The French-American Charitable Trust (FACT) was created in 1989 to address fundamental inequalities and injustices in our society. FACT officially opened its doors in 1994, and Environmental Health Coalition was one of its first grantees.

EHC has benefited from FACT’s well-conceived funding strategy, which includes long-term support through general support grants and funding for organizations that can provide technical assistance to FACT’s core community-based grantees. EHC was selected as a FACT "anchor group" as part of this strategy because of our leadership role in the community of environmental and social justice organizations.

"The extraordinary support from FACT has enabled EHC to develop and execute effective social change strategies that have had a significant impact on the San Diego/Tijuana region," said Diane Takvorian, Executive Director of EHC. "We are grateful for their confidence in and commitment to our work."

FACT also sponsors special projects to fill critical vacuums in the social change community. Among these is the Strategic Training and Education for Power Project, an inclusive training program that helps base-building organizations increase their internal capacity for leadership and strategic program development. Through the STEPP training, EHC was able to work with allies in California to refine our model for social change through strategic action.

"The STEPP training helped me learn about other groups who work toward having a better quality of life and health in their communities," said EHC Organizer Rosa Maria Angeles. "It also helped me understand the political and economical landscape, social change, and how to develop strategies to include community members in the process."