Plastic Pollution Coalition’s Filtered Not Bottled Grant Program distributed a total of $100K in grants to 10 nonprofit organizations advancing access to safe water in their communities across six U.S. states.
An estimated 22 million Americans still receive water through toxic lead service lines, and the health harms of lead exposure can be irreversible and often lifelong. Although replacement efforts are underway, the reality is that countless families across the nation will continue to face unsafe tap water for years to come—often resorting to single-use plastic bottles of water. Through grassroots outreach, Filtered Not Bottled grant recipients have educated residents on water filters as an immediate solution to removing lead from drinking water while reducing plastic use and pollution. Several of the program’s grantees also advocated for reducing financial barriers to filter access by calling on local and state governments to equitably provide filters to impacted households at no cost to the residents.
Across the Northeast and Great Lakes regions, grantees led powerful campaigns, leveraging existing networks and building new partnerships to reach community members at high risk of lead exposure. Their communications Their communications reached more than 26 million people and directly engaged thousands of households of households, providing vital information and resources. Yet the true impact of these projects goes beyond numbers: Grantees initiated and engaged in critical efforts to strengthen water equity and reduce the harms of plastic pollution to people and the environment.
Trusted Voices for Safe Water
Educational outreach and targeted communication is only as effective as the messenger. The selected grantees have long-standing relationships within frontline communities affected by lead pipes. As such, they are uniquely positioned to deliver information and connect with residents, especially in areas where there is distrust in local government. In many communities across the U.S., distrust has been sown following years of unsafe tap water, contamination events, or other water crises.
Grantees provided robust education on the risks of lead exposure before, during, and after pipe replacement, paired with guidance on using and maintaining water filters to reduce lead exposure. Collectively, these projects helped close a common knowledge gap by highlighting both the dangers of lead and plastic, and the costs of relying on single-use plastic bottled water.
Grantees like Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers (SSCHC) in Wisconsin conducted door-to-door canvassing, building credibility and connection through direct engagement to the families they serve, finding that “in-person education proved to be the most impactful approach for our community. Direct engagement allowed for meaningful conversations, immediate clarification of concerns, and stronger trust-building—especially in neighborhoods with historical health disparities.”
In New York City, Cooper Square Committee focused on engaging renters, a population often unaware of lead pipes in their buildings and frequently overlooked by official outreach efforts and landlord notification. In Detroit, Michigan, Alkebu-Ian Village trained 21 Water Justice Fellows, ages 14–24, in community outreach and educating residents in filter use and maintenance, noting the importance of “meet[ing] people where they are—both physically in the neighborhood and culturally in how messages are shared.” In Flint, Michigan, Flint Rising Education Fund utilized their role as a trusted community voice to increase awareness of local filter programs and strengthen education on their importance, use, and maintenance. In St. Paul, Minnesota, Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi participated in many community events to distribute filters and through this direct engagement, some community members learned for the first time that they had lead service lines.
Messaging That Matters
Not only was the messenger important—so too was ensuring that communication was culturally relevant and accessible through multiple channels. Grantees used billboards, community centers, events, radio, social media, surveys, and other outreach strategies to engage their communities and reach an estimated 26 million people. Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan leveraged community partnerships to diversify how residents received information, expanding their reach. In Orange, New Jersey, The HUUB onboarded two community fellows to craft informative booklets and establish an information center on filtering at their community campus, which hosts events ranging from gardening workshops to quinceañeras.
Four projects reached broader audiences by collaborating with Plastic Pollution Coalition to publish opinion pieces in local newspapers across Michigan, New Jersey, New York City, and Wisconsin. Recognizing the importance of bilingual accessibility, several grantees provided materials and conducted direct engagement in Spanish, ensuring critical information reached residents, often distributing Plastic Pollution Coalition fact sheets in English and Spanish. Wisconsin EcoLatinos held bilingual events at schools, community events, and fairs across south central Wisconsin. Event attendees explicitly expressed gratitude for the outreach in Spanish, noting that it “made them feel seen and cared [for].”
Filtering Out Lead
Over the course of the projects’ rollout, nearly 900 water filters were distributed to households affected by lead pipes. Through community events, door-to-door distribution, and educational workshops, these filters were provided alongside guidance on how to use and maintain them.
Reflecting on the impact of this safeguard, participants at distribution events held by Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi shared: “that having access to clean, filtered water gave them peace of mind, and [that] some came multiple times to pick up filters not only for their own households but also for elderly neighbors and family members.” Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan affirmed community members shared similar sentiments, expressing “appreciation for receiving filters and pitchers they otherwise could not afford.” In collaboration with the City of Trenton and local partners, East Trenton Collaborative distributed pitcher filters and replacement cartridges, demonstrating how to use them properly during their 3rd Annual Lead Awareness Day.
Some grantees also participated in advocacy at the state level, sharing the impact of their projects with policymakers to champion statewide filter programs for all households impacted by lead pipes. In Wisconsin, Wisconsin EcoLatinos partnered with our team to push for statewide guidance on implementing municipal filter programs. In Michigan, Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan joined our team in advising the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to increase uptake rates for the state’s Get Ahead of Lead filter programs.
Reducing Plastic Pollution
The grantees’ work helped reduce plastic pollution directly through distributing filters that decrease reliance on bottled water and by shifting culture through educational workshops and materials highlighting the risks of plastic to human and environmental health. Along with filters, SSCHC provided over 250 reusable water bottles to families impacted by lead pipes, and Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition conducted a community survey that found that more than 90% of participants were concerned about plastic pollution, with 65% extremely concerned. They followed this action by facilitating an educational workshop alongside the Cuyahoga River, a site historically devastated by industrial pollution in the 1960s and still burdened by plastic pollution today, to teach participants about the impacts of plastic on human and environmental health.
Collectively, the Filtered Not Bottled Grant Program empowered organizations and advocates on the frontline of water inequity to amplify the benefits of filters over plastic bottles, and increase access to safe, toxic-free drinking water. Many grantees have set the stage for ongoing outreach, expanding their impact well beyond the initial projects. Even in the face of federal funding cuts to safe water, social challenges, and systemic barriers, these organizations delivered strong public health messages, earned the trust of residents, and helped protect countless people from lead exposure and the risks of bottled water. Their work shows how community-driven solutions plant the seed for lasting change.
