(Comite Civico Del Valle awarded a grant)....It is a two year $4 million grant from the Waverly Street Foundation.
The grant is to fund research and increase public education, capacity building, and civic engagement around the lithium-extraction industry among Imperial County's underrepresented and under served communities. Waverly Street Foundation is a $3 billion plus nonprofit based in Palo Alto. California, combating climate change through funding of grassroots initiatives, organizing, and capacity building in disadvantaged communities. Luis Olmedo, Executive Director of Comite Civico del Valle, said the award is an incredible opportunity to continue the work they have already started in advocating for the fence-line communities like Bombay Beach, Niland, Calipatria and Westmorland, and communities of color who could be most negatively impacted by lithium extraction at the Salton Sea.