The Aubrey Group was hired by Compliance and Research Services in 2024 to develop grant programs and create and submit grant applications focused on using grant funding to install their Cat-A-Pass supplemental catalytic converter on enough vehicles within a certain locality to achieve EPA attainment with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

In the Fall of 2024, The Aubrey Group began preparing two EPA Community Change Grant applications for CARS with partners in the cities of Newark and Elizabeth.

In a timespan of roughly 6 weeks, The Aubrey Group worked with CARS, Elizabeth Development Corporation and Groundwork Elizabeth to fully prepare and submit a $20 million application to install supplemental catalytic converters older vehicles, resulting 70% reduction in tailpipe NOx and a 40% decrease in VOCs and CO, leading to safer air and particularly benefiting vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions. The other component of the project was to create new auto tech modules at local schools, creating high-quality jobs within the community. This initiative would involve skilled labor for installation, maintenance, and outreach, fostering workforce development and providing training opportunities that prepare local residents for jobs in the solar technician field.

After commencing work on the Elizabeth application, CARS secured partners in the city of Newark, and work on a second application began. The Aubrey Group worked with the Urban League of Essex County and New Community Corporation to prepare a work plan, budget, and narrative to submit a complete application. The project again involved installing supplemental catalytic converters as well as replacing harmful gas stoves with electric systems and training city residents in green automotive technologies. Unfortunately, the EPA Community Change Grant program was extremely competitive, receiving over 2,700 applications and making 105 awards, and CARS did not receive the requested funding. However, these first projects helped us develop two different fundable projects that could be replicated for future applications.

The Aubrey Group also created a project plan, created and edited a narrative, and successfully applied to the Fordham University Flourishing in Community Grant program to model air quality in New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area with and without a certain density of Cat-A-Pass modules installed. Unfortunately, this program, a passthrough of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program, was cancelled by the Trump Administration before a decision was made.

The Aubrey Group continues to work with CARS, preparing research and identifying potential funding opportunities and partners in a time when funding related to environmental justice is coming under increasing scrutiny. Our team updates CARS regularly and is assisting them with donor development to diversify their funding streams.

About the Client: Compliance and Research Services, Inc. (CARS), is a research and development firm specializing in emission-reducing technologies, including supplemental catalytic converters that reduce the amount of nitrous oxide emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles. They are interested in funding related to air quality monitoring and pollution mitigation in addition to environmental justice, as many communities that suffer most from vehicle emissions are historically overburdened.