DELAWARE — Twelve community environmental projects across Delaware will receive a combined $523,179 in grant funding in 2027, including projects to monitor air quality in Sussex County and improve green spaces along the Mispillion Riverwalk in Milford.
The funding comes through the Community Environmental Project Fund, administered by DNREC. The program supports projects that reduce pollution, improve the environment and expand recreational opportunities in communities affected by environmental violations.
Among the recipients are the Sussex Health and Environmental Network, which will receive $30,000 for air quality monitoring in Georgetown, Selbyville and Millsboro, and Milford Housing Development Corporation, which will receive $50,000 for environmental improvements along the Mispillion Riverwalk.
The Sussex Health and Environmental Network will use its $30,000 grant for its Sussex Air Watch project, installing Clarity air monitors in Georgetown, Selbyville and Millsboro.
The communities have reported concerns about air quality, and the monitors will provide continuous, neighborhood-level data on fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, and nitrogen dioxide.
The project will also include up to six community meetings, with two planned in each area. The meetings will give people an opportunity to share their concerns, help identify suitable monitoring locations and participate in decisions about where the equipment will be installed.
According to DNREC, the information collected will help fill gaps in local air quality data, provide practical guidance on reducing exposure to pollution and support future pollution-reduction efforts.
Milford Housing Development Corporation will receive $50,000 for its Riverwalk Green Connections & Resilience Project, which will focus on public green spaces along the Mispillion Riverwalk near Riverwalk Villas in South Milford.
The project will involve community members in planning environmental improvements, including native plants, pollinator gardens, small rain gardens and educational signs.
Grant funding will also support environmental workshops, volunteer opportunities and maintenance planning throughout 2027.
DNREC officials say the improvements are designed to reduce polluted stormwater runoff, improve wildlife habitat and create more welcoming outdoor spaces for people who live nearby.
The project will complement other investments along the Riverwalk but will not pay for private housing construction or work already covered by federal funding.
The Community Environmental Project Fund uses a portion of fines and penalties collected from environmental violations to support improvements in affected communities.
Under Delaware law, money collected from environmental enforcement actions is set aside and awarded through a competitive grant process.
The Pollution Accountability Act, signed by Gov. Matt Meyer in 2025, increased the percentage of environmental penalty money returned to communities from 25 percent to 40 percent.
The updated law also gives preference to environmental projects located within two miles of where a violation occurred.
Since the program began in 2004, the Community Environmental Project Fund has invested $4.76 million in 129 projects throughout Delaware.
“The penalty money the CEPF program has invested in these community projects, particularly in the last few years, attests to the State’s and DNREC’s commitment to environmental justice,” said DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson. “That commitment is a priority for DNREC as we help empower communities to shape or reshape their environment.”
DNREC's Environmental Justice Office received 60 applications for the 2027 grant cycle, the highest number since the program began in 2004.
