RESOURCES for good partnerships

Academic-community partnerships, and partnerships between communities and external actors require careful, thoughtful collaboration that builds trust and ensures that community lead. The Tishman Center, in partnerships with Centering Justice community members, have put together a selection of resources that can guide work with EJ communities. 

This curated list aims to serve as a compass for those navigating the intersections of community work and academia or other sectors. Whether you are an educator, researcher, student, community organizer, EJ advocate, nonprofit worker or funder, these resources provide valuable insights and practical strategies to ensure that partnerships reflect and uphold environmental justice principles.

This list was initially compiled in preparation for the Centering Justice Symposium held at the New School in January 2024, and updated following the Centering Justice Symposium in 2025. The Tishman Environment and Design Center updates this page on an annual basis. As publicly available resources, we have compiled this list following safety and security considerations. Please let us know if you have materials you would like us to add by contacting us.

CENTERING JUSTICE MANIFESTO

Guiding Principles for Good Partnerships

• Letter from Southwest Organizing Project and others to Group of Ten

• Environmental Justice Principles

• Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing

• People of Color EJ “Principles of Working Together”

• Bali Principles of Climate Justice

• Just Transition Principles

Community Agreements and Establishing Partnership Guidelines

• Tishman Center Example MOU

• West End Revitalization Association (WERA) MOU/MOA packet

• Science and Community Action Network (SciCAN): Resources on Community Partnerships

• Little Village Environmental Justice Organization’s (LVEJO) Six Guidelines for Academic Partnerships

• CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance

• Taproot Earth 2023 Summit on Climate, EJ, Racism & Law: Standards for Working Together

Intellectual Property Rights and Respectful Management of Data/Knowledge

Coming Soon…

Transformative Communications and Narratives Work

Coming Soon…

Legal Defense, Safety and Security Resources

Coming Soon…

Further Reading on Good Partnerships

• Ground Truths: Community-Engaged Research for Environmental Justice

• Transforming Action-Based Research Through Equitable Partnerships for Justice