The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago’s (EPIC) Clean Air Program is proud to announce two new grantees of the EPIC Air Quality Fund. The Fund, launched last summer, supports local groups and organizations in installing air quality monitors and providing open data to some of the world’s most polluted communities. It aims to expand access to air quality data to 1 billion people by 2030, with more than $2.9 million in support from Open Philanthropy, Alpha Epsilon and other individual donors.
“Opacity and lack of data are pollution’s best friend. Time and time again, history demonstrates that reliable air quality data is an essential first building block for cleaner air and better health,” says Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and Director of EPIC. “Citizens need the data to protect themselves against the risks of air pollution. And data is needed by policymakers to develop and enforce air quality standards so progress can be measured over time. These organizations have the power to launch this change.”
The two new awardees are the final members of the cohort of 26 projects to receive awards during this round of funding, following a call for applications that exceeded expectations with 322 submissions from 74 countries—mostly from countries identified as “higher opportunity” given their pollution levels and limited resources.
- We’re tracking the reach of our AQ Fund awardees and the opportunities for further impact. Explore
The projects will be funded over an 18-month period to enhance air quality infrastructure, share the data openly, and drive national-level impact on air pollution across 16 countries by 2026.
The projects come as air pollution is recognized as 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. In the 16 countries where projects will be deployed, citizens are losing a combined 1.7 billion life years due to particulate pollution.
While research shows that installing air quality monitors and sharing real-time data with the public in places with very little or no data leads to cleaner air, nearly 40 percent of countries—many of which satellite data shows are highly polluted—aren’t producing open air quality data for their citizens. Of the 16 countries where projects will be deployed, more than half lack open air quality data. Only 15 government monitors provide such open data throughout these 16 countries.
The 26 projects will change that. The projects, 15 of which will be led by government-related entities, plan to launch more than 700 government monitors. Seven of the projects will be the first air quality monitoring of their type in their country. Additionally, 17 of the projects aim to advocate for the creation of their country’s first national air quality standard, which currently does not exist in 13 of the awardee countries.
“EPIC Air Quality Fund awardees represent some of the world’s best chances to close air quality data gaps and advance clean air policy in places where citizens’ lives are being seriously impacted by air pollution, yet where there have been scarce resources deployed to address the issue,” says Christa Hasenkopf, director of EPIC’s Clean Air Program. “Their work is pioneering and an inspiration for their countries and the world.”
This cohort joins 24 ongoing projects awarded earlier this year (January 2025 Awardees, February 2025 Awardees, March 2025 Awardees), and four ongoing projects awarded in 2024. Data produced from the projects will be shared in a fully open manner, and EPIC is partnering with the non-profit OpenAQ to ensure the data can be used in as many ways as possible by scientists, decision-makers, and the general public.
Learn more about the two new EPIC Air Quality Fund awardees:
Cameroon
Awardee: Ministry of Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development, led by Jules Christian NDOMO TSALA
The award will support the enhancement of air quality monitoring in Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon, by installing five new sensors in each city. The goal is to establish a robust air quality monitoring system in Cameroon, particularly in areas with limited or no existing data. The data generated will be instrumental in informing and shaping effective policies for air quality management.
“Improving air quality is a public health issue. Ensuring efficient monitoring allows us to adjust our public policies in this area, in order to preserve the health of populations and the environment.” – Jules Christian NDOMO TSALA, Ministry of Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development, Cameroon
Uganda
Awardee: AirQo, Makerere University, led by Deo Okure Photo
The award will facilitate the significant strengthening of the existing air quality monitoring network in Uganda that will enable the development of a data-driven framework for local air quality governance for implementing the national air quality regulations. In collaboration with Uganda’s National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), a tailored training package will be developed to enhance the capacity of cities to implement the national air quality regulations. This training will be delivered through a synergised forum that fosters city-city collaborations.
“Although there have been incremental efforts towards local data generation in a number of cities in Uganda, the level of uptake of local data for decision making and policy is not always commensurate with the available data. This is also the case in other cities across Africa and is largely due to the lack of technical capacity at the city level. This project is timely because it presents a unique opportunity to start developing capacity for air quality management in the broader context of the recently passed air quality regulations. Moreso, working with a regional city means the project can be easily scalable across other cities in Uganda where the governance structures are largely the same.” – Deo Okure, Programme Manager, AirQo
About EPIC Clean Air Program
The EPIC Clean Air Program is working to bring actionable information about the quality of the air we breathe and its impact on our health to every corner of the globe in order to motivate action and lay guideposts for efficient air pollution policies. This work includes an EPIC Air Quality Fund to bring high quality and high frequency air pollution monitoring and data access to the places of the world where it is needed most; the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), which uses air pollution data to translate the impact of pollution on a person’s life expectancy; and several particulate pollution trading markets being piloted in Indian cities in coordination with state governments.