racial discrimination and disparities in clean water and housing access. 

    Policy Advisor: Sonia Kikeri, Emerald Cities Collaborative and Kendall Dix, Taproot Earth

    Deliverables: 

    Rio Grande International Study Center

    The Rio Grande International Study Center (RGISC) works to preserve and protect the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo, its watershed and environment, through awareness, advocacy, research, education,stewardship and bi-national collaboration for the benefit of present and future generations.

    Policy Priority: Protection and restoration of the Rio Grande River and watershed. Read more.

    Participation Goals: 

    • Urgent: Advocate for Congress to revoke Section 102 of the Real ID waiver (PL 109-13), which allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to bypass climate and environmental regulations along the Rio Grande to expedite border wall construction. 
    • Short-term: Uplift the protection of the hardest-hit ecosystems and communities in the Rio Grande through opportunities presented by major legislation such as the Clean Water Act, Clean Water State Revolving Funds, Waters of the United States, SCOTUS rulings, etc. 
    • Long-term/ongoing: Connect local policy priorities to national movements, including advocating for dam removal (e.g., Klamath Dam), to restore healthy river ecosystems and preserve a limited water supply.

    Policy Advisors: Kyle Jones and Celina Mahabir, Community Water Center

    Deliverables:

    Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples

    The Indigenous Waters Program at Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples (SPI) works with Native Nations, universities, environmental organizations, institutions, and agencies to protect fresh, salt waters, and coastal waters/areas that are significant to Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples. 

    Policy Priority: Restore local tribal control of land and waters.

    Participation Goals: Develop understanding of differences between federally and non-federally recognized tribes and water laws; build capacity to effectively interact with federal agencies that impact tribal lands and understand how to advocate with them for local tribal control of lands/waters (BoR within DOI, NOAA, EPA); and create and practice strategic talking points/testimony to deliver at hearings, briefings, etc.

    Policy Advisor: Max Gomberg, WECR Caucus Consultant

    Deliverables:

    Wisconsin Green Muslims

    Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Green Muslims is a grassroots environmental justice group formed in 2005 connecting faith, environmental justice, sustainability, and healing through education and service. 

    Policy Priority: PFAS prevention and remediation. Secondary goal of lead prevention and remediation.

    Participation Goals: Identify policy and advocacy strategies to regulate and prevent water pollution; build skills to review proposed rules and submit public comments on lead/copper and PFAS; develop a policy brief on PFAS prevention and remediation, connect local and state action on PFAS to federal advocacy efforts; build federal connections and policy strategies to strengthen contributions to Wisconsin PFAS-free Coalition and Great Lakes PFAS Action Network.

    Policy Advisors: Alexandra Campbell-Ferrari and Luke Wilson, Center for Water Security & Cooperation

    Deliverables: