Thomasville, Georgia — A historic Black neighborhood in Thomasville, Georgia, lost nearly $20 million in federal funding after the Trump administration canceled environmental justice grants it said conflicted with its anti-DEI priorities.
KFF Health News reported that Thomasville and the Thomasville Community Development Corp. had won a $19.8 million Environmental Protection Agency Community Change Grant in 2024. The money was intended to help Dewey City address health and environmental risks, including mold, lead paint, asbestos, aging wastewater infrastructure, and the lack of a neighborhood health clinic.
The grant was part of a Biden-era $2 billion program aimed at helping disadvantaged communities address environmental hazards and climate resilience. But after President Donald Trump returned to office, the EPA revoked funding for Thomasville and dozens of other communities, citing a shift away from diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice priorities.
Local leaders said the cancellation delayed long-needed public health improvements in a community shaped by historic disinvestment. EPA officials said the agency is prioritizing taxpayer stewardship and rejecting what it called environmental justice “preferencing.”
Thomasville has pursued other funding, including a federal block grant for infrastructure repairs and a congressional request for a possible health clinic.
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