About

Poor air quality in the form of particulate matter (PM2.5) is the number one health risk to humankind, with EPIC’s Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) showing that the burden of pollution on life expectancy outstrips that of malaria, HIV/AIDS and transportation injuries combined. Installing air quality monitors and sharing real-time data with the public allows citizens to understand the depth of the pollution problem where they live and call for change, while providing a necessary guidepost for setting air quality policies and evaluating their progress. Yet, nearly 40 percent of countries—many of which satellite data shows are highly polluted—aren’t producing open air quality data for their citizens. That is largely because they are caught in a vicious cycle of inequality where most of the funding to combat pollution goes to some of the cleanest areas of the world. The EPIC Air Quality Fund breaks this cycle. The Fund supports local governments and organizations in installing air quality monitors, providing open data to communities, and driving national-level impact in countries that could benefit the most. 

“Our goal is to expand access to air quality data to 1 billion people by 2030. But providing data is just the first step. The EPIC Air Quality Fund looks to support strategic local leaders who have a plan to use this data to have a specific national-level policy impact that will drive change. We believe this will allow communities across the world to breathe cleaner air and live longer, healthier lives.”
– Christa Hasenkopf, EPIC Clean Air Program Director

The EPIC Air Quality Fund provides support through awards ranging from 50,000-75,000 USD for an 18-month period. It requires awardees to share the air quality data they produce in a fully open manner so that the data produced can be maximally utilized and progress can be publicly measured (please see open data requirements here). It also requires awardees to have a clear and compelling plan for achieving national-level policy impact with the open data they generate.

Air Pollution is the Leading Threat to Health

Particulate pollution remains the world’s greatest external risk to human health, with the impact on life expectancy comparable to that of smoking, more than 3 times that of alcohol use and unsafe water, and more than 5 times that of transport injuries like car crashes.

Funding is unequal. Yet, the most polluted countries don't have access: Asia, Africa and Latin America make up 96 percent of life years lost due to pollution. Europe, the United States and Canada contribute just 4 percent, but they receive 60 percent of philanthropic funds to combat pollution. China and India receive a little over half of that and the rest of Asia, Africa and Latin America receive just 4 percent of those resources. With little funding to install monitors, just 7, 4 and 19 percent of governments in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, respectively, provide their citizens with fully open air quality data.